The Phantom Planter

 The Wesley Beeches Tree. Been on the hunt for this tree for many years now.  Its just up the road from where I grew up. Many times I went looking for it with no success. Yesterday I asked in at the local church and the man there was able to guide me to it. What a tree and the fungi on it was just amazing looking.  It is this time of year guys that all of us here in the UK and Ireland should be heading out to collect the seeds from these old veteran trees. Grow them up and once big enough get phantom planting them.  A man who was in the church overheard me asking about the tree. He was curious and started asking me about it. I said to him have you planted a tree before? He said no. To my shame I cut more down than planting them as he is a farmer he said. I said in the future mate if you plant forests on your land these trees will be farming the co2 we produce. And one day you will be able to charge for the amount of co2 that forests suck out of the air. His eyes lit ...

 So guys I was away yesterday having a meeting with my accountant about setting up The Phantom Planters Charitable Trust. Its all coming together soon and so happy to get the ball rolling on this.  I certainty wont be paying myself over £100K a year like so many of these other tree planting Trust directors.  Feeling very positive and enthusiastic for the future of The Phantom Planters movement.  It was the massacre of our community orchard a while back there that has driven me to do this. Every disaster thats ever happened in my life drove me to something new. Out of a muddy pond blooms a lotus flower. With every negative comes an equal or greater positive. It all depends on our own mindset what way we go with this. As the Buddha says we make our world with our minds.  I learned from the best though on how to always keep a positive mental attitude. My Delboy dad was the most amazing man at this. I watched my dad go from literally rags to riches. When I was a you...

 Good afternoon guys I've setup a tier on Patreon called - Mens Mental and Physical Health.  Most days on there I will be sharing stuff about my personal life that I would not share on other social media platforms as I cant be annoyed with moaners filling up my inboxes and comment sections. Lots of stuff I talk about and live by can be quite controversial.  It will be on Patreon I will show you how I live, what my diet is, my Buddhist practices and lots of my training workouts. Will be like online coaching as I do intend to interact and answer any queries that members may have.  As the group is for men, I will be talking about a lot of men things. I cant stop woman joining though but the group is mainly for men.  There is a monthly membership fee. I have big plans guys for my future Phantom Planters Trust. I need to make some money over the next while here to help build what I have in mind and to maintain the thousands of community fruit trees we already have. ....

 Its only this year that I've really got to taste so many of the heritage Irish apples. Had a Mrs Perry the other day on my walk and what an apple this was. It like fizzes in your mouth. I also had a Blood of the Boyne which is so sweet with a red tinge to the flesh on the inside.  My favourite so far has been the Cavan Sugarcane. What a beauty. A massive apple that you would think would be a cooker, but this apple is as sweet as you'll get, hence the name.  I have around 100 Cavan Sugarcane apple trees ready for phantom planting this winter. I am also planning on grafting 100s more this season. There are still loads of apples down at The Belvoir Memorial Orchard aka The Phantom Planters HQ, next to the Boys Brigade football pitches South Belfast.   Hundreds of massive phantom planted apple trees here laden with fruit. Everyone is welcome to go down and help themselves. If the apple comes off in one small click its ready to eat. If it taste tart like a cooker ta...

 Me and wee betty had a busy weekend with the trees. Had some grass cutting to do down round the estate keeping the Hood looking like a nature loving Buddhahood. Also did my weekly cut of  The Phantom Planters Oak Spiral which is looking amazing btw.  The portal to the Tuatha De Danann will be open one day!  Maybe in about 12 years time when all my baby iconic oak saplings produce flowers and cross pollinate. Thats the plan anyhow. Playing about with a bit of Druid wizardry here guys. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.  Also planted a potted pine tree I think it is that was out the back of my old mate Billies back garden. This tree had been out his back for as long as I can remember and in billies last years he was unable to water it. He always asked me to water it and I always told him that after he passes I will take it somewhere and plant it.  So we planted it down the bottom of our Lisnabreeny Community Orchard yesterday.  Someone...

 This is a wild phantom planted Mrs Perry apple tree that we planted around 3 years ago. It was just planted in thick grass surrounded by brambles and check out the apples on this beauty! Mrs Perry was discovered on the coast of Donegal, so this tree is practically born to survive most harsh climates.  Mrs Perry grows very well from cuttings also and will grow into a massive tree that will never fail to produce apples in abundance.  I see so many people out these days picking the fruits of my labour. Grannies with bags walking around the estate seeing what apples are ripe. Other kids with their cartons picking raspberries. And I hear there was near a fight over the plums. A couple was seen walking away with 2 plastic bags full of plums and a guy challenged them saying your taking too many, give me some of them back he said.  This made me laugh.  It was unfair though that the couple stripped a couple of plum trees bare at our main orchard.   But it also...