A small orchard work. Orchard. How to build beautiful beds and place them correctly in your garden

Nina Balashova
Tales about vegetables and fruits

TALES ABOUT VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

The Tale of Carrot

Once upon a time there was a carrot in Baba Varya’s garden. Her granddaughter Irinka saw her and asks:

Come visit more often.

To make your eyes sparkle,

To make your cheeks turn red,

Eat carrots, drink my juice,

You will only be healthier! - the carrot answered her.

Irinka ran to Baba Varya and everything to her told.

Carrots contain a large number of vitamin A, which strengthens the body and protects it from infections, and also has a positive effect on vision. However, carrots are not only a piggy bank of vitamin A. They contain almost the entire vitamin alphabet - Grandma said.

Would you like us to prepare a delicious vitamin salad? – she asked.

Want Want! – Irinka shouted joyfully.

Then let's get to work!

We peel and peel the carrots,

We three or three carrots.

Sprinkle it with sugar

And pour some sour cream on it.

This is our salad

Rich in vitamins!

Irinka really liked the carrot salad. Since then they became friends.

The Tale of Apple

In the village Skazkino, an Apple grew in Baba Varya’s garden. His granddaughter Irinka saw him and asks:

I am strong, crispy,

The miracle is real.

Yellow and red -

The skin is satin.

The apple is ruddy

All the best for children! - answered the apple.

Irinka ran to Baba Varya and told about a wonderful fruit.

Apples are the most valuable fruit from our domestic fruits. Among fruit is, Can say, our daily bread. Fresh apples We haven’t had any translations for almost a whole year. They give strength, prolong youth and help fight diseases - said Granny Varya.

Apple - wonderful fruit

It grows here and there

Striped, colored

Fresh and bulk

Its juice is good for everyone,

Helps against diseases.

To be healthy and strong,

Gotta love apples

All without exception -

There is no doubt about it! – Irinka exclaimed.

Irinka decided that she would always eat apples and forget about her illnesses forever.

Pear - Fastunishka

In the village Skazkino, a huge pear grew in Baba Varya’s garden. She was so proud of her size that she gradually turned into a fast girl.

They call me a pear.

I'll tell you, and you listen:

Love me, children!

I am the most useful person in the world.

She loved to brag so much.

First everything fruits and the berries in the garden laughed condescendingly at her, but soon they got tired of it, and they decided to teach the fastunish girl a lesson.

All sizes and colors

Berries and fruits

We gathered for council,

To teach the ignorant a lesson.

They thought for a long time and came up with an idea. On weekends, Granddaughter Irinka came from the city to visit Grandma Varya. Her grandmother loved her very much and allowed her to tear any fruits and berries in the garden. Irinka loved pears very much. The conspirators decided to take advantage of this.

On Sunday, my granddaughter arrived and immediately ran to the garden. All fruits and the berries began to blow on the pear, our fastunishka could not resist and fell to the ground, right under Irinka’s feet.

What a huge pear, I’ll take it to Grandma Varya.

We'll bake a big pie

With pear filling,

Squeeze pear juice

In a glass for Irinka. – Grandma said

Like this fruits and the berries taught the fastushka a lesson!

Khrustik – Traveler

Once upon a time there lived a cucumber called Khrustik in the garden. He was a very curious little boy. Khrustik was interested in everything around him. Why does the sun shine only during the day? Where are the clouds going? Khrustik’s mother was often confused when she heard such questions.

One day Khrustik decided to leave the thickets of cucumber tops and go traveling. He so wanted to know what was happening beyond his home.

When the sun began to get hot and mom fell asleep in the shade under a leaf, Khrustik went on a journey.

The first thing he met on the way was a Tomato, big and red.

I'm a fat red tomato

I have loved children for a long time.

I am a chest of vitamins

Come on, take a bite of the barrel!

Let's be better friends with you! My name is Khrustik, I live in that garden bed over there.

Come on, come visit more often! – answered Tomato.

Who are you? - Khrustik asked him.

I am Carrot, red tail.

Come visit more often.

To make your eyes sparkle,

To make your cheeks turn red,

Eat carrots, drink my juice,

You will only be healthier!

Let's be friends with you! My name is Khrustik, I live in that garden bed over there.

Come on, I have a lot of friends! - Carrot answered.

Then Khrustik noticed that the Sun began to hide behind the horizon. This means that night will come soon, and mom will worry.

Goodbye, I'll definitely come visit you tomorrow. Now it's time for me to go home! - said Khrustik hurried to his garden bed.

The Adventures of Tomatoes

In one small vegetable garden, the Pomodorchik family lived. The tomato grew up very greedy. His favorite words were words: "My!", "My!", "My!".

One day Pomodorochik was walking through the garden. Garlic runs towards him, carrying the harvest. "My!"- Tomato shouted and took away the harvest from Garlic. He was offended and cried.

The offended gathered vegetables and decided to teach the greedy a lesson.

I'll make everyone around me cry,

Although I am not a fighter, but the bow is said the offended bow.

Not a root, but in the ground,

Not bread, but on the table;

And I am a seasoning for food,

And to the greedy government - said the offended Garlic.

They say I'm bitter

They say I'm sweet

I'm growing in a garden bed.

I'm the most useful

I give my word to this,

Eat me with everything

I will cure you of anger

You will be healthy - said the offended Perchik.

