Planter Boxes

I bought some 2"x10"x14' planks of cedar from a local lumber distributor to make some planter beds for the greenhouse.

I bolted the planks to some 4x4s to make a basic frame.

I attached 1/2" hardware cloth to the bottom of the planter boxes. This should keep out moles and voles. I took dirt from our property and mixed it with a few different fertilizers (including some "worm tea" given to me by my boss) and added the mixture to the beds.

What's that smell?

We have been having a problem with a skunk sneaking under our house. There is a little opening right next to my bedroom window and the skunks love to hang out there when it is cold and wet out. I tried putting boards and rocks in front but he kept getting in. Things finally came to a head when he must of sprayed. Even though I was protected by several inches of wood flooring, the smell was so bad I could barely sleep. I almost got sent home from work that day!
So we pulled out the Have-a-Heart trap and set it up, under the house, with a can of yummy cat food.

Here he is; trapped!

We drove him up to the far side of the lake and released him, far from any other homes. I made sure to properly board up the opening as well.

Spring is here and you know what that means...

Spring Wildflowers!

They grow in the most interesting places

Spring is also the time for grafting. "What is grafting?" you ask? Grafting is the practice of taking a limb from a tree that is just about to bud for spring (called scion wood) and attaching it to another tree. The benefit of this is you can have the strong, healthy, and well adjusted root stock of a native plant grow the fruit you prefer. It can also be used for ornamental reasons. The limitation is that you need tree species that are closely enough related for the graft to take. I have chosen to work with the genus Prunus. Prunus is the genus that contains peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, almonds and a few other common edibles. I am using chokecherry for my root-stock (which you may remember from my post on jam).

Here is the large thicket of Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana demissa) that is growing too close to our deck. I have already lopped off the top part of the trunks nearest to the deck; which I decided to use for some of my grafts. Because of the way that chokecherry grows there is a good chance that the roots are connected so the stumps will still receive nutrients.

To preform a cleft graft I start by cutting a groove into the stump.

I take my scion wood; (in this case: a plum branch), and cut the bottom so it is thin and the inner cambium is exposed.

I wedge in a branch on each side of the cleft in the stump

I then bind the stump to apply pressure to the cambium. I also cover the area with wax to prevent against infection.