Louis Falcon

Greetings. Looking for creative use ideas for an awkward spot on my property. There is an old rectangle concrete in-ground pool in a mostly wooded section of my property. Neighbor thinks it was possibly a fish hatchery at some point but the previous owner thinks it was an old swimming pool (based on some of the ornamentals planted near there). It is about 7 feet deep with about 2-3 feet of 20 years of decayed plant material. It doesn't retain water because there is an opening (see pic) and the drain valve is rusted open.

It's an eyesore, as you can see from the pictures. I'd love to turn it into something useful for my homestead and/or maybe something that generates a little side income. Because it's in the shade for all but 45 minutes a day, growing things isn't practical. Right now there is only about 3-4 plants that have taken root naturally in there (a nettle, jewelweed and some tulip poplar seedlings). An animal pen is a possibility, but that would require shoveling out above our heads to clean. Same for composting, I suppose. Would vermiculture work in there?

Taking any and all ideas!

Joshua, my family of 6 has been exploring options in this space. I'd love to hear more about this. What's the best way to reach out to you?

Steve Thorn wrote:Welcome to Permies Peter!

My apple trees that have flowered and set fruit, show very small apples forming just a few days after the flowers die back.

If it's their second growing year, they probably won't produce any fruit yet. They may flower, but no fruit will form or it will drop, as the tree is probably too small to support a fruit load yet. Some of my apples did this their second year. Year 3 is generally the first bearing year for early bearing varieties, with a lot starting to bear the fourth year and some even starting in year 5 or more. This can also vary depending on tree health and growth, the amount of nitrogen, and branch structure.

Hope you get some tasty fruit soon!

Thanks for the welcome, Steve!  I've been meaning to join the forum for a while.  I've grown a lot of things over the years, but never any fruit trees.  The trees have been in the ground since April 2020.  They are about 6 feet tall now; not sure of their true age.  They look healthy, but I know there is more to it.  If I get some fruit, do you suggest thinning a percentage of them this year to allow the resources to be committed more to the growth of the tree?

Skandi Rogers wrote:Have the flowers fallen off? and when they fell if did the whole stalk fall (the bit that looks like a tiny golf tee) or just the petals? If the little stalk is still there and still firmly attached you probably have fruit coming, if not then no no fruit this year. I planted some Apple trees two years ago, they flowered that year but didn't set any fruit, the established trees near them did so I think that my new trees simply were not ready to fruit, this year the survivor is covered in flowers, but as it's still small I will only allow it to keep 1-2 fruit if it sets any.

Thanks for the reply Skandi! I will investigate the stalk status tonight.  I think I did see some (very small).  What type of apple trees do you have?

Hello.  Last year I cleared 1/4 acre of my property of wisteria gone wild and planted lots of perennial plants in the space, including quite a few fruit bushes and trees.  This is my first year growing apple trees.  I have 3 semi-dwarf trees of different varieties.  All three flowered at the same time, starting 3 or 4 weeks ago.  The one stopped flowering about 10 days ago and the other two are slowing down.  I still don't see any tiny swollen fruit buds yet on any of the trees.  How long does it take to see fruit growth?  The trees have 7-8 hours of sun and lots of pollinators on it.  Should I be concerned or am I being impatient?
Thanks!