Cleaned Off Strawberry Bed - Fruit Trees Blooming

I decided to remove all the mulch from the strawberry bed. It is about 30x30 feet (a guess). I didn't realize I had put so much straw over it. It was a pretty labor intensive 45 minutes to remove it. I just placed it next to the fence and on the garden path....might need it nearby if frost is threatened. The ground was very soggy underneath. It looks as if I lost several plants but they were way too thick so that's a good thing.

The peaches are blooming and the Keiffer pear tree is loaded with white blooms this year. I can see at long last some buds on the Seckel pear trees. It has been a long wait for the pears to even bloom. Peaches are much faster.

This is a peach that was supposed to be Belle of Georgia and wasn't!.  It is also just a half tree.  One of our many storms split it several years ago and I inserted eye bolts into both pieces and wired it together.  Then a couple of years ago it was loaded with peaches and I failed to support the side that was leaning and it snapped the wire and took off that entire side.
I almost sawed the whole tree down...glad I didn't.  It will no doubt die much sooner but in the meantime, we can enjoy it.

This next is supposed to be a Red Have Peach


Both plums are in full bloom.  The one inside the chicken yard is dead on one side this spring and doesn't have nearly as many blooms on the live side but the little plum on the garden side is covered with bloom.  It is laying on its side after a wind storm last year almost uprooted it. I was afraid to raise it back up so let it lay.




We have had another nice rain which is always welcome this time of year.

If the ground is dry enough, I will try to do some planting in the garden.


I noticed a different looking sparrow at the window feeder.  It was a tiny, slender little thing with a sold light gray breast.  I knew it wasn't a common house sparrow.  The very knowledgeable folks on the GW Bird Watching Forum identified it for me.  It is a Chipping Sparrow!

From Birds

We are still waiting for the first Purple Martins and the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds to show up.  We put up one hummer feeder yesterday.  I didn't want them to pass us by!