Well, I have started my spring planting. This weekend I planted 10 Idaho Hybrid Poplars and 7 Colorado Blue Spruce Trees. They are for the most part all in my windbreak. 
I have 10 more spruce tree being delivered some time in the next couple of weeks. They are Norwegian Spruce and grow a bit faster than the Blue Spruce; more than 24 inches a year. The Hybrid Poplars are great for wind breaks and for harvesting as they can grow in excess of 7 feet per year. They key obviously is to keep them well watered. I have a drip system that I will be setting up once the Norwegian Spruce arrive. This will be a great start to the wind break. It will be three rows deep with both deciduous and evergreen in the wall. I also plan on putting in a row of large shrubs but that will most likely be next spring or the one after.
I put a couple of the Poplars at the west edge of our property and plan on putting in a small grove of quaking aspen down there as well. The north west corner of our land is very wet, it gets all the drainage from the surrounding hills which continues north onto our neighbors property. The nice thing is that even in July and August it was still fairly moist down in that area. So I might not need to water the tree very ofter, if at all.
Finally, we have a ten tree mix coming in from the arbor day society. This has a variety of trees including oak, maple and evergreens. These are going to spend a year in pots before we put them out in the field. I want to make sure that they have a good year to grow first as the wind and dryness of the palouse can be pretty harsh. I am thinking that most of these tree will be planted closer to the house to provide shade and landscaping.
On the vegetable front, my tomato plants have already sprouted so that is good, I will plant the veggie garden in the middle of May and early June.
I have 10 more spruce tree being delivered some time in the next couple of weeks. They are Norwegian Spruce and grow a bit faster than the Blue Spruce; more than 24 inches a year. The Hybrid Poplars are great for wind breaks and for harvesting as they can grow in excess of 7 feet per year. They key obviously is to keep them well watered. I have a drip system that I will be setting up once the Norwegian Spruce arrive. This will be a great start to the wind break. It will be three rows deep with both deciduous and evergreen in the wall. I also plan on putting in a row of large shrubs but that will most likely be next spring or the one after.I put a couple of the Poplars at the west edge of our property and plan on putting in a small grove of quaking aspen down there as well. The north west corner of our land is very wet, it gets all the drainage from the surrounding hills which continues north onto our neighbors property. The nice thing is that even in July and August it was still fairly moist down in that area. So I might not need to water the tree very ofter, if at all.
Finally, we have a ten tree mix coming in from the arbor day society. This has a variety of trees including oak, maple and evergreens. These are going to spend a year in pots before we put them out in the field. I want to make sure that they have a good year to grow first as the wind and dryness of the palouse can be pretty harsh. I am thinking that most of these tree will be planted closer to the house to provide shade and landscaping.
On the vegetable front, my tomato plants have already sprouted so that is good, I will plant the veggie garden in the middle of May and early June.
