Fruit Trees, Fertilizer, Compost & Garden Update

A few weeks ago we finally sorted and sifted our compost from the bin.  Some of this we used in potted plants around our garden. This week we widened the fruit tree wells, mixed our compost with composted steer and chicken manure, and amended all the fruit trees.  The trees look... variable.

Valencia - established - looks very happy
Algerian Mandarin - some new growth but not a ton
Eureka Lemon - which was slowest to grow last year - robust, very happy growth. Like I'd expect from a lemon.
Minneola Tangelo - this one fruited well last year then dropped all the fruit mid-maturation. It had tons of aphids and little green bugs that I think were katydids.  Now it has many new small leaves starting.
Gold Nugget Mandarin - grew well first year and had surprising amount of delicious fruit for so young. Now it has mottled mature leaves and many tiny new leaves. This is the tree that the Agricultural Inspector sampled.


Also...
Anna Apple Tree - established - has a pretty little crop going
Peach - established - beautiful bloom this year. Never has given fruit. There was weed barrier very close to this trunk. We pulled a lot of it back when widening the well.  I wonder if it will improve the tree's growth and fruiting.
Pomegranate - established - this tree has either been trimmed or eaten by animals for years. The last 2 years I watched carefully and its sudden trimming happened at once. It has not yet happened this year, but this is the usual time.

Speaking of trimming... some animal has aggressively eaten the aloes in the back down to pathetic nubs. And another succulent has had lesser hits.  I've seen both rabbits and squirrels regularly plus we know there are rats and mice, too.  We continue to have regular owl appearances, including pellets in the backyard. And this week I nearly stepped on a snake, which gave me a start. After so many rattlesnakes in the yard one year, I'm just waiting for the next sighting. But this was a beautiful, fast garter snake.

In the past week and a half, we also had bees swarm in the backyard TWICE! The first time they set up housekeeping in the gazebo over the spa, and the second they found the lid of the compost bin appealing.  It's felt like a wildlife adventure!