After yesterday’s rain much of this morning’s gardening was devoted to group bonding and chatting alongside the basics of a bit of weeding and tomato side-shoot removal etc. This gave time to have a good look at the state of the orchard which is standing up very well. Back in the spring we had found that rabbits had been busy in the winter ring-barking several apple trees above the guards we had put in place – they were able to do this by sitting on the top of the deep snow that gave access to the trunks. Only Apple trees were affected. Today is was evident that we have lost only two trees with most of the rest managing to start putting out new branches from the infected trunk that was underneath the rabbit guards – later in the season the dead wood above will be removed.
Fortunately, the ring-barking was not total on the other apple trees and where there is continuous bark un and down the trunk the trees are doing fine and putting on some early fruit in some cases.
Pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and Amelanchier trees were ignored by the rabbits – for the most part.
Garden at Fritz / Jardin à Fritz 