Thursday, March 10, 2011

Spring is Around the Corner

The sun shines, promising warm temperatures for the day.
The tomato seeds I planted on Sunday were sprouting already on Wednesday.
Yesterday we pruned all but three of our fruit trees. It was chilly. It was breezy. It was cloudy.
It was wonderful. It was fun. It was glorious.
I did this task alone last year (and required stitches when the new pruning shears sliced through my thumb).
Yesterday, not only did I have the company of my husband, but we were assisted by someone with more knowledge and experience in pruning.
I felt fairly comfortable with pruning last year. Yet it was good to have someone with us who could wield the pruning shears with such confidence. Someone who cut more than I would have on some things and less on others. Someone who gave me a better understanding of how to train branches to proper angles.
We not only pulled upright branches into horizontal, which favors fruiting, we pulled "stacked" branches over to fill in spaces. We brought the unruly apricot into line. The too proud sweet cherry tree got its come uppance.
Today I will work in the warm sunshine pruning the three peach trees. The plastic will come off all of the lettuce beds. I will pick spinach, pull back hay, assess the viability of any surviving lettuce plants, water them and possibly even plant some lettuce seed, before replacing the plastic to encourage early spring growth.
Today I will spread compost on the beds where peas will be sown.
Today the chores are spring chores.
The official first day of spring is less than two weeks away.
My heart soars.

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