Lucy and I completed the strawberry beds this morning. They’re now thick and rich with composted hay and manure, awaiting next year’s plantings. Lucy watered while I did finish work.

We have six guilds ready and waiting with nine more to go. The remaining guilds will be smaller (we can easily add diameter later, if necessary) to conserve on materials and time. I decided to add the additional guilds because I felt it would serve our purpose well to experiment with as diverse a group of fruit trees as possible (accounting for appropriate pollinators). This diversity will allow us to see which trees flourish or do poorly and why. It also creates a more diverse habitat for birds, insects and microbes and with increased diversity, we fill more niches and expand on our eco-web; maintiaing a good balance always in our garden with minimal effort from a single source (i.e. the toiling gardener).