Started Planting

I sprayed the old grass, thistles, nettles and other assorted rubbish off with glyphosate in the Autumn of 2012 but the I had hoped to have planted the trees by then but the summer had been so wet it just wasn't possible to work the ground so I had to wait.  I'm not good at waiting, patience isn't one of my virtues, if I have any which is doubtful.  Hence it wasn't until the early Autumn that I could finally kill off the rubbish.  The ground stayed wet and we were forced to look out at bare ground all winter, not a nice site.  But it finally did dry up and I persuaded one of my collogues to come with a tractor and a chisel plough to pull up the ground.  We left it in that state to weather until it finally dried out in late spring.  On of the local farmers worked the ground with a power harrow leaving it level and ready for the new grass.  I bought the grass seed from the company I work for, borrowed a fiddle drill and after some repairs I got the thing working well enough.  Though I know how a fiddle drill works I have never used one before so it was a little experimental but it worked well enough though I got the grass on a little thick.  We were lucky, it rained, a brilliant little shower shortly after I got the grass seed on, it couldn't have been better if I had planned it.  The grass came well even on the heavy part of the ground and all was well until.  My father in law bought us two plum trees to get us started, trouble is I wasn't quite ready I had to mark out where the trees were going to go rather quicker than I had planned.  But that's life sometimes so in mid June last year I planted the first two plum trees.  They were two year old pot grown trees, one greengage and a marjorie's seedling.  Bot trees had been pruned back shortly before they had been collected but had been kept long enough to ensure they would grow away.  I thought initially that they had been over done but I realise now that the pruning had been correct and they are both now a great shape and are just coming into but.  I had to water them all summer but it was worth it and they seem to be well established.  

Greengage as it is now.

Marjorie's seedling below as it is now.

As I have said I'm not the most patient of people but I did manage to wait until late Autumn of 2013 before I started planting again, since I have waited most of my life to have my own orchard I thought it best and held my impatience in check.  Yes I know I shouldn't let the grass grow right up to the trees, that is being taken care of.  More to follow about the planting progress and the varieties later.