Nynke Muller

Hi Eric,
My brother told me recently that the normal cycle of this plant is to die above ground during winter. So I have unjustly disposed of some plants in the past.
Maybe yours is just following its natural cycle.
By the way, I saw some plants in the wild this year. It grew on rocks with moss on it close to a stream. At the time it was raining and the complete environment was wet.

Cool George!

It will take a long time to establish your hugel this way.

I am trying something similar myself, on a much smaller scale. I have a raised bed, that I want to make / keep pretty steep because of available space. Therefore I have put some sticks of a local nitrogen fixing plant, that grows like a weed here and is "normally" used for hedges, in the bottom of the side of the bed. The sticks have grown roots and start growing above ground. I cut it an drop the thin branches horizontally behind the rooted sticks. I will continue to top off with compost, until the desired heigth is reached. In the mean time I am growing vegetables on top and try to establish more perrenial stuff in the sides.

It is still to early to claim a succes. The experiment only started this year. However, this set up will be continued next year. Maybe another bed will be added.

Maybe you can start your hugel while growing your locust trees? Let us know how it turns out!

Kind regards Nynke

Sand cherry!

Hi Richard,
Sorry I missed your update 3 months ago. I have been so curious how your tree was doing. It looks fantastic!
I have nothing to add to Stevens advice. That is what I would have done if it was my tree. If possible, I might have pruned in a very early stage with my tumb. That is faster, and the tree puts its energy into something else. But the truth is, that I sometimes forget it, because I am busy doing something else.
I never doubeted it, but I am still very happy for you and your tree that it turned out so well, enjoy your lovely tree!

J. Syme wrote:...My main issue comes when the ladies go away for a trip, and I'm tasked with allocating the proper amount of water to the plants. Orchids apparently drink less than lilies... john

Oh, is that the issue?!
When we go on a trip I ask my dad to take care of my plants. Before I leave I do a check and remove everything (almost) death or dying. I rearrange the plants to their needs. For example all orchids in one windowsil. I water them perfectly before I leave and I stick a note on the window: "water once per two weeks." I put all plants that will survive my absence without water, in one room, he knows he can skip that room and focus on the others. I dont think I ever lost a plant because of his care. Every time I arange them in the same location. I dont even think the notes are necessary anymore.

I hear your sigh. It could have come from my husband. The number of houseplants fluctuates, because mine go on summer holiday as well, and sometimes I have guests. I made a deal with my husband: I can have as manny plants as I want, as long as he can sit in his chair(s) and stretch his legs completely. Isn't he the best man a woman can wish for? Today, 25 years later, he learned to love them all. I developed the habit, that each new plant is a gift from... to him! Plants make us both happy!
SO: Draw a line that every reasonable person, and certainly your wife and daughter can and will respect. Claim a plantfree territorium. Learn to love the plants in your house as your babies and your wife and daughter will love you back and think you are the greatest!

Update on paper pot experiment (continued)

Hardening off
In the mean time, the beans that are hardening off on the balcony, are looking a lot better (this picture is two weeks ago). The plants in the toilet paper rolls filled with sand (number 6), have dried out because of bad watering regime on my part. At this moment, the plants are almost the same size as the leggy ones I planted in the garden. So these were planted too early as well. I will try to wait one more week and when the weatherforcast promisses no freezing temperatures, I will plant these out 2 weeks before my last frost date, so still pretty harsh on beans.

The experiment is not completed yet. I will keep you informed.

I have to say that I like the number 3 so much that I have made 20 more and sowed some borlotti beans from the kitchen cabinet in it and a few more in pots and kept some behind for direct sowing. Maybe I can redo some of the “not hardening off” experiment.

Lessons learned so far:
• Don’t start your bean seeds to early (not again).
• Experiment! You can discover something new and be amazed.
• Paper pots hold better during transport (over bumpy roads)
• For beans, the toiletrolls filled with sand can not hold the moisture as well as any of the others.

