Modern Mustard Farm

It’s time to do some pond maintenance at home. I have three small ecosystem type ponds here. They are all about 3 years old, have many fish and plants and are my second favorite thing in the yard. My next few reels will be about ponds, maintenance for them and my experience. Follow #pondboychris if you wanna see all the updates! Also, this is Rico, one of my oldest and largest fish. Don’t get at me about goldfish.

What trees do you think have the best blooms? Man, watching all my trees and berry plants bloom has been such a treat. First, plums & peaches, then apples and pears, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. The eating part is always my favorite obviously but a backyard dominated by fruit tree flowers in early spring sure is magical. These apple blooms are not fully open yet, but it’s coming quick. Having fruit trees at home and being able to focus on berries and veggies at @themoonbasefarm is a gift. #fruittrees #fruit #growfoodnotlawns #foodforest #backyardorchard #apple #gardening #growmore #plants

Listen man. Here’s a loop of me saying this is a consequence over and over again. Cold winter and warm early spring + late frosts equals risks to fruit trees/berries. They are certainly more forgiving than say annual vegetables when it comes to an unexpected frost. picking the right cultivar, location, micro/macro climate, and understanding common challenges for gardeners/farmers in your area are all really important when choosing trees or perennial food crops in general for your space.PSA over.

Home Garden update: All my stone fruit trees are blooming all at once, which is cool and gorgeous. There are not enough pollinators out this time of year, so I may just go and do some by hand. Maybe I need to get into beekeeping in the next year or so. It’s a beautiful moment either way. I love how it adds functional beauty to a space we spend a lot of time in (this pond is my morning coffee spot).

beautiful and good, yes please tag me in your fruit tree bloom posts please

the crocuses are crocusing, the birds are birding and the earth is turning green, again.

my dog is named russel crowe, nickname rusty. he is a very good boy and was a rescue pup. he’s a tripod. our yard is pretty full of fruit trees and gardens, so hoping to build him a decent sized dog run at the farm soon where he’s safe from the horses / other dogs and can enjoy the long work days there with me.

Between 2019 and 2022, I planted over 100 fruit trees in my yard. I planted another 50 at my farm plot. I don’t regret the quantity or the spacing, but there are a few cases where moving certain trees to different spots or containers will prove to be most beneficial. These native plums are meant to grow into a thicket, but I want to separate these two. it’s really easy to move most perennial plants while they are dormant during winter. I will show that in a reel in the next day or two. #fruittree #foodforest #nativeplum #nativeplants #homeorchard

Plant Propagation: Blackberries best method - tip or serpentine layering. bury parts of the stem over winter, cut and separate into new plants in a spring. it’s so easy. rooting cuttings over winter works too, but is less reliable and higher labor. BUT - make a plan, and stand by your plan to control the spread of them. make sure you have a strategy to get rid of them should you ever need to move or spend less time in a space, as they can be very invasive if left unchecked.

i’m starting some seeds now. it’s early, but with the right choice in plant/variety and season extension tools, you probably could consider it too if you’re in my area (northwest virginia, zone 7a). i don’t love starting seeds and prefer just direct seeding, but i need to plan ahead for a busy march/april of strawberry “farm” stuff. more on that later.

HERBS in the garden HERBS in your dinner HERBS in the house HERBS in your mouth my go to garden herbs every year - mint inside, lavender, rosemary, thyme, mountain mint, oregano, lemongrass, cilantro

Missing spring/summer/fall, but appreciating the slow pace of January. This is the best month for planning in my area, so working out plans for both our home garden and the farm (shown here).