Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

It's bare root season in my area (left coast). Many varieties of fruit trees are going for $22.99 per tree, ~6-8' bare roots. I went over the top and bought:

1 Nectarine - Liz's Late
1 Plum - Santa Rosa weeping
2 Cherries - Bing, Stella
1 Apple - Granny Smith
2 Pomegranates - Red velvet, wonderful
3 Raspberries - Heritage
1 Logenberry - Thornless
1 Boysenberry
10 Strawberry - Sequoia
10 Strawberry - Sea scape
4 Asparagus
8 Roses

I'm amazed that we managed to get everything planted except for the strawberries (I have to work on their bed some). I have Spring fever, big time! I'm thinking I can squeeze in a few more fruit trees and am looking to have fruit all 12 months of the year (almost there!).

Anybody else planting yet?
:4_8_4v:

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

I made a batch of my organic fertilizer, and tilled it into the garden. I'll be planting peas and radishes pretty quick. It's still a bit early for other veggies here.

I'm going to move a few trees around. I've got 4 filberts and 2 japanese maples to relocate. Everything is starting to bud out here so I better get cracking...

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

You do realize that for most of us, it's still mid February. :36_1_63: I'm still hibernating.:sleepy13:

It's getting close to time to look thru the seed catalogs and start planning things though. :applause_

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

>>I planted a whole batch of various Fruit Trees last year........come fall the Buck Deers wiped them all out making scapes .....we put 5 deer in the freezer...so i am sorta even :biggrin:

This year i am going to plant a couple of acres of walnut and pecan trees..

and trying to think of a good way to plant fruit trees and keep the deer out and still be able to get in and brush hog around them...???? and good deer retardant subjestions???

we will plant in march or april

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

Oh yeah, a lotta you are snowed in now, aren't you? Sorry...I'm being insensitive aren't I? :36_1_63:

But there are fringe benefits to living in "Commie"-fornia. :smile: I love having a year-round growing season. :rose:

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

When I start young trees out on my farm, I cut a piece of 48" stucco wire from a roll large enough to go around the tree but not hit the branches. Then I tie off the end wires joining the ends to form a circle. Then I drive two 7 foot stakes (on opposite sides of the tree) through the bottom square part of the stucco wire and sink the stakes firmly into the soil. Then I slide the stucco wire up the stakes high enough to hook the top squares over the top of the stakes which holds the stucco wire up by friction. This leaves the bottom open for pulling the grass or using a string trimmer. Once the tree gets large enough, remove the wire. Worked well for me...

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

put an apple tree in two weeks ago, has three varieties on one tre. just starting to bud now, leaves soon.. like to grow my own.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

Definitely even, at least. :smile:

I don't have any deer around here, so no firsthand experience. But I do hear that human hair is a good deterrent. Skid's suggestion for physical barriers may be what you need though with a couple of acres that may be a lot of work.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

I'm trying to learn how to graft. I put some buds from our "name brand" apples onto our crabapple tree, but none of the grafts took. I want to try again later, just to learn, and also want to start sprouting avocados. They're easy to grow; we got one of our 3 fruitful trees wild from our compost pile. Should be easy to sell baby trees.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

Yeah, started February 1st.

Seemed a little early, but working back from the date of Mar 1st, I realized I needed to get a serious amount of planting done early on, if I was going to start from seeds.

Total cost on seeds so far - $1 for a pack of carrot seeds. All the others are from previous years crops, etc.

Looking forward to raking out my compost pile (which has cooled down enough to be a good home for earthworms etc.) and planting a bunch of potatoes.

Last year my tiny wheat crop was stolen so this year my wheat crop will be under lock & key.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

The tomatoes I planted last month already are in bloom. I planted peas, spinach, kale, and broccolli after the last rain two weeks ago, and they are all coming up. I'm about two weeks from putting in the beans, corn, cukes, zukes and others.

Hate the communism but love the weather!:ARMS1:

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

u make me think of putting some early lettuce/greens on the 8+ in. of snow. worked before.

re the trees i'm looking to order apple & pear from here[no web site] but reviews here; vernon barnes nursery in tenn.