Update on paper pot experiment (continued)

Not hardening off
Which brings me to the third issue. What is hardening off? Or better, what is “not hardening off?”
Normally I take my trays outside as soon as the seeds unfold. When it is cold (at night) I keep the lid on, or put them back inside. I act depending on the weather. I live in an appartment building and my balcony is pretty sheltered. It seems really weird not to do this.
 
The plants I kept inside in my warm living room (where I started both groups), started to grow really fast and became leggy and started to fall over. Fungus appeared. I really did not know what to do with them. I am not supposed to do anything that would resemble hardening off. It is 6 weeks before my last frost date. If they grow any higher, I don’t even know how I will transport them to my garden (4km from my house) without damaging them.

Since keeping them inside would lead to no good at all, and the night temperatures are well above zero, I decided to plant them, assuming they would turn out to be snail fodder anyway. So straigth from the living room, strapped on my bicycle, towards the garden. And this is where the paper pots score much better than the plastic pots and the not so compacted soilblock. The last part of the road is pretty bumpy and the plastic pots started to “jump” and the soilblocks were shaken until they fall appart (except for one). The wind snapped some of the weak stems.  Normally I never transport them in this tray, this was the first time.

Planting
Upon arrival in my guarden, I immediately started planting. I planted them 4 in a row, than leave space for 4 identical pots that are still hardening off. Then the next 4 pots of a different type and so on. If less than 4 survived the trip, I still kept there place free, in order not to get confused later. I marked the end of each set of 4 with a stick.
I scooped them one by one up with a hand rake. The paper pots with the flaps have 2 strong sides and two weak ones. The number 2 pots, made from one layer of paper (half of what was instructed in the video), got damaged when I took their neigbours out. However, the soil held up well and remained square.
I sprinkeled ashes around the base of the plants to chase away the snails. I dusted the plants with rock dust, that makes them less tasty for slugs and snails. I really tried to give them the best start against all odds. I expected absolutely nothing from these pathethic, sad, misserable plants at all. I expected them to be eaten by slugs before I left for home. And HERE IT COMES: Maybe it is still to cold for slugs, but now, 2 weeks later, most of them are neither death nor eaten by slugs. They still look misserable, but one of them even shows a new leaf unfolding!

Update on paper pot experiment (continued)

Set up
I wanted to make 8 pots of each, to divide them in two groups, one that I will harden off, and one that I won’t harden off. Of course things went different than I wanted: The paper for the thick paper pots had different dimensions. So I managed to make 2x four identical ones that I spread over the two groups. Probably not a big deal. (if you look well in the pictures above and below, you can see the difference).
 
The second thing that went “wrong” was germination of the bean seeds. I germinated them between two paper towels, to be sure that all pots had a germinating seed. However I needed 64 germinating seeds, but I did not reach that number. Therefore I had to add different bean seeds at a later time. I decided that this diverser group will be the one that I will plant outside without hardening off.

Good morning Richard,

YES! This looks like a tree that is going to make it!

On the thin branch at the top: Vertically there is a nice distance, but the directions are closer than you would want them indeed. You could redirect the branch with a string. It is so young, that will work! Remove the string in the fall or next spring, and the branch will remain in its new position.
Cutting the main leader lower is another possibility, but I don't think it is necessary.
You can watch what happens now and even cut away this small branch in favour of another when it appears.
It seems like you are starting to get a feeling for it, so thrust your judgement and do what you think is best.

On  shortening the other branches: I am with Phil. Every year I cut off half of the new growth in summer (I mean half of each branch). It will cause more side shoots and probably more fruits for the next year. (I have a smaller space than yours, so I have to keep my trees more compact.

Return to this tree regularly to keep an eye on the new growth, because there will be a lot! Expect to have regrowth similar to the amount you have removed! Manage that regrowth while it is thin! Check position, direction and length and remove what you don't need for a beatifully structured tree.

And don't forget that picture in the fall or next spring! We would love to see how it recovered. That will complete this story.