They got together and caught the greedy man, and gave him such a hard time that Tomato begged for mercy. They believed him vegetables and given a chance to improve.

Since then, Tomato has changed to the delight of mom and dad.

The Adventures of Cherry.

In the village Skazkino, an old cherry tree grew in Baba Varya’s garden. In the spring it bloomed, and in the summer cherries ripened on it. The cherries grew, filled with juice and turned into rosy-cheeked beauties.

But one day an evil Breeze flew into the garden. He began to swing the branches of the old cherry tree. One Cherry could not resist and fell to the ground. She looked around and got scared. Everything around was unfamiliar and big.

The cherry rolled down the path. She rolls and rolls, and towards her there is a small Hedgehog:

Cherry - Cherry, I'll eat you!

Don't eat me, or you'll choke!

Cherry - Cherry, I'll eat you!

Don't eat me, or you'll choke!

Little Bear didn’t listen, ate the Cherry and choked. Little Bear coughed and began to cry. She came running to the noise Ursa:

What happened, son?

I choked on a cherry.

How many times have I told you that you need to spit out the bone!

And she began to clap the Bear on the back with her paw, sentencing:

Though round and smooth, red and sweet,

And to be happy, you have to spit out the bone!

Do you understand everything, son?

Yes, I understand, I understand! - answered the little bear and trotted after his mother

Greed is not a vice at all
But rather a punishment
For someone life lesson,
And for some it’s an eternal claim...

