Strawberry beds built. I'll plant this evening when it cools off.

Next up: grapes. I'm going to put them just below the strawberries. Grapes love rocky slopes, which is just fine with me; I have those in spades. So they won't be nearly as much work. Then I'll turn the area inside the retaing wall at the bottom of this section into another planter for the blueberries and cranberries. They both need acid soil (they're related) and have shallow roots, so for them I won't have to dig as deep: just clear out the rocks around where each bush is going, then fill the hole with good soil, compost, and peat moss.

After all the planting is done, I'll build a square frame around each tree, bush, and vine and lay down mulch. Then I'm going to clear out the big rocks from the entire area to create a relatively smooth surface, and let the grass, clover, and wood sorrel grow back over it, and add some lavender. Then fence it in and plant marigolds and crysanthemums along the fenceline: those two and lavender and clover repel pests and attract bees and butterflies.

Next project will be to bring in some more fill dirt and topsoil, and get the grass planted behind the house. Need to do that before working the vegetable garden so I can get the dump truck back here. Then, probably this fall, I'll have the guy in with the tractor to clear the rocks and plow up the subsoil in the garden, then bring in the topsoil and compost for that, and let it sit over the winter, during which time I'll put up fences for the garden and yard, and use some of this rock to build retaining walls where they're needed around those areas.

I've added a native plants area off to the side of the orchard. I've got hazelnuts, chinkapins (American dwarf chestnuts), and mulberries in now, and have wild plums and wild strawberries on the way. I'll also let the wild grapes, wineberries, and blackberries come back in there. I'm not going to fence that part. The idea is: a) have the wild fruit and nuts growing in a convenient location where I can get some; b) create a diversion for the wildlife to help keep them from my garden and orchard; c) share with them, because I like them; and d) let the native species spread and re-establish themselves in this forest. I'm also going to sow some deer feed mix down in the meadow below my orchard. I'm thinking I'll keep the taller trees cut back in that area to keep it as a meadow rather than letting it go back to forest.

Yesterday evening as I was out watering my trees, a yearling buck came out into the clearing and just browsed around, casual as could be, about twenty paces from me. I talked to him, and he looked up at me then just went about his business, completely unalarmed.