Sunday, April 22, 2012

Apple Blossoms at Hood River Oregon

Today we took a drive to Hood River and viewed the apple orchards.  Miles and miles of apple trees in bloom.



Saturday, April 21, 2012

Sping is completely here now.

Pics from today.  I did manage to do a few things around the yard.  The Spring flowers are in the second wave - daffodils are done, and now tulips blooming.  Japanese plums and peaches are done and cherries are in full bloom, with early apples in bloom - North Pole and Liberty.  Euro plum (Stanley) is in bloom.  Grape hyacinths have started blooming, as are violets.  Fig embryos are swelling, but no leaves yet.  Mulberry buds are swelling.  The last tart cherry's buds are starting to swell.The garlic tub is flourishing.  So are the onion tubs.  These were planted last fall.

Grape hyacinths.  They come up all over like weeds.

Hollywood plum.  I don't know yet if it will bear fruit this year. Shiro seems to have some swelling embryonic fruit, but it's way too early to be confident about that.  

North Pole apple.  I did a good pruning job last year, I think.

Stella cherry (white flowers) is amazing this year. It's covered.  I did a good job pruning that one too.  Being self complimentary there.

Violets are spreading, bit by bit.  I need to help them along some more so they fill in and prevent weeds.

Organic weed killer.  Not perfect, but it's implossible to do it all by hand now, and this helps.  Plus, it doesn't disturb the mulch, so prevents more from sprouting.  Plus it smells really good.  It's made from citrus rinds.

Tanglefoot.  I pulled off the old "collars" and put on new ones, mostly made from polyethylene mailers off junk mail, and some zip-lock bags, cut into long strips.  Tie around the tree firmly.  It's stretchy so doesn't interfere with bark growth.  Then apply the tanglefoot.  It helps a lot to keep the ants and aphids off the cherries, and keep the ants out of the figs.  Ants in figs cause spoiling and loss of fruit, as well as giving them a nice crunchy texture.  Ants bring aphids onto cherries, and can damage the crop as well as cause a lot of leaf damage.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Mid April Gardening

This is the result of one of the Onion planters that I started last fall.  This one is Egyptian Walking Onion.  They are growing vigorously.  Somehow there are a few garlic plants with the onions.  These will be my reserve for next year.  There are lots of others around the yard for fresh eating now, including one of the oak barrels.
 Me in front of the earliest sweet cherry to bloom.  All cherry blossoms are within reach.
 Two additional planters.  Again, not sold as planters.  I drilled many holes in the bottoms.  Today I planted bush beans, about 20 seeds per planter.  These are a yellow bean, "Pencil Pod Wax Bush".  Pod, not iPod. The envelope states 59 days to harvest.  I think this is very early to plant them, but the containers will have warmer soil than planting in the ground.  These should be good for several batches of beans, then the chickens can eat the leaves and I can plant a 2nd batch to harvest in the fall.  No weed issues in the containers, or the few weeds that do grow are easily removed.
Ning next to the Victoria rhubarb - it grows very large every year.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

April Ruminations

The workload from winter to now was too much for me to do much in the garden.  This week was better, and I have some hope for the weekend.

So...

I'll buy a couple more containers for container gardening, and potting soil for that.  Containers make the most efficient, doable method for many plants.

Last weekend I cleared out an existing container, that last year was used for chilis, strawberries, and garlic.  I topped it off with additional potting soil, and planted seeds for mesclun, lettuce, radishes, and cilantro.  I also planted cilantro seeds around the potted peach trees.

There is not much pruning to do now.

Fruit trees are a perfect garden plant for the overworked but yearning home gardener.  Once planted, they don't need too much care.  Some time is needed for pruning, especially if doing Backyard Orchard Culture (BOC).  That is best in summer, and with long days in summer is doable.  Also enjoyable.  I used the trimmings for mulch last summer, which helps with weeds.

I will need to apply plastic bands around the trees and tanglefoot.  I saw ants on the cherries.  Ants bring aphids, and aphid cause a lot of damage and stunting, and damage fruit. Ditto for the figs, apples, pears.

There aren't a lot of bees this year.  I did see some bumble bees.  That's good.  I went around with a small paintbrush and cross pollinated cherries, ditto for pears.  May not be needed, but not difficult and gives me a chance to get close to my little orchard trees.  This is another advantage of BOC - easy to reach the branches to pollinate by hand.

