Things are always growing at Off The Rails Homestead. This week we’ve eliminated massive amounts of Japanese Privet and random viny things to make room for new fruit trees. This place already has mature pecan, oak, and pine trees that we don’t want to get get rid of. They provide a beautiful high canopy for the backyard and the side nearest the railroad tracks. Privet, however, is fast growing, invasive, and useless. Not to mention, it repels bees and butterflies. Not good. We’ve been chasing it back for six years. Time’s up.
With backyard space already being crowded by two storage sheds, two greenhouses, a gazebo, and a massive chicken coop, adding five apple trees and three blueberry bushes to the peach, lemon and orange trees already planted means we’re pushing our boundaries. There’s plenty of room between the house and the tracks, and without the privet, there’s also plenty of sun. So far, we have one cherry (one more ordered), 2 pear, and one olive tree in the newly cleared side yard. Still waiting for the arrival of additional peach, apricot, cherry, and orange trees. We’ve been thinking about adding figs, too.
After the trees are all planted, and the irrigation installed, we’ll add a privacy fence and a butterfly/bee/herb/medicinal flower garden along the track side. Gotta make it attractive for the pollinators! The space is going to fill up nicely. I can’t wait to see all the fruit trees in bloom!
