Yeah, good activity, outside. Sometimes strenuous, always satisfying.

Digging the hole for the second white currant, got to the yellow hard clay again.

Notice that no grass roots emerge from the body of that clay?

From back to the front:

1. Gooseberry (it is a Ribes sp)

2. White currant x 2

3. Red currant

I have one more red currant. Think I will buy 2 more on Saturday (Harvest Farmers Market in town.)

I have one new black currant plant and one old plant.

I have one black currant Magnus:
Quote:


https://www.heritagefruittrees.com.au/magnus-black-currant/

There is a large black currant variety, https://www.heritagefruittrees.com.au/goliath-black-currant/

I had bought four of this large–fruit black currant. Three are dead, RIP!

One plant has one small green leaf. Since I can no longer buy from Heritage Fruit Trees, only supplier AFAIK, I am going to try growing this one plant then strike cuttings. I will do the same with the Magnus. I do like heritage varieties.

Planted the old red currant plant, so now have five Ribes varities planted:

Cape gooseberry
White Currant
White Currant
Red Currant
Red Currant

Will buy two more red currant plants on Saturday and one more black currants and three of a different variety of blueberry. And a couple more rhubarb and asparagus.

Yeehaa!!!

I took cuttings of various currants late last summer—some of these are breaking buds and, after removing one cutting from the soil seem to be developing roots!

These are all Ribes varieties—two of the gooseberry and more of the Magnus and Goliath black currants.

Here is hoping! Will move them to the eastern drive which is my frost–free “nursery” as well as place for French/Belgian pears—they grow luscious and soft there.

Dig a hole for the Magnus black currant—the yellow clay layer was there but it was red! Well, partly red.

Used up all the wire in the grass trimmer—no idea how to put new wire in, completely different to the way it was done with the petrol trimmer I had in George Town (where the hell is that gone, anyway?)

So to town tomorrow, get shown how to do it and what wire to use. Big relief for a klutz like me!

So the Magnus will get planted and likely the other black currant too.

Took a new cutting of the gooseberry and two from the red currant and put those in the appropriate pots.

Several of the Magnus and Goliath cuttings from early this year will make it—have to keep the water up, add some Seasol to the next lot.

Exciting—but bloody hard work tho!

The guy with the little earth moving machine smoothed the soil between the trees. In the central “column” that had not been gypsumed two trenches were dug. Tomorrow or Friday I will spread gypsum and blood and bone, then cover that with a bit of soil and water it in.

Need to find some mulch, unfortunately Bunnings and sugar cane mulch will be it. Then plant seed potatoes and cover with mulch and a thin layer of soil. As the potato plants grow will fill in the trenches with mulch and compost etc—get some organic matter into that soil.

Not really that interested in a big crop, more interested in improving that soil.


Was cutting woody shoots—realised I was looking at a sloe tree—trimmed off the dead parts, see how it goes.

Tomorrow the black currant plant will be planted.

Next thing—the patch cleared by the earth moving machine will be turned into a raspberry patch, have summer and fall fruiting varieties.

Then a mound with lots cow manure be created and the rhubarb planted. Blueberries be repotted into bigger pots filled with acid azalea potting mix.

Then a number of fruit and decorative trees to be planted.

That should see the orchard finalised. Bloody better be!