A Spring Favorite

First 10 asparagus crowns arrived and are in the ground. Here they are before being covered, roots spread over little mounds. Another 25 should come this week, some different varieties.

It takes a few years before they put up shoots, and one is advised not to pick any that grow after the first year.

That will be hard advice to follow.

After maturing, they will produce for up to fifteen years. Nothing better than fresh cut asparagus!

Bee Busy

It's been about two weeks since we put up the Orchard Mason Bee house and bee cocoons. First trip back today and the bees are out working.

In fact, seven of the bee tubes are filled already.

Here's what's going on. A female collects pollen from about 75 nearby flowers. She deposits the pollen as a food supply in the back of one of the tubes. An egg is then laid on top of the pollen and she seals it off with a mud wall. Later, the eggs hatch, the larva eats the pollen and then makes a cocoon.

By early summer the egg laying is over and the spring bees die. Each female will lay about 50 eggs but will have made over 60,000 visits to flowers. We will remove the tubes and keep them cool through the winter while the larva changes into a bee, then put them out next spring to start the process all over again.

No honey from Orchard Mason Bees, but they work a lot harder than honey bees in the orchard.

'Shroom to Grow

Next task: Growing mushrooms. 1. Cut down small hardwood (we chose the hated sweetgum.) 2. Drill series of holes. 3. Plug them with shiitake and oyster mushroom spawn. 4. Cover with melted wax. 5. Stack in forest next to orchard. 6. Wait

Hopefully next fall we'll have abundant flushes of fresh mushrooms. Yum!

Holy Insecticide, Batman!

While we haven't had an issue so far with mosquitoes, we're taking no chances. We also want insect control in the garden without having to resort to spraying. So Mark built two bat houses, each with five chambers that can hold scores of bats that will clear the air of all the things that bug us.

Hung one near the lake lot and one overlooking the orchard and garden. Used the deer climber tree stand to put them well out up of the way.

Bee Friendly

With so many fruit trees, we wanted to make sure we started supporting pollination. We have several pollinator gardens, with perennials such comfrey, baptista, yarrow, St. John, asters, etc. We also wanted to keep bees nearby. After a lot of research, we decided to wait before tackling honey bees. However, Orchard Mason Bees are another thing. These tiny bees work much harder than honey bees, are quite docile, and lay their eggs in tubes that they seal with mud. All we have to do is give them a convenient home and find a place for them to hibernate over the winter.

So, we ordered 20 bee cocoons, kept them in the fridge until it warmed up this weekend, then placed them in a bee house Mark built. Looking forward to raising a large population over the next few years.

Rest After a Productive Day

Met the Bountiful Backyards folks to finish some planting. Added an Indian Blood Peach, Green Gage Plum and two JuJuBe's. Sprayed all the plants with some Worm Compost Tea. Turned the compost pile, painted the orchard gate.

Then relaxed. Too early for anything to be blooming except this beautiful perennial.

Thirst Things First

Critical equipment installed. Two bottle openers. One by the dock at the lake. Another across the way in the orchard.