Wassat??

Surprise! The phone rang last night… no, it was this morning; 2:15, I believe, and it was our neighbor telling us that water was running alongside the house, nearest their bedroom window. Sure enough, a sprinkler line had broken and there was a mini-geyser spraying about 5’ into the air. The immediate fix was easy; turn off the system. But, today I will have to dig into the problem and fix it for good.

Odd, but I had been thinking about turning off the sprinklers because of the walnuts that are falling out in front, but I had forgotten to do it. Well, the sprinklers are off now and so it’s time for more walnuts to be gathered. The trees are loaded this year and it will be a hundred times more than I need. Out in back, I keep trying to imagine the view from our kitchen window without 2 large walnut trees on the immediate horizon. It wouldn't be pretty. I love the looks of the walnut tree. They look like they belong in the tropics. Yet, I find the trees to be messy and a real chore for maintenance. They have to be sprayed 3 times a year if you want perfect walnuts and if you don’t spray, you are rewarded with black hulls containing ugly, wet and shriveled walnuts. And nothing grows underneath them. Dust or mud is what you find beneath a walnut tree.

Maybe I should plant pecans in place of the walnuts. They are almost pest free and I love the nuts from them. They are a more fragile tree and need to be pruned to keep them from overextending their branches.

I’m re-thinking the whole orchard. The pears (2) can go. Fire Blight is a real problem with them and with the apples. I could let one of the two apples go with no problem. The persimmon tree is not one of my favorites and it could go as well. I would keep all of the apricots and the peaches. Pluots were a failure, but it was their first year. The prune tree had a good crop but sweetness was absent. The plum and the nectarine can stay. The two pomegranates are great and that’s more than enough fruit for two families.

So, what should I plant? I’m thinking that I need another fig tree. More cherries; Rainier’s. And definitely another Mandarin orange! Sounds like I better order a catalog. And get a couple of bids to remove the walnuts.