If there is time this weekend, I will prepare a container for some means, and replant some strawberries that I pulled out for the container discussed above.

That's about all.  No use overwhelming myself.  Pacing is important.

More Fruit Trees. Backyard Orchard Culture.

Some additional
Indian Free Peach from Raintree. I was able to cut it off very short due to placement of buds, so it will make a nicely formed Backyard Orchard Culture peach tree. This variety is reported as blooming later than others, and reported to be resistant to Peach Leaf Curl. It is not a genetic dwarf. I am giving up on those. Amazing number of flowers, and it is several weeks later than the genetic dwarf varieties. So far so good.  The flowers are near the ground.  I expect that next year they will be higher.

This is Almaden Duke Cherry from Raintree. It is on Gisela 5 dwarfing rootstock. It was planted last Spring. I pruned it to 2 feet tall, per Backyard Orchard Culture guidelines. I would have shortened further but there were no lower branches. Amazing it is blooming already. I wanted a later-blooming cherry. It is blooming at the same time as the sweet cherries. Raintree states Almaden Duke is self-fruitful, and is thought to be a seedling of a Mazzard cherry, both sweet and tart.  There are so many flowers, it may have enough for a pie.  I will let it fruit at a small age, because that will stunt it a little.  Small size is what I want.


This is that Illinois Mulberry. I may need to shorten the branches. Mulberries leaf out later than many other fruit trees. The buds are swelling. Once I start to see mulberry flowers, I will see if I can cut it back a foot or 18 inches to force lower branching and open structure.

These are the new peaches, from One Green World, an Oregon nursery. One is Charlotte, the other is Oregon Curl Free. Both are on Lovell peach rootstock. Both are considered resistant to Peach Leaf Curl. I could not find info about whether there are late blooming, which would also be good. I planted them in containers due to being unsure if the existing peach trees would bear. If the existing peach trees do not have peaches, out with the old, in with the new. If the DO, I'm not sure where I'll plant these.  The tubs were $6.00 which is cheap for a large planter.  I drilled lots of holes in the bottom before planting.  The rope handles will be useful for moving the trees.  Possibly even move them out of the rain in the winter?  Most of the low branches were pruned off.  I'm not sure where I prune them - the lowest buds seem too low, and the next higher set seems too high.

This is the Stanley plum. I left higher branches in place than I wanted, because I was unsure if there were lower viable buds. This tree is branching at about 3 feet. It came from a local big box store last year. Stanley is a well known, old European plum variety, reported to be self-fruitful. This is currently my only Euro plum. The others are Asian plums.

It's interesting to me that I have a Stanley plum, a Stella cherry, and a Blanche fig.  Such a passionate and literate orchard.

Almost all of the fruit trees I planted last year have at least a few flowers. The one that does not is the Methley plum.  Generally we don't want them to fruit when too small, but it's OK to hope for a taste.  Since I am not going for big quantity or big size, it should be OK to leave a few fruits on each tree. The Almaden Duke Cherry is big enough, and vigorous enough, I can leave all of the cherries in place.

Orchid Blogging

This was albeled "Brown Oncidium". I had it in my window at work for the past 2 years. It was fed with "Shulz's Houseplant Food" weekly weekly. Strange how the color came out. It was originally a tiny plant from a big box store, and I kept it due to the unique color. Now it's quite lovely, but a completely different color.  Strange I can't get the yellow oncidium to bloom, but these bloom very nicely.

This is the Miltoniopsis that I rescued from myself last summer.  It's been getting a Miracle-Gro Tomato food at 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of rainwater.  Strange, even with the initial abuse, it's come back with beautiful flowers.

The orchids are given mineral foods due to being in entirely artifical environment, inside, getting rainwater.  It's not the same as plants in the soil outside.

Fruit trees in bloom.

Asian Pear in bloom. This is 3-in-one Asian pear. In keeping with Backyard Orchard Culture methods, I'm keeping it pruned short and summer pruning of new growth back to about 6 inches of new growth. All 3 varieties are blooming this spring, covered with flowers. I played honey bee with them and transferred pollen among the varieties to pollinate. Not many bees outside this spring.

Left to right, Illinois Mulberry, not yet leafed out. The buds are swelling. Then 5-in-one European pear, beautiful flowers. You can't see the little Morello tart cherry, it has a couple of flowers, is in its 2nd spring, so not expecting much. Then Lapin? Cherry, covered in flowers, and the 3-in-one sweet cherry. I played the honey bee among the cherry trees, too.

