I love eating apples, but sometimes I hate having to buy the apples from the store. Sometimes the prices are higher than I’m wiling to pay, and sometimes the apples that I want aren’t available. Driving around to different stores to look at apples just isn’t something that I’m willing to do, especially if there are other fruits around. I decided to take matters into my own hands by buying fruit tree saplings and planting them in my yard so I could grow my own apples.

I had to prepare my yard to accept the saplings. There was nothing but grass in the yard, with the exception of pine cones that would fall from the surrounding trees. I needed to dig a couple of holes to plant the saplings, but I didn’t have a shovel, so I had to ask one of my neighbors if I could borrow theirs. One of then agreed and even helped me dig the holes. I examined the soil in my yard to make sure that it had the right pH balance and nutrient levels, and then adjusted them accordingly. I never realized just how much science went into preparing land for cultivation.

Once I got the tree saplings, I planted them in the holes and moved dirt around them to hold them in place. I added some water and waited for the saplings to grow. A watched sapling never grows, and I had to keep this in mind while waiting for them to get bigger. I tried my best to be patient, but I couldn’t help looking out of the window to see if there had been any changes. Eventually the saplings did grow enough to start bearing fruit. I felt like a proud parent who watched their child grow up enough to have their own children.