Once upon a time, few people grew fruit trees. Only rich people could afford such a luxury, since a tax had to be paid for each such tree.
Poorer people imprisoned simple trees, such as acacia, ash or maple. And on hot days they could only enjoy the coolness of their shade.
Most They sold the fruit, but even what was left was enough. Children from such families always ate plenty of apples, pears, cherries and even grapes. But there are more poor people who could not always afford to buy fruit, much less grow it.
On the outskirts of the village, right next to the river, lived an old man named Matvey. Undoubtedly, he was a very kind and sympathetic person, but only somewhere deep down in his soul. Grandfather Matvey had a large orchard. Every year he harvested so much. that then he sold it for a very long time. Grandfather left almost nothing for himself, because he lived alone, but how much does an old man need? Of course, he had children and grandchildren, but they did not visit their grandfather at all. And not at all because they didn’t love him, no, on the contrary, they loved him very much, but grandfather was very greedy and angry, he didn’t let anyone come close to his house, much less to his garden. But his relatives did not hold grudges at all and always left him a gift at the very doorstep on grandfather’s birthday. But the old man wasn’t getting any kinder. He started himself big dog and named her Laima. With its size, it instilled fear in passers-by, even though it was sitting on a chain. All the neighboring children were very afraid of her, as well as grandfather Matvey himself.
It was a hot summer day, the sun was rising higher and higher, taking the heat with it. The hot air gradually cooled down and people began to get out into the street.
Vanya and Egor were playing football on a small lawn not far from the river. On summer holidays they always disappeared from morning until evening on their favorite lawn. But Egor did not clear the shot and the ball landed right in grandfather Matvey’s garden. But taking him away was not so easy. The garden was surrounded by a fence, and they were afraid to ask the old man.
After waiting for darkness, the boys nevertheless climbed over the fence and wandered around the garden for a long time in search of the ball. They examined everything, but found nothing. The boys were very upset, but it was late and it was time to go home. But Egor and Vanya were so hungry that they decided to stay here a little longer. They picked apples and made themselves comfortable under a branch.
These were wonderful minutes. Without thinking about fatigue or the lost ball, the boys began to gobble up apples by both cheeks. They were so fragrant and sweet that you didn’t want to leave this garden at all.
Having had his fill, Yegor said:
- Listen, Van, let’s come here again tomorrow?!
- Come on, but will we have to wait for darkness again?
Yegor sighed heavily:
- You'll have to, but it's worth it!
- You are right. I've never seen anything like this before delicious apples did not eat.
- Me too...
- Egor, we completely forgot about the ball. Where should we look for him now?
- Yes, he lies somewhere under a bush. We still can't find him now. Let's go home, it's late, and we'll look for the ball tomorrow.
- Let's go to.
With a little effort the boys overcame the fence and went home.
They lived not far from Matvey’s grandfather, so it didn’t take long to walk.
In the morning the boys immediately ran to the orchard. They walked along the fence, trying to see if their ball was visible. But as soon as you got too close to the fence, Lima immediately began to bark. But she was not visible in the garden; she was probably sitting in the yard and heard someone approaching. Hearing the dog barking, the boys ran away. They hid behind a large oak tree on their favorite lawn.
At that moment, grandfather Matvey came out of the house. He looked around suspiciously, apparently deciding that someone was trying to get into his garden. After making sure that no one was there, he went back.
The boys began to wait for grandfather to leave the house, leaving the garden unattended.
So another hour passed, and finally the old man came out and headed towards the store.
Vanya says to Yegor:
- Well, it's time to act. Let's quickly get into the garden and find our ball.
- let's run!
Egor and Vanya rushed to the fence, but Laima began barking again. Grandfather heard this and ran towards the house with a slight limp. The boys immediately realized what kind of old man he was running and ran to hide.
Out of breath, the old man slowly walked around his yard and garden, but not seeing anything suspicious, he was even upset. I ran, thinking they were robbing me, but there was not a hint of a robbery, there were no traces of strangers. Shrugging his shoulders he said:
- Maybe it seemed to me and Laima didn’t bark at all? Oh, somehow I’ve become quite old, I’m painfully suspicious. I need to rest...What are you looking at?! - turning to the dog, - Laima, maybe you’re deliberately making fun of the homemade one? You're probably bored sitting here alone, aren't you?
The dog lowered its muzzle guiltily, covering its nose with its paw and whined quietly.
“Eh, you...” muttered the old man and went into the house.
Yegor and Vanya realized that soon grandfather would not leave the house. And so as not to waste time, we went home. in the evening the garden awaited them again...
It began to get dark. The sun disappeared behind the horizon and gradually the village plunged into darkness. It's time to go hunting, hunting for the ball. And the boys quietly wandered towards the garden.
In the evening, Laima behaved quietly, for some reason she did not bark, apparently she was tired during the day, and at the very time when she needed to guard the yard, she was sleeping. Perhaps it will be the same this evening.
The boys climbed over the fence with great ease, but not for the first time, and began to look for the ball with special zeal. Suddenly Vanya stumbled. He leaned over to look and to his surprise, it was the ball, the same one that they had been looking for for so long. Vanya took it and joyfully said:
- Egor, look, I found him!
- Great!
- Well, yes, it’s great that we did it without me, I don’t even know...
- Braggart, let's get out of here quickly.
- What about the reward? God himself sent our ball here, but we just leave like that, not good. Let's at least take something, at least a couple of pears and go straight home.
- Why exactly pears?
- Well, last time we ate apples, and now you can try pears...
- Lets do it!
The boys picked a pear for themselves and just had time to take a bite when steps were heard from behind the bushes. It was Lima. It’s a long way to run to the fence and Egor and Vanya climbed a tree. Apparently, grandfather Matvey decided to play it safe and let the dog go into the garden for the night to guard it. He was very afraid of losing his property.
Lima leisurely approached the tree, sniffed it, growled a little, looking menacing, and lay down under this very tree.
The guys wanted to get down, but Laima stopped their attempts every time. So they spent the whole night on the tree.
In the morning, grandfather Matvey went to the garden to see if everything was okay there. When he entered, he saw an interesting picture: two boys were sitting on a tree, clasping the branches with their arms and sleeping with their legs. And below his dog Laima, proudly stretched out and snoring, a soccer ball lies next to him on the grass...
- Who are you? - asked the old man.
The boys woke up immediately.
- I am Yegor, and this is my brother Vanya.
- And what did you forget in my garden?
“Our ball,” Vanya answered, “here it is,” the boy pointed to the ball lying under the tree, “we were playing football, and it flew into your garden.” We were afraid to ask you for help and decided to get it ourselves. And here's your dog...
- What is this then? - Grandfather pointed to the bitten pears, - did this also end up here by accident?
“No, sorry, we won’t do this again...” Vanya said guiltily.
- Okay, for the first time I forgive you, but you still cannot avoid punishment.
“As you say,” the boys said barely audibly.
- Well, fine. I need to harvest, but I don’t have the strength. Help me, I’ll forgive you, and I’ll give you fruit in addition. So, what's the deal?
- Deal! - the guys answered unanimously.
In a couple of days they harvested the entire harvest and now they won’t want fruit for a long time. Grandfather Matvey was very pleased with the work done and thanked the boys as promised.
The guys now did not take anything without asking and always tried to help the elderly. They understood how difficult it is for an elderly person to live alone, when you don’t expect help from anyone, you always rely only on your own strength, which fades away more and more every day, leaving only a slight shade of the days gone by. And you understand that your hour will soon come, your last hour.
Matvey also understood a lot, he realized that the main wealth in life is family: children, grandchildren, relatives and friends. And living with them in a quarrel is the greatest stupidity. After all, before, when his wife was alive, everything was different. All of them lived together as a large and friendly family, and only a fatal accident changed everything. His wife died from a terrible disease, then life lost all meaning for Matvey, he protected himself from communicating with people. But now he is ready to become again an ordinary person, kind as before. Grandfather Matvey sent a telegram to his children with an apology and asked them to come. At first the children didn’t believe it, but they came anyway.
They talked for a long time, because they spent so much time apart and now they wanted to tell each other about everything. They say correctly: “Don’t part with your loved ones.” This applies not only to lovers, but also to all people who, at least a little, value each other.
Children and grandchildren began to visit Matvey often and it was real happiness, family happiness...
Many years passed and Matvey’s grandfather passed away... One day his daughter climbed into the attic and found an interesting chest there, very dusty and covered in cobwebs. There was money in it, so much so that it was impossible to count it right away. Apparently, Grandfather sold fruit and put the money in this very chest, but why didn’t he spend it? Didn't have time, didn't want to, or forgot? Now no one will know about it.
The woman decided to keep a small part of the money for herself, and bought seedlings with the rest. fruit trees and distributed it to all the village residents in memory of my father. After all, in recent years he was not like everyone knew him, he became much kinder.
Soon the tree tax was canceled and the village began to live a full life. In every yard there was a tree in memory of grandfather Matvey.

