August Orchard Update
and why it's been so quiet around here...
Hey everyone!
First, an update on the apple orchard experiment. So far, there’s mixed results. One of the trees is fine and the other has been heavily munched on by deer.
The first tree, the honeycrisp, looks great. The yellow transparent tree isn’t faring so well though. I think the hill’s slope prevents deer from reaching into the fence around the honeycrisp tree, but they can reach over and eat the yellow transparent tree downhill. Or the heirloom tree leaves just taste better, who knows?
The good news is that both trees are still alive. The regular rain is keeping them watered, but things have been hotter and drier lately. The yellow transparent tree has grown some new leaves lower within the fence that are protected. It’s adapted well and is still growing. I think improving the fencing will help though. To plant a hundred trees, I’ll need some large fences.
Why is it so quiet around here?
I also just want to address how quiet this newsletter has been this year. Since I got electricity installed in June and planted those two trees, there hasn’t been a major update to share with you all.
The main reason is budgetary. Electricity was a large expense and my only big item on the to-do list this year. The last two years have been expensive with log repair. So I’m saving up money again to keep working.
With all that out of the way, I want to start some larger renovation projects next year. Mainly, I want to redo the floors and finish interior and exterior staining, moving towards making this design a reality.
The secondary reason for the lack of news is that I spent most of the week at the lake in July with my family. For the first time since The Before Times™ of 2019, most of my extended family was able to get together. Instead of working on the cabin, I laughed with family around the table, swam in the cool lake water and ate great meals.
The week was a great reminder of all the reasons this place is special. The cousins slept scattered on the floor, in the bunkroom, on the porch and on the boat. Eventually the cabin will be a spot we can all stay too. That’s a great goal.
The last reason for a lack of news has just been how busy life here in Colorado has been. Good busy. I’ve been bikepacking and biking a lot, recently got engaged and we have family and friends visiting us. It’s been hard to make a trip out to New York, but I do plan on going again this fall.
My family is keeping an eye on the cabin though. I got a notification that there was movement on my game camera recently. I had a good belly laugh when I loaded this photo of them waving at me.
Howdy! If you’re new here, this is West Bluff Food Forest. I'm fixing up a cabin and building a permaculture orchard and home in the Finger Lakes region of New York. I write about the lessons I'm learning and update you along the way.
I love to hear from you, so please let me know what you think in the comments.
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