Saturday we spent most of the afternoon racing to get the rest of our orchard order into the ground. Bare-root trees have a limited time before their roots dry out and they die. We picked up the order on Thursday, and it was well packed in wet mulch and newspapers, but we didn’t want to wait over Sunday.
Mommy also wanted to begin bonding with her calves. This means spending time standing quietly in the pen, offering food, without moving towards them, just waiting for them to get curious and move closer. She wants to be able to curry them, and we want them to be friendly enough that the kids can move them from paddock to paddock safely.
We planted goumi berries, hazelnuts, figs, currants, mulberries, wintergreen, and strawberries. Many of them went in the old orchard, where the geese primarily live. At first Daddy wanted to kick the geese out onto pasture, because the Mama goose has been laying and not sitting. She has so many eggs under her, she cannot cover them all. But Uncle says she has been sitting much more of the day for the last six days. Evie asked very nicely to please, please, just let her stay and keep sitting so we can see if we get goslings.
So we made a cage for each of the new plants, and let the geese stay there for now. The cages should keep them from nibbling off all the tender new leaves.
Strawberries, grapes, goumis and lingonberries along this fence. Now that the dog is fenced out of here they may have a chance of making it.
Strawberry starts are cheap, so we planted dozens of them. God willing the kids will have snacks through the summer.
Mommy, meanwhile, taking her time, making friends with the boys. This is Angus.
Winnie is so excited to be able to see real live cows on the farm rather than on youtube. She spent the afternoon pointing at them and mooing.
They did not know what to make of her. Someday, little girl. You will be a farmer girl one of these days.
Little Farm in the Big City 