Grandfather Michal lived on the edge of the village, the forest approached the fence, and in the spring there were many nightingales in the aging, already rather neglected garden. In the forest they collected fragrant strawberries, wild raspberries, and mushrooms.
Potatoes were blooming wildly in the gardens, and early apples were ripening and smelling spicy in the gardens, when grandfather Michal felt weakness and sweaty weakness in his body, began to dry out, and his face became yellow. The old man asked his neighbors for an envelope, took a break and sat down at the table. “Andreyka, come quickly,” wrote grandfather Michal, and his eyes filled with the burning dampness of tears, “I, my dear son, fell ill. I’ll die and won’t see you...”
Michal gave the letter to the postman, walked around in the yard and turned into the garden. It was a dry, windless day. a wonderful garden with as many as fifty trees, covering the ground with cool shade; they bent almost to the ground from the fruits of the apple tree; chenille unripe plums; separately filled with the soft sweetness of pears; and the raspberry tree was burning with berries, as if someone had showered it with hot coals. Michal carefully touched each tree with his hands, smiled faintly... But then his insides began to ache so much that he barely reached the hut and lay down on the sunbed, wet with sweat.
Lonely... Unnecessary... How can this be? After all, everything that he has, that he has accumulated, will be his, will go to his son, only his! Why do I need all this in the next world, no one takes anything with them there. Just as people come into life with nothing, beggars, they leave life the same way. What then - loneliness? Nonsense! My son will arrive in a few days and that’s the end!
The end - this word confused him - what is the end? Of course, the end of lonely nights, lonely thoughts... no, not that. All the same, he will be alone, alone... Then what is the end? Maybe you will leave the feeling that life passes like a clock: minutes, hours, days, years pass, and life is useless and unnecessary, as if white curly clouds in the sky ran up in a small cloud and disappeared, and there is no benefit from them to people. But does this feeling really exist when you know that you are needed and useful just like the smallest bolt in a mighty mechanism? This feeling is deceptive, it is familiar to you, it appears somewhere towards the end of life, when memories have been replayed a thousand times, like an old movie, and the end of your life is already so close... The end - then what will be the end, because your son arrives, your joy, your only happiness, your little blood?
Overcoming endless chest pains, Michal thought about the past of his life, about the present, about the meaning of this very life, at times falling into a short oblivion, either half-delirium, or half-sleep. Two days later, neighbor Ksenia came in and exclaimed in fear:
-Oh my God, you need to go to the hospital! I’ll run to the foreman now and ask for transport.
-Don’t make things up...please don’t. I’m healing with herbs, I’m waiting for Andrei... Ksenia brought from home a pot of milk, bread, a bowl of warm potato soup, cucumbers and put it all on the bench next to the bed. “Eat, eat,” Michal asked affectionately, and she began to tidy up the house. He chewed sour cucumber, drank milk and, getting up, began to observe how deftly Ksenia controlled and how fresh her face was, not yet battered by age. Something vague stirred his soul... he did not understand himself, but he felt that it was something big, inexplicable, this was the most important thing - love.
He heard from other men that love tormented them - it made life without mutual love into flour. For many years he had been wary of this dangerous feeling that torments a man’s heart. But when he let it into his soul he himself does not know. But when this feeling filled his soul, it filled him with bright delight, although without warm, pleasant sadness. He had never experienced anything like this before and could not even imagine that long hours of loneliness could fly by unnoticed in the invisible presence of a woman summoned from the distance of his youth and who had lived next door to him all her life.
-Why didn’t you eat the soup? – asked Ksenia. She looked at Michal with eyes full of undisguised pity.
-I don’t want something.
He felt uneasy from her gaze, he felt hot, and an unhealthy blush flared up on his withered cheeks. Ksenia went, and Michal looked at the washed table, at the walls, cleared of cobwebs by her hands, and remembered how unusually beautiful she was in her youth. The guys didn't give her any peace. Ksenia and Michal were captivated by the piercing black eyes, but he never touched her hand, he was afraid that she would laugh. Ksenia got married, Michal also got married, and took Stepanida, a girl who, although not very beautiful, was rosy-cheeked and friendly. They didn’t have children for a long time, the wallpaper turned black from grief, they were worn out and lost all hope, but then Stepanida gave birth to a son. They almost fainted with happiness then. Michal planted apple, pear, cherry, and plum trees, and when the first fruits appeared on the trees, he surrounded the garden on all sides with a tall fence—the chickens wouldn’t fly. I didn’t sell fruit to my fellow villagers, although no one had such a huge fruit-bearing garden. He reasoned like this: “Ask for a high price - they will make mistakes and be offended; give it for next to nothing - there is no benefit.” That’s why he took baskets of fragrant fruits to a nearby town to the market every autumn. And he spent the proceeds on his son. He walked better than others, dressed, shod, and fed. They did not deny their son anything.
Stepanida died and caught a cold at the market. Michal buried her, but did not marry her; the next year Ksenia became a widow. Her man began to cross a river in the spring, the ice cracked, and only his hat remained on the smoky water. Michal sold the cow, did not keep pigs, and lived on a pension. Left alone, he himself did not stand at the market, he did not allow this even in his thoughts, but he sold fruit in bulk and resellers drove to him in their cars and immediately paid in cash. And Michal sent every extra penny to his son, although he had long since graduated from college, held a decent position, lived independently, was wealthy and had a family...
“Will you arrive soon, Andreika?” - the old man twisted and whispered. He lay on the couch with a prickly cold in his soul and listened to the monotonous buzzing of the hungry flies in the hut. During the day it was more fun, Ksenia came, and he himself got up and sat by the window, and at night such a melancholy squeezed his heart, even a wolf howled. Could not sleep. Michal weakly walked along the washed floorboards of the hut, somehow carefully peered into the moon, white with ripeness, in the foggy sky and, feeling the warmth of tears in his eyes, almost said to himself out loud: “At least I’ll talk to you as much as I can, son. I don’t have anyone to exchange a word with. Everyone calls me a miser, no one even shows his nose in the yard. I live among people, but it’s like living on a desert island, built with my own hands. Am I a miser, Andreika? You know... I'll tell you about Ksenia... Nobody guesses, son, that even now I like her. In a word, we will have something to talk about, just come...”
The postman brought the letter in the evening. Andrei wrote that he would arrive in five days. And when Ksenia came early in the morning to light the stove, she was surprised: Michal, animated, without the previous composure in his face, walked around the house, smiling joyfully. Somehow he said guiltily:
-Andreyka is coming. I want to meet him as a human being. My son has not been home for almost ten years. We need to prepare vodkas and snacks. Help me, Ksyushka.
Within a day the hut acquired a lived-in appearance. Xenia’s hands cleaned out, raked out everything that dominated here long years. The curtains hanging on the windows caressed the eye with white freshness, the table and bench glowed yellow, and the damp, sour spirit disappeared. “My son will come, he will come...” Michal never tired of thinking, “that means he still needs me, he needs me...”. This feeling is deceptive, you know it from recent years loneliness, it appears somewhere in the middle of the chest and rises higher and higher? What is this?
