There's nothing like a
cold, snowy night to send me off into the garden with vigor the next
day. I know better than to plant seeds when the ground is that
cold, but I figured I could get away with preparing beds for Friday's
pea and Swiss chard planting, soaking some peas to give them a jump
start, and even putting in broccoli, cabbage, and onion seeds in the
warmer ground under a quick hoop. (Yes, I did already start those last three crops in the house a few weeks ago, but I get better results outside most years. Plus, the main rule of homesteading is: Backups, backups, backups.)
Next, I headed out to the vole-girdled apple trees,
which I've been ignoring ever since seeing the damage. I'd
planned to try a bridge graft, using twigs from each tree to traverse
the gap between trunk and the bark-covered roots. However, after
digging for at least eight inches in all directions, I only found one
rooted area that wasn't all the way girdled. I don't hold out high
hopes for that little bridge graft to take, but I figured there was no
reason not to try it.