Red Oak Seedling at One Year Old. 10.24.2020

 Here is a red oak tree that I grew from an acorn.  It's one of the few that deer missed on their dinner night out in my garden.  Now it has brilliant red leaves.  Some of the others were a nice red too, but this one is incredible.  I fond a nice location for it and planted in the ground, with some fencing for protection.  Red oaks grow faster than while oaks, so it has potential to reach at least "tree size" during my lifetime

I imagine that the other deer marauding victims will recover and grow next year.  There are a couple that I would like to save.  I also noted that while the red oaks were de-leafed, the white oaks were left untouched.  Tougher, smaller leaves?  Or just not noticed?

Planting a Seedling Oak Tree From A Container. 9.27.2020

 Last year I rescue this seedling, squirrel-planted oak tree from somewhere.  From the leaves I'm guessing it is a Northern Red Oak.  It survived a root injury and grew about 8 inches.  This location is near the woodlot.  I stepped it out, the easement extends 30 feet from neighbor's fence, and this is 40 feet, so that should be OK.  There is a ginkgo tree a few feet from here, something killed it.  I don't know what.   I've had three ginkgos die on me, so I think it's the ginkgo tree and not the location per se.

In the container where I've been taking care of this little tree for a year.

I like to bare root my trees before planting them into the native soil.  There are a few reasons.  First, I get to inspect the root system.  Second, I can spread the roots around in the soil so there are no girdling roots.  Third, it's recommended by WA State horticulturalist Linda Chalker Scott, for these and other reasons - for example, roots tend to circle around in a hole that contains an nice potting medium whereas the surrounding soil is native.  Fourth, I think one of the issues with previously planted trees, maybe those ginkgos too, was that moles love the potting medium and dig through it, disturbing the roots and providing a route for voles, which eat the roots.   All of the trees that I planted during my first couple of years here, which I planted including their original potting medium, were severely disturbed by moles.  Since I started bare rooting them, that doesn't seem to happen, or not nearly as much.

This tree's roots look fine.  The damaged root is not 100% better but there is a lot of growth of the rest of that root, surrounding the injury.   There are also some new roots, thick and white, which is a good sign of root growth going into fall.

Planted into the ground.  It's a nice looking little tree.

This is on the deer all-you-can-eat salad bar route through my yard, so this tree needs protection.  I read that oak seedlings are eaten by deer.  I also added a plastic mesh with 1-inch openings.  Deer seem able to pull leaves through this more open, but sturdier wire fencing, so I use both.

 

Growing Oak Trees from Acorns. Oak Seedlings. 5.11.2020

Last fall / winter I collected acorns while out walking Rufus, or when at the clinic at Salmon creek.  Those were majestic white oak trees, and some handsome red oaks.  I stratified the acorns by planting in large flower pots, multiple acorns per flower pot.  I covered them with chicken wire and a weight, to keep squirrels out.

Here are two of the containers now.  I don't know what I'll do with all of the oak trees.  I think I should keep at least three of the white oak and two of the red.  They can fill in spots in my orchard, where fruit trees have died.  Most fruit trees live a decade or two at most, so these oaks will be there long after the fruit trees are gone.  And long after I am gone.  They are all looking nice.

From what I read, white oaks grow one to two feet per year, and red oaks about twice as fast.  I'll never live long enough to see these become massive trees.  They are planted for a future generation.  As deciduous trees, I think they should be less susceptible to the fires that have begun to sweep areas of the Pacific Northwest.  Oaks develop deep roots, so are drought tolerant.  They sequester lots of carbon.

Kitchen Garden Update. 5.11.2020

 Here are some photos of my current kitchen garden (potager).  About half is newly worked soil, formerly sod, which I treated during the winter with a cover of black plastic to kill the grass, then added dolomite lime, some compost, and eggshells.  That is not the tomato / eggplant / peppers / squashes / bean area.

The greens and snowpeas are in what was tomatoes last year.  There is mesclun from old seed packets, swiss chard and radishes, collard greens and turnips.  There were all 3 to 8 year old seeds.  The snowpeas were 6 to 8 year old seeds.

I now have a seven foot chain link fence, to keep rabbits and deer out.  I don't know if that will work.

 I set out the fresh eating tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants yesterday.  Also bush cucumbers in a raised bed, for pickles.

This strawberry pot is doing better than I expected.  Last month, I transplanted these strawberries from a raised bed, where they appeared to be dying off.  At least not thriving.  I wanted the space for cucumbers this year.  In the strawberry pots, they need better attention to watering. but I have them in fresh potting soil with some added osmocote.  They perked up almost immediately and started blooming..

 This bed is fresh-eating tomatoes, slicers and cherry tomatoes.  Down the center I planted radish seeds, which should not take up much room and will be done before the tomato plants reach much size.  Along one edge, I also planted a row of Roma II bush beans.

 This view shows the sauce tomatoes.  I gave all of the tomates some osmocote when I planted them, about 1 1/2 tablespoon per hole.

 These squashes may not have enough room.  Space is at a premium.  I may be able to direct the vines of the long vining types, into spare locations as other crops such as potatoes are done in midsummer.

Same comment as for squashes above.  This batch is in ground that was sod last year.

The soil temp is 74F at 10 am.  I've had readings as high as 80F and in early am, as low as 65F.  I think this is high enough for the squashes, tomatoes, peppers, to be planted.  Not sure about sweetcorn and bean seeds, but doing a trail of them now.  May 15th is my usual target date for that.  I also wonder about the eggplants, which need warm conditions.

These are the first three rows of sweetcorn.  They are outside the fenced area.  I have the seed rows covered with screening to keep birds from eating the seeds.

These are the bush cucumbers I planted the seeds a few weeks ago inside.  Now they are in the former strawberry bed, along with some dolomite lime and compost treatment.  I also have a row of dill seeds planted, now germinated, in there, and some cilantro from seeds saved several years ago.

 These are the grafted fruit trees, and oak seedlings.  The fruit trees appear to be taking nicely.  These are on the north side of the raised bed, to shade the pots a little.  I stratified the oak seedlings by planting acorns into these containers last fall.  There are white oak, from a magnificent tree in my neighborhood, and some other white oak from a location in Salmon Creek, and some red oak.  I'm not sure where I will plant them when they are bigger.