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/1746/

trees are smaller & take more time but cheaper & over the years smaller has eventually outrun bigger often in my experience. i bought here once or twice. they have some oldtimey apple varieties. can't locate my catalog but i think for 2-3 ft. 10 for about $75.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

I've been meaning to try some Sea Buckthorn.

http://www.saskfruit.com/studentwebs...wer/index.html

High in vitamin C, hardy, and can be used as a wind row.

:coolbeer:

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

There is three feet of snow on the ground here.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

we had a couple of days of sunshine...melted(saturated) the snow into the ground now the ground is frozen rock hard

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

My green thumb must be purple...

We planted a 5 gallon orange tree 2 seasons ago (about 20 - 24" when purchased) .... It's now 2 ft 2 inches...

Anyone ever seen this? The tree wont die, but it wont grow either... Its about as thick as a big pencil and has 4-5 pathetic branches... But all green healthy leaves. Plenty of space to grow...

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

metalmoney

some trees grow roots initially, & seem to sit. i know white pines are known for this; & mine sat seemingly for 2 or 3 seasons. good luck!

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

Same problem here. What I have to do to allow fruit trees to get up to a size that beats the deer is drive 4 metal T posts out from the new planting, then build a fence out of chicken wire or plastic deer fencing ( Tractor Supply ) and just keep the grass/weeds down inside the fenced circle with Roundup.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

I had the same thing happen to a lime tree I planted several years ago. I did get two limes from it one season, but from then on only green leaves, no growth, no fruit. I tried all kinds of fertilizers, no luck. Not sure what it was, but I ended up removing the tree.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

one possibility;since they come w/ a rootball & if the hole is 'clay' or hard walls the root can grow in a circle & not penetrate into the soil. break up the rootball & gouge into the walls of the hole.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

I started my Bush Cherry seeds a few weeks ago. I hope they pop open soon.

Also got some tobacco and some herbs started. Will begin tomato and pepper plants here at the end of the week.

In the beds I got carrots, arugala, spinach, beets, brocoli, lettuce, rye and vetch going.

Hopefully the ground will be dry enough to double dig a 5x20' bed.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

being in zone 8 is nice. this past saturday i planted 10 grapes (2 each of 5 varieties), 6 blueberries (2 each of 3 varieties), 2 cherry trees (2 varieties), and a fig tree. planted 2 paw paw trees yesterday. the week before did 2 apple, 2 peach, 1 pear, and 1 nectarine.

this is a new house i just moved into. i plan to plant some asparagus, kiwis, gooseberries, and some other perennials in the next couple of weeks. digging up a space this weekend for the annual vegetables.

last winter at our family farm nearby, i planted 2 pear, 2 mulberry, 3 peach, 3 apple, 1 cherry, 1 nectarine, 6 raspberry, and 100 asparagus crowns.

sometimes i wonder why people spend so much time on their lawns instead of creating edible landscapes. i must be weird.

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

I just had the local ag dealer quote on a custom blend of minerals and nutrients for my orchard and nut trees, all certified organic. I gave him my soil test results and soil remediation prescription and they will blend all the ingredients to the prescribed amount. ~$900/tonne and I need 6 tonnes. The only thing they didn't have in my prescription was sea salt (sodium and trace minerals) and glacial rock dust. I have to source them seperately. I need 2 tonnes of rock dust and 370lbs of sea salt.

I received my new fertilizer spreader today. I also need to rent a large turf aerator for the orchard grass to punch some holes in the turf so my nutrients have a path into the soil.

I'm going to be busy over the next week or so!

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

You're not weird at all, I'm the same way. We do still have a lawn but we generally neglect it and put all our efforts into the garden and trees. That is a nice list of trees, grapes and other plants you've managed to get planted! It'll be great to watch them grow in your new house.

I'm always thinking about places where I can stuff in a few extra trees or vines. I think I'm going for more over the weekend. :shine:

Re: Planting Fruit trees: Spring fever!
 

very nice! new in the ground here:
1- avocado
1- mandarin orange
1- kumquat
1- lychee
1- myer lemon
pending sweet potato starter plant
growing like crazy apple banana patch