He shook his head, driving away the sad thoughts that, not for the first time, had overcome him. But he is a father, he lived all his life only for his son and for his son.
Andrey arrived at the end of the day. He entered the hut, well-behaved, slender, with a beautiful tanned face, placed a suitcase at the threshold, hugged Michal, who was suddenly limp with joy, and pressed him to him. “My son,” the old man whispered inaudibly. He wanted to kiss Andrei, but he was embarrassed by his stubbled cheeks and his sweat-darkened shirt. I just pressed my lips to his jacket, which smelled of expensive cologne, and began to cry.
-Don't cry, dad. Do not Cry.
-How long will you stay?
-Not really. back tomorrow.
-Why so fast?
-To work necessary.
There were a lot of people. Everyone who came brought with them lard, eggs, or sour cream. There wasn’t even enough space for snacks on the tables, and a flushed Ksenia carried the excess food into the hallway. Andrei was gloomy and seemed dissatisfied with something. Michal didn’t particularly try to bother him with questions. I thought: “Apparently, I’m very tired. He needs to rest."
We drank the first glass. For some reason, Andrei became even more gloomy, reluctantly picking at a plate of cucumbers with a fork, from time to time casting an indifferent glance at those present. He did not communicate with anyone at the table and kept himself apart.
And Michal, who had not taken alcohol into his mouth for a long time, immediately felt dizzy, his soul became cheerful and light. Then a girl of about twenty-five dropped into the hut. Slender, beautiful toy striking beauty, which immediately awakens men’s hearts with languid confusion. She said quietly:
-I'm late. Sorry. – And she sat down on the bench at the edge of the table.
Andrei raised his face, darkened by an unknown torment, peered at the girl and asked his father:
-Whose is this?
-Nina. Ksenina's daughter.
--Married?
-Yeah. The guy is in the army now. They took me for two months.
“Look,” Andrey cheered up. And Michal was happy about this.
-Tomorrow, son, we’ll go to the grave. Until the mother. She loved you so much and wanted to see you so much before she died.
-Okay, father, okay.
It became noisy in the house. In drunken voices, people began to sing the song: “If only I had golden mountains.” The old man's eyes became moist. The song reminded him of his faded love for these old and kind people, with whom, busy with his worries and troubles, he knew little, but they treated him so well: they respected him, they came. Michal wanted to hug everyone, take them into the garden, shake the best apples and give everything to them. Violent tears rolled down his cheeks... And so that, God forbid, his son would not see, he covered his face with his hands, dry to the point of transparency...
- How are you, son, daughter-in-law?
- All in order, father. Works. I said hello to you.
-What about your granddaughter? Maybe he already goes to school?
-No, not yet.
-Are you thinking about having a second child?
- No, one is enough.
Answering, Andrei looked into the corner of the hut. Inadvertently glancing there, Michal saw the burning eyes of Nina, who had been soggy from drinking vodka. The guests chatted, sang a few songs and began to disperse, as the sky was already getting lighter in the east.
“I’ll be right back, dad,” said Andrey. He threw his jacket over his shoulders and left the hut.
Michal sat down by the open window. The dewy coolness chilled my face. Apparently some bird was squeaking sleepily, there was a smell of grass and apples. “Where did he go?” - I thought about Andrey. I went out into the garden. And there I heard a whisper. He carefully crept to where the raspberry tree stood out in its impassable wilderness, parted the prickly stems with his hands, and hell shook. Andrei and Nina were sitting on the grass. Kissed...
Michal quickly returned to the hut and closed the window. I sat down on the bench. “And what does she want?” - I thought about Nina. “He’s such a handsome, tall guy. Everyone envy them: here is a beautiful couple, they deserve each other. And look, she’s twisting it. And she doesn’t notice that Andrei is not a good fifteen years older than her and is married.”
I didn’t think anything bad about my son, didn’t judge him.
It was already clear when Andrei returned. He threw his jacket, wet with dew, onto a chair and asked:
-How are you, dad?
-Go to bed, son. Late. “Or too early,” he added to himself.
In the afternoon we went to the graves.
Blonde-haired, in a close-fitting suit, Andey strode ahead. People looked at him intently and appraisingly from the windows of their houses. And Michal stomped dejectedly behind, feeling a chilly bitterness in his heart. It was stuffy and windless. In the cemetery, the old man found a mound of earth covered with leaves with a wooden cross, said: “Here is the mother, son,” and pressed his face to the heated mound. His thin shoulders shook and his hands trembled from crying. And Andrei sat silently. Having cried, Michal looked at his son, and his throat seemed to immediately dry up from what he saw.
He sat indifferent and distant from everything, his eyes were clouded with a buzzing thought, and a joyful, satisfied smile was hidden on his swollen lips. The old man stood up and nodded dryly:
-Come on, son.
There was silence along the way.
Before opening the door to the senets, Andrei looked back at the windows of Ksenia’s hut and muttered:
- Father, Father!
-What?
-I changed my mind. I'm staying for two more days.
-And what about the work?
- It will be intact. Work is not a wolf; it will not run away into the forest.
And only now Michal realized that there, at the grave, Andrei was mentally here, next to the luxurious and eager Nina. The old man wiped his sweaty face with an unexpectedly trembling hand, left the hut, went into the garden and sat down on a bench. He suddenly felt that there was not enough air, he felt limp, as if his body was working out. For some reason, the rustling of the leaves of the trees reminded me of Stepanida’s faint whisper when she fell ill with a cold. With a crimson face, she rushed around the bed, and it was impossible to make out the words, except for one, alarmingly separated: “And-rey-ka!” how she wanted to see her son before he died. While she was still in memory, she said: “If only I could look at my son with one eye, then it’s not scary to die there...”. Did not see. He didn't come.
I remembered how once in the rain Michal saw Ksenia’s children in the garden. A boy and a girl with wet and wary faces were tearing off the Antonovkas. Without a single menacing note in his voice, the old man called out to them, thinking of giving back what the winds had shaken from the sweet apple trees. But the children instantly disappeared through a hole in the broken fence. Michal was then struck by the girl’s faded dress and the boy’s patched pants. It was as if I had seen them for the first time. And I immediately thought that, having married Ksenia, I would need to look after her children, fill their stomachs, dress them, put on shoes. What then remains for Andrey? After all, this garden was for his life, for him Stepanida stood idle in the market in the cold, so that his only son would not have to worry about a penny, so that he would not need anything. And, deeply hiding in himself hot thoughts about Ksenia, her fresh face, black eyes, Michal once fenced off the garden with such tall picket fences that her hut was immediately invisible... As if with this fence he fenced off his heart from Ksenia, hid it behind the fence…
Suddenly there was a sharp stabbing in my chest, I couldn’t breathe. The old man got up and walked through the garden with his head bowed, not paying any attention to the pears, plums, and apple trees. Some small bird was sitting on a branch and, seeing his heavy tread, stopped his whistle and watched as Michal stepped with his galoshes on the ripe apples, and after him the crushed fruits tearfully highlighted in the grass. The bird saw how the old man approached the fence and, with malicious dejection, angrily and helplessly struck with his fist the boards that were darkened and, as if frosted with mold... “The end...”.

