Posts

Lets get making our streets and estates into urban orchard for everyone to have free fresh food!

Planting resumes

-
Image
  The rain seems to be slowing up so planting has resumed. Yesterday we planted 3 of my specialist oak trees in our spiral, these oaks have been grown from acorns collected of the following famous trees. The Major Oak aka Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest The Parliament Oak, Sherwood Forest The Big Belly Oak, Savernake Forest Wiltshire. The Robin Hood oak me and wee betty collected these acorns personally at about 5am when no one else was around to see us jump the fence. I hear this oak is not in good state with some people messaging me saying I could have gotten the last batch of acorns that this tree will ever produce again. Some say its dying. The Parliament oak acorns were collected and posted to me by a Paramili-Tree SAS (Special Acorn Service) Volunteer. And the Big Belly oak these acorns were again collected by myself and wee betty many years ago. I never forget the day we went and seen this stunning tree to check for acorns. The skies just opened and a massive storm hit, so me an...
Post a Comment
Read more

Love these junipers

-
Image
 Rain Rain go to Spain and never show your face again! Thats a very common saying we used to say here growing up. Seems like it just never stops raining here at times. I have another 130 apple trees to plant and about 50 specialist oak trees as soon as this rain does one. Although the forecast for the next 10 days is more rain. Yesterday I took a walk up the Mourne mountains to check on some of my phantom planted trees. That put a smile on my face alright when I seen how well my Junipers are doing. These 2 in the pics I phantom planted around 5 years ago. They are growing like champions up here, so lush and green. Its great to see them shine in the winter when all the ferns have died off around them. Come summer time you can just see the heads of them poking out. I have trees phantom planted on so many walks that I go on. It really gives you the best excuse to get out in nature when you phantom plant trees. I dont know about you but I dont just plant a tree and forget about it. I a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Support Tibetan Buddhism

-
Image
 I was at a Tibetan Buddhist temple a while back in Spain and the guy that runs the place give me some of this powder thats from a Buddhist Mandala.  If you dont know about these things read up on them. Some monks spend weeks and months making these very intricate pieces of art and at the end they destroy it. This is to reinforce the mind with the impermanence of life and to teach that attachment is our greatest cause of suffering. In this life we base our happiness on so many things that will all cease one day. The Buddha says what arises must cease. It is the law of the Universe. Rather than base our happiness on impermanent things, we must find peace and happiness within our own minds. This powder left from the Mandala is imbued with the positive energy from the monk making this in a state of meditation. Where ever this is spread will bring good energy. I will be spreading this around our spiritual spiral of oak trees. Its so important for me to support Tibetan Buddhism, ev...
Post a Comment
Read more

Well water every day!

-
Image
 One year ago today I started to make drinking well water every day part of my life. I use for drinking and making my teas and coffees. No other water have I been drinking. I have been using a couple of different wells but this one is by far the tastiest. The Bolin Well its called and is named this because where it springs out of its source it bubbles so it looks its boiling. This water comes straight out of Slieve Croob mountain, the source of the River Lagan, which is the main river that runs through Belfast. For me its all about implementing these small healthy changes into your life over a matter of years. I get my water from the source, I get my milk from the source, get my eggs and butter from source and when I can afford it I get my culled venison from its source too. At the weekend there I made venison and juniper stew. Probably one of the most ancient recipes of this land. It was amazing! You know students in Scotland have now been encouraged to eat venison as they cull an...
Post a Comment
Read more

One of my best plantings yet!

-
Image
 So yesterday me and my son went and planted a plum tree in the house where my wee mum grew up in Ardoyne, North Belfast. I did a post a few years ago when I first found out where it was my mum grew up. When my cousin told me the address I had to drive by for a look. As I pulled up at the house I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Soon as I pulled up and seen all the Buddhas in the garden and then apple trees I had to get out and call in. This was a quantum entangled moment right here! A lovely lady welcomed me in and I told her my mum grew up in this house. She did not know of my mum but she was more than happy to let me have look around. I told her that I was a big apple tree planter and a practising Buddhist and I just cant believe what is going on in what was once my mums garden! I said I would love to come up and plant a tree in your garden in memory of my wee mum. The lady said its her husband who takes to do with the garden and you'll need to see him. I called back agai...
Post a Comment
Read more

200 willow trees planted!

-
Image
 Me and my big Druid right hand man went yesterday and took around 200 willow cuttings from in the forest and planted them all around the wet parts of our Lisnabreeny community orchard. Over the coming years the willow which loves wet ground will dry the place up, making it more suitable for other trees to grow too. Its so easy to get yourself some free trees this time of year, all you do with these willow cuttings is push them straight into the ground and they will grow into trees. This works with Elder, Dogwood and many other varieties. Doing these willow cuttings has been a great thing for us to revert too as it can be done in really wet weather. We still have around 100 apple trees to plant but no way could we be digging holes in waterlogged fields. The willow cuttings push into the ground even easier when the field is wet and also it lets us see where all the puddles are forming so we know what parts of the fields needs the willow more. Always makes me think how much we need t...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to get free trees!

-
Image
 Check out these self rooted apple trees after one year. These are Lough Key Crab apple trees that are one of the few self rooting Irish apple varieties. Cant believe the root system after one year! All you do is cut a branch of the tree when dormant and push into the ground, no holes to be dug, just force the branch into the ground and in one year you'll have a self sufficient apple tree. This method works with so many other tree varieties, willow, dogwood and elder are just some of them. We are heading out today to get more willow and dogwood cuttings to plant up around the wet spots at our Lisnabreeny Community Orchard. If you have any damp parts in your garden why not do the same, this will soak up all the water over the coming years and bring some life to your garden. This is a great way to get free trees guys and now is the perfect time of year to be doing it when everything is dormant. Come Spring you'll be in for a nice surprise when your trees come to life. The first t...
Post a Comment
Read more