Six chooks, two rows of kale and an orchard

Jamie & Ella plant our fruit trees into
the dry earth last October.

 Last October we planted a small kitchen orchard to the south of the vineyard shed. At the time we didn't know if we would lose the vineyard and our house in town remained unsold in a very pessimistic market, so the ceremonial planting of the orchard was a defiant, fist-shaking leap of faith - a way of staking our claim on the land and a symbol of hope for the future.
I ordered a variety of fruit trees from the Diggers Club on line - a few plums, pears, a nectarine, two almonds, a walnut, a fig and a pecan. We planted fairly late in the season,  when the temperatures were already warming up considerably - not an ideal time to plant tender young fruit trees! But I was determined - motivated by a strong emotional need to do something palpable in such an uncertain time. So Jamie and the children helped me dig holes into the hard, dry soil, we planted the trees and  kept them watered throughout the blazing summer. The dawn or dusk walk down to the orchard to provide its daily drink was good therapy for me - a time to slow my mind and think about better times ahead - to imagine the orchard fully grown, bursting with sweet pink blossons in spring and providing a canopy of cool green in summer. Of course, the orchard was also established to satisfy another strong instinct - the instinct to survive, to be self-sufficient.

The orchard in May 2010.

Seven months on and I am delighted to report the orchard more than survived its baptism of fire. The last of the autumn leaves have now dropped and the trees have gone into hibernation for the winter. Since they were planted, the trees have grown at least a metre - except for one pear tree which was coppiced to a stump by a hungry hare in November. Fortunately, the hare ate above the graft and the pear has come back quite well - I expect it will catch up with its siblings by the end of the next season.

Water is no longer an imperative now that winter is upon us, but I still cherish the afternoon walks with the dog and the children down to the orchard - at the moment we can see the beginnings of fat new buds developing in the bare branches - tiny harbingers of good things to come.

I have just put in another order with the Diggers Club for a couple of apple trees to fill a few bare spots in the orchard - I can't believe I didn't order them last year - what is an orchard without at least one apple tree? I have ordered one Granny Smith (the best apples for cooking) and one Jonathan (a universal pollinator).

Tweety Bird and Chop Chop

Closer to the shed I have established a small vegie patch which is now planted out with two rows of Tuscan Kale, a couple of artichokes and next season's organic garlic crop. A lemon tree has also been planted next to the patch to take advantage of the sunny position. A wonderful friend gave us the lemon as a "shed-warming" gift - she is of Russian origin and says it is an old Russian tradition to provide a new household with a lemon tree.

And finally, I am thrilled to announce the arrival of six Isa Brown pullets to the vineyard. I have been nagging Jamie for chooks for years - how ridiculous to live in the country and not have chooks!!! Angus has named one "Tweety Bird" and Ella, quite ingeniously I think, named another "Chop Chop". I hope the poor little fellow doesn't get too paranoid!