This is the front side yard orchard. Each summer as I prune back I think "I've done too much! It won't bloom". Not true - covered with flowers. Last summer mid summer I pruned 3 or 4 feet of new growth off, back to about 6 inches of new growth. The trees are covered with flower buds. One is in full bloom, the other are just starting.

Hollywood Plum. The petals have fallen off. In bloom it was very beautiful. Unsure if it will fruit - pollinator may be wrong type, and too far away. Supposed to be self fruitful. Last year had 2 plums. They were SO GOOD! IF THE late frost didn't kill the flowers, I hope there will be a bowl of fruit this year.

The genetic dwarf peaches are nearly done blooming. More to follow. Shiro plum is finished blooming.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Orchid Blogging for January

I can't take much credit for this Phalaenopsis - it was in bud when I bought it. This keeps blooming and blooming and blooming. The last Harlequin that i had bloomed for a year, but then when I was nurturing it back to the next bloom, I think I overwatered it, and it died. That doesn't happen much to my orchids, but it proves I am not the "orchid whisperer" yet.

This Cymbidium hybrid is the only one from last year that is blooming this year. I don't know why - if it is that it is more suited for my circumstances, or just a random difference. They are nice and fragrant, and I like these flowers more than the ones it had last year.

Oncidium "twinkle".  This must be the easiest Oncidium hybrid to rebloom.  This is the second rebloom this year.  I have been growing this with dilute Miracle Grow Tomato food - 1/4 teaspoon per gallon.  Not organic for the orchids, their situation is too artificial as it is, and miracle grow is mineral based, not a petrochemical.

I've had this Oncidium hybrid for 2 years. It was a tiny plant, beige / brown flower. I bought it as a "disposable" but then kept it anyway. Glad I did - now it's starting a spike. I'm starting to think I can grow Oncidiums - although I still can't get the yellow ones to bloom. I have another one in spike too, but one pic of a small early spike is enough.
Miltoniopsis hybrid.  Or possibly, Miltonia.  This is another plant I thought I would just keep while in bloom, left it on the deck for a month or two without any care at all, then another Miltoniopsis bloomed so I reconsidered and repotted it.  That was last summer.  And now...  the beginning of a flower spike.  Actually, 2 flower spikes.  Amazing!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

January Gardening

No photos today. Pruned grapes. I usually do that on New Year's day. This is a little later, but not bad. There were more dead canes than I expected, and some fungal infections on a few dead sticks. I feel a bit concerned, but for the most part the canes had green fresh wood when cut. I trimmed new canes back to about nodes in most cases.

Last year was a bad grape year. There was a lot of mold - maybe they are in trouble. We'll see. With the thorough pruning, and with a few sprays of neem oil, maybe this year will be better.

These vines are about 10 years old. Technically, they should live decades. The damp NW climate may change that.

I also did some minor pruning of a couple of fig trees. Mostly to keep the centers open for sun and breeze. I cut back Lattarula's highest branches, but left the shorter ones in hopes of brebas.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Plans for 2012

Reflecting on this 2011, I realized that what I enjoy the most, my garden, is almost always on the back burner now. Gardening gives me peace, and I feel one with the world. I love the smell of the soil, I love looking at buds opening, I love growing from seed and watching a plant sprout, grow the first true leaves, transition from sprout to seedling to plant, to whatever it's going to become, a vegetable, a shrub, a tree, or whatever. I love puttering and trimming and planting and transplanting. I love making compost, mulching, preparing garden beds and containers.

And yet, I barely get into the yard now. Homework usually extends through the day off or weekend, or I'm not up to it.

Will 2012 be different? I hope so. Life isn't really worthwhile, going day to day to day without a break. There will be more time off - this time around I really will take the vacation time I've earned. I will remove some of the non-performers. There I'm thinking of one fig tree in particular, and a hazel nut tree. If the peaches don't perform next year, they are going as well. That will take away some maintenance time.

The raspberries will go, too. They spread too much, are too vigorous, and I don't have the room. Despite producing a lot of raspberries last year, we didn't eat many.

I'm not sure what else will be different. I keep moving into containers - much lower maintenance, and very productive. This winter will be a turning point.

No pics today. Jan 1st will be the start of renewal.