Moving a tree

 

 

So it was decided that we need to transplant a tree.  Not one of the bigger ones. But this one  - growing out of a wall . 

 

 

 

 And at the same time I could perhaps do something about the walling that was a bit iffy. 

 

 It hadnt actually all fallen off (yet) , but was probably a matter of time

 

So the tree : 

 First. take down the bit of the wall that is in the way. 

 

 

 see how deep the roots are  going. In this case, not very - in fact going horizontally. ive no idea why all the earth has built up on the wall, but the tree has made use of the fact. 

 Remove tree and transplant somewhere a bit more favourable 

  

 

And rebuild the wall. 

 

 

 

And the robin - it was  hanging around whilst all this was going on . 

Doing our bit for Orkney

 Orkney has 2 wildlife problems. 

One is stoats.  Since 2010 stoats have spread across Orkney, endangering the native wildlife.  We have lost livestock to stoats and we are doing our bit  by trapping . Most recently here , but we have been catching them back to 2018. And there is an Orkney-wide project to eradicate stoats , oraganised through NatureScotland

The other  problem is graylag geese. The census in 2006  got to 67540 greylag geese in Orkney , and 63,534 in 2018. Geese eat grass which here is needed for cattle and sheep.  There have been various initiaites to control numbers - Some details - egg oiling, coralling, shooting are here .  And from Februiaruy this year there has been open-season on shooting greylag geese - in fact an opportunity for tourism.  And the BBC have more details . 

We spotted some greylag geese and chicks  back in July, and managed to catch the chicks,  and decided to grow them on. 

And they have grown a bit and the time has come. 

We own one of these these ( a bolt gun) 

The next step is to pluck the goose - feathers can get everywhere. So perhaps next time we'll do oit outside on a windy day. 

And then it gets hung for a day or so - the muslin is to protect the carcass.

And then gutted and prepared 

And the roasted 

And the consumed. 

And as we grew the Romanesco cauliflower and pototoes , the total food miles in this dish is about 80 yards. 

And the cost  : 

Goose - see above. Some grain for feeding - say 50p ( generous guess0 

A packed of seeds - weve got 6 plants for £ 1.50, so that is abour 25 p 

Potatoes - they grew from seed potatoes left over from last year.  

So a meal for 2 for 75 p. 

The Applecrub - Part 2

 

 

 

 

One of the problems with the trees in the polycrub is that they don't really go dormant through the winter - its probably too warm. And difficulties with getting enough ventilation is a known problem with polycrubs - indeed a friend has put a grille at each end of his, to ensure adequate permament ventilation. So the plan is to ensure that the trees in the applecrub have enough ventilation. 

The original plan was to have  removable panels along each length, so that they can be removed for summer for autumn and spring pruning,  and to leave the ends open. The bed is already in quite a sheltered spot, facing due east ,  so is protected from the worst of northerly ( or southerly ) winds. 

But I've had 2nd thoughts . The western side is well protected by bushes and trees that are up the slope a bit . So the current idea is to leave the back open and partially enclose the ends. Already we have had condensation forming inside the roof - indicating that the air in the inside is a bit warmer than the outside.

 So this final version has an open western side, and partially enclosed northern and southern ends.   

 

So we'll see how productive the trees  become - it might be a bit late for this year , but we can see what happens next year.

 

 

And the current state of apples :

 

Farewell

Farewell to Corin, Daniel,  Earnest,Cato,Edward ,Beatrice, Blanche, Farquhar, Farron, Ferdie,Fee and Fum . 

 

After the night in a small area of the field, at 5am they were loaded into the   trailer.  

Sheep can be a bit difficult  and they spend a large part of their life trying to escape from wherever they are , so we had to give ourselves plenty of time .  But some pre-emptive setup with sheep hurdles and they all were in the trailer by 515am 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And by 520am we were ready to go . 

 

Next stop - St Margarets Hope, for the ferry terminal 

At least i didnt have to reverse it all on to the ferry,  unlike last time

And a couple of hours later we were at Dingwall 

And shortly after that , sheep in lairage .

 

 

And when towing  500Kg of sheep down the A9  , I get 24 miles to the gallon.

The Applecrub -part 1

 The trees that we brought up  here have never  dproduced any fruit when planted outside - even though we have tried to find sheltered spots 

The trees that went into the polycrub have done really well, producing lots of fruit. 

Last year I built a raised bed in a sheltered spot and we moved some of the fruit trees into it . They have done a little better, but not prodiced any edible fruit. 

So the next plan is to protect them . They dont  make a polycrub that fits on a raised bed 4m x1.5m. Some timber and plastic corrugated sheeting was ordered in April. Because of Covid its just been delivered to Orkney. 

We will still need access to the trees for pruning and picking and weeding and other stuff. 

So: 

The trees in the polycrub have behaved a little strangely compated to the Northeast of England - we suspect its not cold enough  for them to be  largely dormant  through the winter. 

So the East-facing side will get  removable panels. And a  corrugated plastic panels and roof will go on.  Initally the plans were to leave the ends  open. But the back is well-sheltered , so  it may be that the edn get sheetd and we leave the back largely open. 

watch this space