Starting summer two owning our forever home, we decided to spend extra on fruit trees so we could one day enjoy fresh fruit. We found a great deal for fruit trees that were all 3-4 feet tall already. So we bought a variety of trees and paid attention to what they needed to become pollinators. For example, we love honey crispy apples but we learned they need to have red delicious apples (something we don’t like as much) to pollinate. With this investment came the fun of deciding where and how to plant the trees. My husband loves to make things in rows. So he carefully measured out each plot and placed a stake. If you look at our trees they make perfect squares.
Fun fact the day we got engaged we canned apples together. It was such a core memory for so many reasons. It was the beginning of our canning and preserving story. It was more work than I realized but we bonded over it. Now the work doesn’t seem so much when we work together as a team and find our rhythm.
God has definitely blessed us in a way that we both enjoy working hard and making things better for our family. There is something so satisfying in making it yourself, especially knowing that it is something that is nourishing my children’s bodies. Being able to enjoy what God has provided for us is truly great. I also love to share with my neighbors! One day I hope to have enough fruit that we can easily share with anyone who needs it.
Wild Trees and Fresh Fruit
We have mulberry trees, walnut trees, and wild plum thickets scattered all through the wooded area. We haven’t done much with them up to this point but I’m hoping to make a change this year and do something with the wild plums. Time will tell what I accomplished this year. At the very least maybe we can enjoy some fresh fruit.
It amazes me that with how overgrow everything is around here it has flourished so well. My husband has been working hard to thin out the brush and overgrown trees. Giving them the much needed “haircut” they need.
It seems that lots of our harvest is ready right when school is starting up which changes my flexibility of time and what I’m able to accomplish since I’m a teacher. I’m hoping with the help of friends and my hubby we will be able to tackle the end of our summer harvest.
Water Buckets
Now my husband is a very clever person. He placed five gallon buckets on retaining wall bricks with a small hole in them at the bottom. The kids love helping fill the buckets with water and seeing the little flow of water run out of them nourishing our trees with the water that they needed especially in those first few weeks. This also helps catch rainwater to give the trees a little extra.
Fruit Trees
