A Weekend at the Farm 11/5-7/10

Morning Glory and Cypress Vine.

Took Friday off and drove to the farm, then back home for Max's game Friday night, wedding registry for Blake on Saturday morning, clothes shopping for Max Saturday afternoon, then back to the farm Saturday night. Weather cool and beautiful.

• Spent much of Friday clearing a space next to the Long Border. Yaupon and whatnot have crowded in close to it. I really want to clear a wide path so that driving next to the Long Border is accessible to the cub cadet. It will take my husband's help because some of the trees that need to be cut down are just a bit too thick for the loppers. The Long Border is very pretty, but it is rather hidden right now. I have seeded the whole thing with Iceland Poppies, Tuber Vervain, and Larkspur, and of course it is planted with all sort of wonderful perennials. It will be beautiful in the spring.
  
• Spread some more seeds in The Orchard. Covered them with chicken wire.
  
• Bought two fruit trees at the Arbor Gate nursery on the way back to the farm. 'Eugenia' Cherry of the Rio Grande and 'Eversweet' Pomegranate. Cherry of the Rio Grande is the closest we can get here in the south to having a cherry tree. Efforts are being made to produce low chill hour cherry trees, for example, the Minnie Royal and the Royal Lee cherry trees have 400-500 chill hour requirements which is fine here in Brenham. The Cherry of the Rio Grande is an evergreen shrub that grows to 6 feet. It blooms in the spring followed by 1-2" fruit that taste similar to a cherry. 'Eversweet' Pomegranate is self-fruitful and is supposed to have very few seeds. I am finished in The Orchard as far as space is concerned. The only thing I can plant now is blackberries because they are low growing. I will plant berries in all the garden space I have left. But it is quite a thing to see: The Orchard will be lovely.
  
• Planted the trees and watered them with fish emulsion.
  
• Planted some wonderfully apple-scented chamomile 'Anthemis nobilis' in the Medicine Garden. Chamomile will not survive our summer heat. It needs to be grown throughout the cold months here. It will reseed and come back if the area is not disturbed. The little flowers are what produces the wonderful tea. Chamomile is a muscle relaxant. It will help you sleep.
• I raked the Infinity Garden.
• I fertilized the Vegetable Garden with fish emulsion.
• I fertilized my Red Cauli Stone Crop with fish emulsion. It's supposed to bloom in the fall, but I've seen nothing.
• Put out some suet for the birds.
• Laid down some chicken wire in the Star Garden and seeded it with Straw Flower seeds.
• My husband and I finished clearing a road next to the Long Border. Much better!