Benny and June

To honor the spirits of the 100 year old apple trees that started it all, I wanted to plant apple trees at Passionfly. I knew I would need a dwarf variety, but was very unsure how to begin looking for one. I met a young woman, Carrie, who was shopping at the store and after chatting found out she worked at a plant nursery. I asked her some questions and she left with a mission to find me the perfect apple trees for potting. Saturday she called and said she had found the ones, and even brought them to me after I paid over the phone! (Thanks Carrie!)

I potted them sunday Mar 8, in a 60/40 Soil Compost mix. I used an old tin garbage can for one, and a recycled bone meal barrel I picked up at the re-store. Carrie suggested that I only increase the pot size about 3x what they came in, and repot to fit as they establish themselves. Apple trees need very well drained soil or their roots will rot and the whole plant will die. I punched a bunch of holes through the bottoms of both containers, then filled about one foot deep with broken concrete peices, for added drainage. I covered the stone with hemp burlap, for soil retention and then layered soil and compost all around the plant. I staked the trees, since their is a danger of wind damage, and Bellingham has some serious winds in the spring and fall.

I got a pair of trees since they will need to cross pollinate. One is a super-dwarf Spartan apple, the other is a super-dwarf liberty apple. Both will bear shiny red fruits. I doubt that either will fruit this year, but maybe by next year they will be happily fruiting. I named them Benny and June. Thanks Laura for all your help!