To grow a garden from fruit trees on your site, you need not only to decide on the location and plants, but also to take into account the main nuances, such as the planting pattern, the size of the holes, planting and caring for seedlings, which will be discussed in this article.

Garden layout

When a place for planting seedlings has been selected, it is important to decide on a scheme for planting them. It is recommended to plant trees according to four schemes, which have their own characteristics of plant arrangement, simplify the process of caring for seedlings and obtain a bountiful harvest.

The most common planting pattern is quadratic: it allows you to create convenient conditions for caring for the garden. According to this scheme, trees are planted in even rows. The distance between trees depends on their type and variety.

Important! It is also necessary to take into account the planting pattern in order to rationally use the space, so on a square plot it is better to arrange trees according to a quadratic pattern.

If you have been selected dwarf varieties, the optimal distance between rows will be 4 m, between trees you need to leave 2.5 m. Classic views, which were grafted onto a wild rootstock, should be planted at a distance of at least 3.5 m from each other, 5 m between rows. Tall and vigorous species should be 4 m apart, 6 m between rows.

The quadratic planting scheme is suitable for trees that are not demanding on lighting and normally tolerate partial shade created by adjacent rows. This is how apple trees are usually planted different varieties, some varieties of pears.

Chess

The chess pattern is very similar to the quadratic one, only in each square between four trees one more tree is planted. The scheme is more dense, therefore suitable for planting medium-sized plants with a small crown. If the garden is located on a slope, then the checkerboard pattern will be the best option planting trees to reduce soil loss by precipitation.
The checkerboard planting method allows trees to receive the maximum amount of light, therefore it is suitable for light-loving plants - plum, apricot, peach, as well as apple and pear trees. The distance between trees should be 4 m; it is better to leave 5 m between rows.

