First tomato of the season picked this morning! And, updated photos of transpalnted Dogwood tree.

It is a medium sized lovely red and ripe tomato, the first we have picked this season.

I always get excited about the first tomato of the season!   And today was the day!  Plus there is another one from the same bush ripening.  We probably will have 3 bell peppers big enough for stuffed peppers next week too.  Boy it just doesn't take much to make me happy does it?

Volunteer Dogwood transplanted on 3/15/13, today at noon facing to the south.

Volunteer dogwood transplanted 3/16/13, today at noon facing to the north.

I also took a snapshot or two of the dogwood tree we transplanted from a volunteer from another place in our wooded yard as a result of a comment from that posting.  The tree is doing just fine!

If you are interested in successfully transplanting dogwoods here is a link to how we do it   thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/03/successful-tips-for-transplanting.html

I am very happy because I had called our county agent about this little tree as it looked like deer had rubbed it to the point of damage.  He told me if it made it past June we were home free and here it is.  Perfection.  We have never lost one we have transplanted this way except when broken by a big wind storm.

Successful Tips for Transplanting Volunteer (wild) Dogwood Trees

This sapling will have morning shade from the trees and house to the east of it.

Today was our first beautiful spring day.  Mid 60's and partly sunny.  In our experience the perfect day to transplant a wild or volunteer Dogwood tree.  I base this on the fact that it is commonly thought that they are extremely difficult to transplant from the wild but this is our fourth transplant with no failures thus far!

Our daffodils are in full bloom.

Our yard is wooded, especially the back and we tend to like it having that woodsy ambiance.  The fact we have numerous old Dogwoods accounts for the volunteers.   The first point that leads to success is to transplant very very early in the spring before the young sapling has leaves that give any more than the appearance of tiny needles.

Next the smaller the sapling the more chance of success you will have.  I would not recommend much more than a good inch in diameter for the thickness of the trunk and smaller is better.  Dogwood trees are shallow rooted but still you need the largest root ball you can maneuver.  Prepare the hole you are transferring into  by measuring the depth and width of the root ball and planting it exactly even to the ground.  You also would be wise to break up the soil at the bottom and sides of the hole to help the new roots grow into the new spot.

My last tip is to mark the tree before you remove it from it's original spot so you can place it into the new hole with it's sides all facing the same directions they previously were facing.  The tree we moved today was on the south side of the house.  I marked the southern most facing limb with a piece of tape so when we planted the sapling it was positioned as closely to the same direction as possible.

Dogwoods like acid soil and the protection of larger trees.  They will grow well under the canopy.  If planted in a sunny spot it will be happier if it is afforded at least partial shade.  Mulch is helpful in keeping the roots from drying out.  I am excited and hopeful this little tree will do as well as our past saplings have done.  Some of our neighbors have lovely Dogwoods from our yard!  My only concern is there looks to be something working on the trunk and I am heading to the lawn and garden center for some wound sealer to try to stop any further damage.  It would be a shame to loose it after all of this hard work.

Dogwood noon 7/25/13 viewing north,

Transplanted 3/16/13 photo update noon 7/25/13 looking to the south.

UPDATE:  This tree has done beautifully and this is a follow up to a comment today from a reader who liked the posting.  THANK YOU!  I had called our county agent upon planting this tree and we had concluded a deer had done a bit of rubbing on it and may have weakened it.  He said if the tree made it past June we were home free and here she is!!