Manure has arrived

The bovine manure has arrived. Yeah

The stuff arrived in the week. I must have more than a couple of tonnes of the stuff. I started loading the wheel barrow as soon as I could. I then spread some around the trees nearest the delivery point and then working outward. I started about 10am on Sunday Morning and by the time I stopped for the day when it was getting dark I had only done 36 wheel barrow loads and still have 53 trees to get done.

I figure all the trees will get at least a 2 wheel barrow loads of the magical muck each. The reason its taking so long is that that I have to fill the wheel barrow then then walk to the tree spread the stuff and then walk back to the heap then on to the next tree which is always further away than the last one from the manure.

I am hoping to complete the task next weekend. Its not as smelly a task as you might imagine, and its easier than I thought it would be.

I did have a couple of other errands to get done and its starts to get dark at 3:30, I'm not sure exactly what time I finished, but I felt that 36 wheelbarrows of manure was a little short. I was hoping to get at least 1 barrow per tree done on the first day.

All the muck only cost £30, which I think is a bargain, and I will be defiantly getting more in.

I have spoken to a couple of other people and I may be getting another couple of tonnes of extremely rotten horse manure soon. This I will have to check to ensure it is rotten, before I put it down and around the trees.

Mushrooms and worms

I am seeing lots more mushrooms around the orchard. I have taken a couple of pictures of some of them and they have been uploaded. I can only presume that most are poisonous, and shouldn't be picked. I was once told only pick and eat mushrooms that grow above head height. That usual means chicken of the wood. The one at the bottom is the most interesting and the most strange.

I am also seeing loads of earthworm casts under the trees, practically under every tree. I think the worms are eating the leaves that have fallen from the trees recently and making the ground and the soil around the trees lovely. I will be putting lots of wood shavings under the trees over the next couple of days and finishing off the tree guards. The wood shavings are to keep the soil warm over the winter months, they will remove some of the nitrogen but as they decompose they will add more organic matter to the soil.

The bees seem fine, last weekend the weather was warm and they were flying in and out they seem to be bringing back pollen that is very bright orange.

Getting ready for tonnes of manure

I spent 4 hours on Thursday weeding. I cleared most of the ground underneath the trees of weeds. The soil is fantastic. When I originally planted many of the trees the soil was hard and sandy and in places it  had clay however working underneath the trees this weekend out I found the soil loose and like lush compost. Much of it will be from the organic matter I have dumped around each tree over the past couple of years but also because of the work earth worms have been doing.

I have put wood shavings underneath most of trees; I have a couple more to do but the manure should arrive during the coming week some time. The manure the wood shavings and the leaves I have been collecting will make a great compost that will feed the trees throughout the next couple of months.

It looks like I am in for a busy weekend but am looking forward to the manure arriving and spreading it around the trees. I know its insane to be pleased that a pile of muck is going to arrive but to me its like I have ordered a meal that the trees are going to love.

Its crazy I know but that's just how it is.

Colours of Autum

The leaves on the trees are now a nice yellow or red, very few still have green leaves which means the sugars in the leaves are heading going back down to the root ball of the trees.

Some of the trees have already lost all the leaves and look barren, though I can see the buds that should open next spring.

I can see the growth over the past year, from the fresh wood and I'm please with the progress. I can see the growth that the trees have made this year and since we planted them more than 3 years ago. Some off the trees are doing really well and perhaps in a couple of years we will have lots of fruit.

I can see lots of mushrooms around the place, though I probably would never pick them. Lots seem to be gathering around the quince  trees. I have displayed a picture of some of the mushrooms, but I have a fair few.

I have checked on the bees as the weather was warm and I could see them buzzing around. They seem happy, they have lots of food and seem to be doing well. They look like they are entering winter well.