1. Thomas is pushing for a 10% mulch goal— so only 10% of his garden beds will be mulch. To keep the beds interesting but not too busy he plans to use low grasses and ground covering plants. Thomas likes to have a variety of plants in each garden bed, and feels like mulch can be wasted space.

2. I had never heard of a Belgian Pear Fence before, but it is a special way of growing pear trees in a grid so they turn into a fence like structure. We saw the beginnings of this, and I can’t wait to follow up with Thomas as it begins to bloom!

3. Along with planting florals his wife loves, and fruits for his daughters to eat, Thomas especially loves fig trees. He is currently working on a specialty fig tree collection. He was kind enough to give me one of his extras. He turns to the internet to connect with other fig tree gardeners who share their trimmings with one another. There is a space for everyone on the internet!!!