Freeze and Trees

Decided to cover my new planting of strawberries, some of them were blooming when I bought them. When I covered them I could see that some thing has been chewing the leaves off already. Not sure what I will do about that. The fence I used last year the bunnies would run right through. And the other fence I am saving to protect my carrots, peas and beets.

It was supposed be the coldest in our area between 6-7 this morning so I was watching weather underground

https://www.wunderground.com/

Not sure how often the the numbers are updated but I didn't see the two in my area go below 34.5. Close they were dropping to 32 but not here. Tonight the forecast is for 29 so it likely will freeze. Saturday night should be nicer and then below freezing again on Sunday and Monday nights.

So that brings me to trees ...

These two were in my garden area and I had the roots staked out so I wouldn't hit them. Then I was out pulling weeds and started digging around the stumps and pretty soon I was digging them out. I did get them out by digging down 2-3 feet to where the roots were small enough that I could use my very large snips and cut the roots. I think these two were cut off about five years ago and I've just been going around them since.

In total I think we have cut down 20+ trees out of our yard in the last 20 years. Three of them were large enough that one person couldn't reach around them. There used to be a row of Russian Olive trees next to where the garden is. Some of those stumps were gone in a couple of years and some are still there 10+ years later.

Where my other garden is there used to be a pear tree and a cherry apple tree that we took down two years ago. This is the first year that I am planting in what used to be the shade of those trees. There also used to be a willow tree there but that was long before I started gardening.

As long as I'm not starting to plant, I may as well move the rest of the old compost to the garden. I have been getting some compost from my Mom's where the leaves had been dumped five plus years ago. Looks like dirt but it is still squishy when you walk on it so it is compost. Not sure the food value anymore.

Looks like next Tuesday is the day to plant. It will get down in the upper 30's but then rain on Weds and Thus and after that stay in the 50's overnights.

I might start planting seeds before that, as long as they don't come up before the freeze they will be OK.

And I may get some more compost from Mom's before I start to rototill the other garden. I should make sure there is some good ground where I was digging the trees out. Sometimes the ground deeper down is not good as top soil.