A year's anniversary

Wow, the first 12 months have simply flown by, I am finding it hard to believe it has been a year. It has been... interesting, lots of learning has gone on, changes in the boys lives and mine too. Salix has completed his chef qualification and is working full time. Fabien is doing work experience, which is apparently pushing him towards going back to school although the jury is still out on that, and Ivor has improved his reading and has a new teacher this year.
I felt inspired to write today, as Ivor and I spent half an hour digging up soil samples from the garden to test the acidity and NPK levels. Then I can decide which rootstock is best for the trees, which we have been researching. The results will also tell me which flowers and shrubs and so on will be happiest in the type of soil. I am already noticing certain plants struggling, and others doing very well.

As you can tell from the photos it is all quite scientific - and those are not sweets, as I hastened to tell Ivor, but chemicals for the testing! He helped me label the jars. The research into which trees comes down to me reading lots about grafting - very exciting stuff, I can't wait; plus the boys trying lots of apples and telling me their favourites 😀.  Crunchy and acidic seem to be key words here. I bought a couple of grafting knives for myself for my birthday, and intend on planting some rootstock and grafting onto them myself. I am eagerly anticipating grafting from my mum's tree in London, obviously the apples won't be the same, as they are affected by terroir and climate.


Sadly the Rose I bought is not looking too happy!

The baby raised beds - of which there are three which are in production - are doing alright, again, it is early days so I didn't expect too much.
Of the four Yes trees planted, only three have survived, the cherry seems dead, although hope does spring eternal so I shall await the winter before pulling it up. It never took. The three apple trees are fine, thanks to (somewhat erratic) watering through the dry season.
The late frosts which followed an unseasonably warm Spring killed off most of the fruit at the farm up the hill, and the pear tree here in the garden suffered too. Not a lot of jam has been made :(
On a happy note the chickens are all still alive, and had a great time being looked after by family whilst I had a short break over the summer. The eggs are fantastic.