I dug the last two holes for the five hazel trees that I have to plant. One of them had several stones that just don’t look natural; they have square corners and flat sides that look as though someone dressed them for building with. It felt as though I was digging up part of a foundation, but I didn’t go far enough to see if the stones were in a line. A couple of years ago I bought a smallish, light but strong pick-mattock. The pick seems to be able to find the edge of rocks and get around them in a way that a shovel can’t. I have been finding it much easier to dig holes in what passes for ground in Maine with it than just with a shovel; the pick loosens the material, including rocks, and then I can shovel the loose material out.
I planted the five hazels, putting half a bag of the compost we got at Smedberg’s the previous day in each hole. I hope it’s not too strong for the plants, but I think they can use better soil than is out there in the woods.
I grafted a three more apple trees, bringing total to nine. The roots are sitting in wet newspaper for the time being.