Apple Trees, Spring Greens and Black-and-Gold Bumblebees
We
added three new trees to our small fruit orchard this past weekend. Two
Macintosh (my husband’s favorite), and for pollination’s sake, a golden
delicious.
If
you’re thinking of growing apples, remember that there is no such thing as a
reliably self-pollinating apple tree. All apple varieties need a compatible
pollinator within 100 feet in order to set lots of fruit. The Macintosh tree needs
to be pollinated by a Gala, Fuji, Cortland, or Golden Delicious apple tree.
Macintosh will not pollinate another Macintosh.
Our
peach trees survived the harsh winter and the buds are fattening. Peaches also
need compatible pollinators nearby in order to produce fruit. Our trees are a
good seven feet tall now. I’m hoping for a few fresh peaches this summer.
And
how does the pollen travel from tree to tree? By way of the magnificent,
miraculous black-and-gold bumblebee. To a much lesser extent, wind carries some
pollen between trees, but is not nearly as precisely as the cute little bees
that live nearby. Bees are critical to food production. And their numbers are
dropping fast. This is something to be very concerned about.
Since the 1940s, honeybee colonies have decreased from 5
million to fewer than 2.5 million. There are many reasons for the decline, from
parasites and bacteria to environmental stress from insecticide and fungicide
use.
Here’s
some great information on bees and pollination from the Great Pollinator
Project:
To
get involved in the larger bee rescue efforts, check this out:
and
Want
to actually do something about the decline? Check out
…plant
flower gardens around your home to encourage bees and then register the space
with Pollinator’s Partnership database.
This
weekend, we also put in the spring greens garden (seed) bed, and that’s big,
wonderful news! This really marks the beginning of the growing season. The
greens bed features dandelion, two kinds of lettuces, and kale. My husband and
I both enjoy fresh salads in summer, I love kale, and dandelion greens are a frequent
part of my morning green/banana juice. It will be great to cut fresh, organic
dandelion from our greens bed soon.
Someone
asked me for my recipe for the morning juice I drink Monday to Friday, so here
it is:
1
frozen banana (I chop organic bananas into chunks and freeze them in bags for a
2-week supply)
Large
handful of fresh Italian parsley
Large
handful dandelion greens, when available
Splash
banana or vanilla extract
A
taste of raw honey
Kefir
or coconut water
Whir
it all in your blender and drink cold.
Also
this weekend, I put the potted rosemary outside, days only (indoors at night
for now), planted a window box of Italian parsley seeds, and a few extra pots
of it, and planted some pansies I bought at the nursery. We also added a large
aloe plant to the kitchen. I saw tulips peeking out of the soil in the flower
garden out front, and the hens and chicks are coming back.
The
new, amazing Buddha is out front. “What if someone steals it?” my husband
asked. Well, I wouldn’t be happy about that, but if someone needs it more than
we do, then it would be a good thing. May it bless them.
Absolutely
everything is impermanent, and when something is taken from your grasp, it’s a
good opportunity to learn about the burden of attachment.
I once lost a large
sum of money when I was out, and at first, I was afraid. But it gave me the
chance to fully realize that money comes and goes anyway. One way or another,
that money would have drifted out of my hands. Like the garden – it comes and
goes. And so it is.
Explore
the Five Precepts of Buddhist ethics, very simple and straightforward, and all
based on ultimate reality. In the following, the original Pali text is given in
italics, and the corresponding English translation is given side by side:
1. Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami: I
observe the precept of abstaining from the destruction of life.
2. Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami: I
observe the precept of abstaining from taking that which is not given.
3. Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami:
I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct.
4. Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami: I observe the precept of abstaining
from falsehood.
5. Suramerayamajjapamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam
samadiyami: I observe the precept
of abstaining from intoxicants that cloud the mind and cause carelessness.
Spring
is here, my loves, it really is. The garden is stirring. There’s lots of work
to be done. I’m ready.
Namaste.
