Six bare-root grape vines arrived Friday along with an heirloom apple tree and an Osborne Prolific fig. Six grape vines are too many for me, but they were at a good price.

Add those to the box of young saplings and bushes I purchased from Long Creek Homestead, plus a bag of perennial bulbs, and two small boxes of seed potatoes with eyes a foot long, and I had my work cut out for me.

First priority of the day: plant and soak the bare root beings that need to go in today, and select sites for them.

In the southeast corner of my plot, I already planted a tayberry bush and a pomegranate tree. The pomegranate might get really tall but I put it on a line with an already established tree, so it will share the angle of shading and will not add significant shade to the area in the morning. This corner gets fantastic morning sun, but is exposed to winds from the east. I decided to put a goumi, a Nanking cherry, and the apple tree to keep the pioneers company. I don’t have great ground cover, but the lawn grows thick here and I hope the dew and thickness of the grass will protect the ground around the transplants. I mulched each planting with the sod I dug for the hole, as well as leaves I had saved from the previous autumn.

Next, the fig: I discovered a warm spot along the front of the house, and put the fig in a spot where it will get morning and afternoon sun, and has a bit of wind shelter. I planted a false indigo bush with it to help fix nitrogen, since the front “garden” bed had been smothered by landscaping fabric for several years (which I pulled up over the past few weeks) and the soil was great at the top and immediately switched to clay-rich humus-deficient soil.

I ended up planting a grape vine about a yard out from the base of the ginko tree on the southwest corner of my plot. I will stake out a path around the tree so the grape vine can get a good mix of sun and shade. A grape vine might also be the precursor to some kind of windbreak.

I planted another grape vine at the top of the stairs leading up to the front door of my home. I figure the vines can grow downward (I will train them along stakes) and gravity will help water the fruits of the vine.

I plan also to set up a willow arch over the front walk, and the grape vine will be in the perfect position to climb up it. And hardy kiwis, too!

Tomorrow, I’ll plan for the remainder of the plants, and will be sleeping well tonight.