Macro pruning for the adventurous, last go at strawberries

Last July's micro burst took out more than ten of our oak and hickory trees. This hickory snapped in half and landed on another tree. Not really my favorite sylvan look, and the potentially lethal risk makes the gardening a bit too exciting. Rich and I started more frequently discussing the means of removing it. I was not looking forward to a cherry picker trampling down our soil and the associated price tag, but I could not imagine that this would be easy. Yet, Rich pondered it over the winter and suddenly announced he would remove it today... otherwise known as spontaneous macro pruning for the adventurous!

He donned his climbing harness and trimmed  as many entangled lower branches as possible (above). Then he threw lines over the branches to have a means of tugging it in the right direction. My "favorite" part of the adventure was standing on top of the skid steer holding the ladder while he tried to lasso the tree branch from on top of the ladder- no photo- sorry.

Tree down! Acts of necessary Shiva followed by cleanup- otherwise known around here as "extensive Vishnu."

In between monitoring the progress of huge, heavy things falling exactly where we desire, I planted my last attempt at strawberries. Yes, I am giving up if these get the same botrytis blight (below) that has plagued the ones we so painstakingly protected from the chipmunks.



Rich built the strawberry screen (below in upper left corner) a few years ago, and it keeps out the chipmunks, but not the mold, which is present in the soil. Certain strawberry varieties are less resistant to the mold. Commercial growers keep the plants dry to resist the mold by lining the rows with plastic and using underground irrigation. I put in soaker hoses, but no plastic here. I'll use straw, as is the reason strawberries are called STRAWberries.

I planted new bare root strawberries that are supposed to be resistant to blight. Unlike the former ever-bearing, these are June-bearing. I will then move the screen and rip out the old ones to feed the compost. If the new ones get the blight also, then I'm done with strawberries. I only have 17 raised beds- I will plant and keep what requires no fungicides, herbicides, pesticides.

More on growing strawberries in Wisconsin.