Planting trees in a triangular pattern is characterized by a denser arrangement of plants with a large crown. According to the triangular scheme, all trees will be level, which will allow planting 15% more plants than according to the quadratic scheme.

To find out the optimal distance between plants, you must follow the rule of doubling the maximum crown width of an adult tree. For example, if the crown width is 4 m, then there should be a distance of at least 8 m between plants on all sides.
Thanks to the triangular planting pattern, plants can receive the maximum amount of light. Cherry, apple, pear, plum, apricot, and peach are suitable for planting with this scheme.

Horizontal scheme

A horizontal planting scheme is used when trees are located on a hilly area. In this case, plants are planted along horizontal lines, which makes it possible to reduce soil erosion processes and successfully grow seedlings on uneven areas. For fruit plantings choose an elevated area, preferably in the south of the site. Fruit trees must be planted in such a way that the maximum height of the trunks is directed to the north.
Thanks to this arrangement, the plants are provided with the best big amount Sveta. The distance between them in this case should be at least 3 meters, between the rows - at least 5. For planting horizontally Any fruit trees are suitable.

Planting a garden

When the planting scheme has been determined, it is necessary to begin selecting and purchasing seedlings that will then take root on the site.

Selection of fruit crops

In order for plants to bear fruit well, you need to be able to choose them correctly. Therefore, pay attention to the recommended growing region, soil and other conditions. There are special varieties that have been bred for each region: they easily tolerate frosty winters, different types soils are less sensitive to adverse weather conditions. Let's consider the basic recommendations for planting trees that thrive in mid-latitudes.

Most popular fruit plant in mid-latitudes is the apple tree. This crop is light-loving, so it is better to plant it in a well-lit area. The apple tree can grow on gray forest soils, soddy-podzolic soils, and chernozems, which have a light mechanical composition with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The tree does not tolerate excess moisture well, so plant it on small hills, in areas with deep groundwater - at least 1.5 m deep.

Did you know? Apple orchards in the world cover 5 million hectares, and every third fruit tree in the world is an apple tree.

It is recommended to plant the pear on the south side of the site, since areas with harsh winters often cause trees to freeze. The site must be well protected from the wind, which is especially important in winter period. Pear grows well on wet soils, groundwater should be no closer than 1 m to the soil surface. The ideal soil for pears is loamy, sandy loam or slightly podzolic.
Cherries prefer warmer regions with more sunlight and warmth. It is not recommended to plant the seedling in lowlands, since cherries have poor winter hardiness and often freeze out. It is necessary to choose a well-ventilated area - this way you can avoid many tree diseases. As for the soil, cherries prefer fertile soils with a light mechanical composition, characterized by high air permeability. Cherries are planted on light and medium loams, which allows for maximum yield.

Plum also prefers well-lit areas, so it is necessary to plant seedlings on the south side of the site, on a damp clay soil with a thick fertile layer and a neutral reaction. Plum also grows normally in the northern regions, but subject to the basic recommendations for planting and caring for the plant. Apricots grow well in mid-latitudes and subtropics in maximally illuminated areas with plenty of sunlight and heat. Apricot trees must be well protected from northern winds: they can be located on slopes and in places that are inaccessible to cold air.
It is better to plant the tree on light, well-drained soils. Peaches are planted in southern regions with a lot of heat and sunlight, because they are unstable to severe frosts, damaging fruit buds. Peaches grow well on light loams with high breathability and drainage; a prerequisite is high-quality protection from the wind.

How to choose and buy seedlings

It is important not only to choose the right place for planting seedlings, but also planting material, in order to ensure good survival of the tree and obtain stable high yields further.

Important! It is preferable to buy seedlings from nurseries, avoiding markets and other dubious places.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the age of the tree: it is optimal to purchase planting material two years of age, older trees have a low survival rate. Look closely at root system seedlings - it must be healthy and contain, in addition to skeletal ones, numerous growing roots. Do not buy trees that have knots, thickenings, growths, nodules, or other dubious formations on the roots.
The minimum number of skeletal roots for a two-year-old seedling is 3; it is preferable to choose seedlings that contain more than 3. Do not buy trees that have rough mechanical damage roots created by improper digging. The height of a two-year-old seedling should be at least 1.5 meters; healthy trees contain three lateral branches that are evenly distributed along the trunk. The bark should be smooth and free of any scratches or cracks.

Did you know? Exists interesting method determining the duration of storage of a dug up tree: you need to hold a tree branch between your thumb and forefinger, and if the seedling is fresh, then a slight coolness will emanate from the tree, and if the seedling is dry–you will feel warm.

Preparation of planting holes

Depending on the type of fruit tree landing pit getting ready different sizes And different shapes, but for almost all trees, round pits with steep walls are best suited, which can ensure normal development of the root system. The size of a hole dug in cultivated soil with a deep fertile layer should be about 70 cm in diameter and 70 cm in depth.

