This is actually the first post, though if Blogger lets us screw with the post date, maybe we will go back in time...
The days are still too darned short, with the temperature regularly well below freezing "mild" has disappeared from the vocabulary. Seems every day where the temperatures nudge freezing is associated with precipitation. As we break open that new Ducks Unlimited or California Responsible Pet Owners Coalition calendar, it is time to reflect on the progress of the old year and start planning for the one ahead. Start organizing the receipts for tax time, check that time sheets have been completed.
The five dozen second year dwarf fruit trees have for the most part survived the best of my intentions or lack of attention, as have the four dozen first-year stone fruit & pear dwarfs from the spring. The former are for the most part protected by rodent guards, while that fall chore ran afoul of home improvements later in season - hopefully the harrowing of the field and raking away of dead grass will leave enough barren surface the voles won't dare to venture out and become fodder for the hawks and feral cats.
Fortunately at our lower elevation South Berlin escaped most of the damage from the recent ice-storm which deprived many neighboring communities of power for many days.
First Monday of the new year and the mail box is full of catalogs from Johnny's Selected Seeds and other nursery / garden vendors. Stark Bros. beat the rush and arrived before the turn of the year. The quest this year will be to complete the pears and stone fruit - about another 50 trees, as well as starting in on the berry patch with blueberries, thornless blackberries and perhaps aronia berries. A sprayer needs to be sorted out, as well as starting on longer term irrigation plans - not to mention finishing off the existing stock with weed-control cloth & pea gravel and turning the in-row gaps over for buckwheat planting.
Back to the books and seed catalogs.
TTFN.
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