La Studio - WINTER 2022-23 Visit

My next visit is planned for 10 days, arriving on 5th December 2022.  The focus and key task is to underake pruning of all the fruit trees to keep them under control and prepare them for next year.  I have learnt that it is key to keep them low to be able to pick the fruit and thin out the prolific growth. It also allow me to use the prunings for chipping and dry small logs in the coming years.

If the weather is not too cold, I aslo hope to get the Rendering of both the East and West ends of the La Studio.  This would then enable me to complete the final tasks on La Studio during my planned January/February 2023 visit. Well that is the plan!

THURSDAY 8TH DECEMBER 2022 - Garden Tidy

Compost Screen

This week I have been doing lots of tidying of the gardens and gathering or the large volume of leaves.  It has and is expected to continue to be too cold to consider the rendering of the side walls during this visit.  However, I have repaired the Post Screen of the compost heap in La Grange Jardin.  These had rotted at the bottom, so I removed and cut the rot, dug a trench and filled with concrete and plastic pipe for the posts.  Once set I installed the posts and cemented them into place, ensuring protection from the frost.  Having checked today, I have removed the protect and pleased with the result that shoudl last long into the future.

I started the prunign with the Walnut Tree and completed this with of pile of small branches to dry for a year plus and then use as kindling wood for the fire.

Tomorrow, I plan to trim the Apple Trees, then the Pear and cherry Tree, next week.

Kindling Cuttings

Walnut Tree

FRIDAY 9TH DECEMBER 2022 - Apple Tree Pruning

Apple Trees

Another cold day, but was drizzling a bit early on, so did some minor garden tasks and used some of the small stone saved to edge the gravel area around La Studio Patio under the Laurel Hedging.  By mid morning the drizzle had stopped so managed to prune the tops of the Apple Trees in La Grange Grise to stop the vertical growth and encourage lower branch fruits as well as the Pear Tree.  Cleared all the cuttings away and dragged them to the back of La Maison garden to dry out and eventually use them to chip in the spring for the borders to limit weeds and encourage water retention. 

MONDAY 12TH DECEMBER 2022 - Cherry Tree Pruning

Gave the Cherry Tree and prune this morning, removed some of the large high branches that coudl not be easily reached from the ground to pick the fruit and lots of vertical growth and generally thinned out.  Hopefully, this will encourange more lower fruiting in the next few years.

View to West

View East to Grange

The cherry tree pruning today produced as much as both apples and I have removed the branches to the rear garden in La Maison, so there will be plenty for chpping in the the spring and then spreading on the borders.

It is below freezing most of the day now and far too cold to consider the rendering work, so I have moved the bags into the Barn to keep dry for next year.  The rest of the week will be free to minor tidy up tasks before departure on Friday.

WEDNESDAY 14TH DECEMBER 2022 - Tdy Up Tasks

Not so cold totday and it rose to 10/11c and a little drizzel this morning.  So removed the Lawn Tractor 2 wheels that keep going flat and prepared them to take back fro UK for a check and puncture.

Used some spare wood to create a Handrail for the stairs in the Barn, that has proved successful and will rub down a paint in February.  Also, treated the trailer protection top I created by painting the screw points with tar paint.

Eventually, pruned the top growth of the back Apple Tree in La Grange and used all the cutting to weave around the compost poles and pallets installed to create a screen.

Pallet Screen

Apple Tree Pruned

Compost Screen

That is all for this visit, home on Friday and back at end Janaury 2023.

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