#plum trees

Misty spring.

I was clearing the yard specifically to figure out where to build the stove, and to clear the path to the ruins where I can pick up some bricks and clay. I did a lot of grass cutting with the sickle, and removing of invasive bushes and little trees.

I had an area overgrown with plum seedlings, they all grew on top of each other. So I picked the strongest ones to stay and cleared the rest. I'm a bit nervous for these baby trees; they have the sunlight and space they didn't have before, but they lost all wind protection. They'll have to strenghten up their trunks very fast, or could get wiped out by the first storm.

I'm looking forward to having a few plum trees grow to size! But it's not going to give me what I want, which is shade. I haven't thought about it prior to moving here, but tree shade depends very much on the shape, and the broadness of leaves of that specific tree. A broad walnut tree can provide excellent shade, because it branches out on all sides, and the leaves are huge. Poplar, in comparison grows tall instead of wide, so that would be a thin shade situation. A wild chestnut throws amazing shade, that's why they have it in city parks.

A plum tree has such tiny leaves, it would have to grow huge to provide good shade. And I don't think they'll grow huge; I noticed plum trees dry out much faster than any other fruit tree. When I was removing seedlings, some snapped easily just from how dry they were, and they were still babies! It made me extra worried for plum trees, I'm not sure how to care for them to prevent them drying out. I'll have to look that up.

I also found a little sour cherry seedling! It was a surprise, I'm very pleased she grew on my property. There's no parent tree nearby so a bird or an animal must have carried it. Nature works.

I have acquired another type of seedling by accident, and I think it would be funny to plant it. When I gathered some forest soil to plant my zuchini in, I had not one or two, but 10 black locust trees germinate in there. Are their leaves big? No. But they grow rapidly. I could have a forest in a few years. They have that cool ability to take nitrogen from the air and pull it into the soil so people plant them as a preparation for the forest, to enrich the soil. I don't know if I need to do that, I just want some trees. Could they fall on my house and destroy it? Yes. Will the neighbours be mad? Only if they notice I did that.

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