If a tree is planted in an area being developed for the first time, the size of the hole will increase threefold, since a sufficient amount of nutrient mixture will need to be added to it, which in the future will serve as a reservoir necessary for normal development. young seedling substances. Heavy clay and sandy soils require digging a hole 1 m in diameter and 1 m in depth. Experienced gardeners It is advised to dig wider and less deep holes in dense clay soil so that water does not stagnate in their lower layers - this will have a detrimental effect on plant roots.
If planting will be done in the spring, then holes must be dug in autumn period the previous year, if planting will be done in the fall, then the hole is dug in May-June. This is necessary so that the fertilizers that have been applied to the soil are well mixed and mature, that is, they form the necessary microbiological environment.

Rules for planting trees

Depending on the type of fruit tree, there are standards for the size of the hole, planting time and other nuances that need to be considered:

1. Apple trees They are often planted in the spring, if the seedling is not older than 2 years, so that over the summer the tree takes root, grows and survives wintering normally. Spring planting should occur in early May - late April, when the soil has already thawed and warmed up a little. If the seedling will be planted in the spring, the hole can be prepared a week before planting. The size of the hole will depend on the soil: if it is quite fertile, then 60 cm in depth and in diameter will be enough, if the soil is poor, then the depth should be at least 70 cm and the diameter should be 80 cm. Seedlings 3-4 years old can be planted in the fall , since they are no longer afraid of a strong tree winter frosts. It is better to plant in early October so that the roots have time to strengthen before winter. In autumn, it is recommended to plant young trees in the southern regions with fertile soil. The hole is dug the same size as in the case of spring planting, but it is prepared a month before planting.
   
2. pear can be planted both in spring and autumn. Spring planting (at the end of April) eliminates the possibility of the tree dying from frost. It is better to prepare the pit in advance, in the fall of the previous year. During this time, the soil will shrink, and after planting the seedling, the root collar will not deepen much, which guarantees normal survival of the plant. The hole should be about a meter wide and about 50 cm deep. If the soil is poor, then dig a deeper hole and fill it with several buckets of fertile soil. As in the case of the apple tree, the pear is planted in the southern regions in the fall, which allows the seedling to take root normally. In addition, a pear that was planted in the fall and survived the winter will be stronger and more resistant to future frosts. Digging a hole better in spring, the size of the hole in depth is 50 cm, diameter is 1 m, and planting should be done in early October.
   
3. Apricot in the spring it is recommended to plant before the buds on the seedlings have awakened - in mid-April. The pit is prepared in the fall, it minimum size– 70 cm deep and 70 cm in diameter. Preparing the pit for autumn planting should be carried out a month, or even two. The required width is 1 m and the depth is 80 cm. The optimal time for planting is considered to be the beginning of October.
   
4. Cherry It is often planted in the spring (late April), especially in the middle zone and northern regions, since over the summer the seedling grows, becomes stronger and withstands wintering normally. The hole should be dug in advance better in autumn, its depth should be at least 50 cm, diameter - 80 cm. In autumn, planting cherries is practiced only in the southern regions, sometimes in middle lane. Optimal time for planting - the end of September, so that the tree gets stronger before the first frost hits. The pit is prepared in the spring, the size is the same as in the case of planting in the spring.
   
5. Peach is heat-loving plant, therefore, even in the southern regions, planting is carried out in the spring (late April). The pit is prepared in advance, preferably in the fall; the size of the pit should be at least 70 cm in depth and 1 m in diameter.
   
6. prefers spring planting in the middle zone and in the northern regions, in the southern regions planting seedlings is most often practiced in the autumn. In spring, plums are planted at the end of April in a pre-prepared hole. It is better to prepare the pit in the fall, add organic fertilizers, which over a sufficiently long period of time will rot and create ideal conditions for a young seedling. The hole should be at least 60 cm deep and 70 cm wide, more is possible. In the fall, at the beginning of October, the plum is planted in a hole that was dug in the spring and fertilized with organic matter, the size of the hole is 60x70 cm.
   

Did you know?Unlike other fruit trees, plums cannot be found wild in nature. The plum was obtained by crossing sloe and cherry plum more than 2 thousand years ago.

How to care for newly planted trees

When the seedlings are planted in the soil, the first time should be given Special attention regular watering. The frequency of watering depends on weather conditions and regularity of precipitation. The minimum amount of water that needs to be poured under one tree is 20 liters at a time. You need to water once every 2-4 weeks. It is recommended to check the soil for moisture with a stick: if the surface of the soil has dried out by 20 cm, it’s time to water the seedling.

The area around the seedling should be mulched - this is necessary in order to create a favorable environment for the root system, retain moisture in the summer, and slow down the growth of weeds. The mulch is poured in a fairly thick layer (15 cm) at a distance of 1-2 meters from the trunk - use sawdust, straw. The circle around the trunk is regularly loosened and freed from weeds. It is especially important to loosen the soil after watering, when water compacts it. Loosening is carried out to a depth of no more than 5 cm, so as not to damage the young roots.
Necessarily young tree It should be insulated for the winter so that it can withstand frost normally. Insulating the trunk will also help protect the bark from attacks by rodents, which gnaw it in winter, which leads to the death of the seedling. The procedure is carried out in early November, tying bottom part trunk spruce branches not less than 70 cm in height. Trees are whitewashed twice a year – in autumn and spring. Autumn whitewashing is carried out on a sunny, not rainy day at the end of September, and spring whitewashing should be carried out during the period of light frosts, when the first insects have not yet appeared.