Spring blooms are upon us. The strawberry beds are covered in pretty white flowers and so are the apple trees. The good news is that all the apple trees look like they will produce this year. We planted all of them a little over four years ago and it takes a while for them to become established and begin producing in abundance. In years past the trees have produced a few apples, but nothing to brag about.......Hopefully that will change this year. đđ¤ I'll be sure to give you an update when the time comes.
The strawberry beds are loaded with blooms as well. The sad news is that some of the blooms were hit by heavy frost.đ However, that is a normal occurrence. There will always be a minimal number that become damaged. The good news is that there are still several blooms that have yet to open as well as a huge number that survived the frost. (thank goodness!) Strawberry season is very short and can be unforgiving if the weather doesn't cooperate. This time of year I continuously find myself checking the weather forecast in case I need to race out and cover up the strawberry beds.
In the picture I provided you will see a red rock near the strawberry blooms. Do you remember why it is there? Last year I wrote about painting rocks red and strategically placing them in the strawberries in order to trick the birds. It really works! Before the strawberries form, red rocks are placed around and near the blooms. The birds will unsuccessfully peck at the red rocks to try and eat them. When the actual red strawberries appear, the birds will think they are un-edible rocks. I need to paint some more. (another goal for the week) The strawberry beds have grown in size so I currently don't have enough rocks painted. Fortunately, it is a job that is easy and doesn't take too long. I'll keep you posted on the progress!