Fruit Tree Seedlings. Winter Growth. 12.2.15

Fruit Tree Seedings.  12.2.15

Germinating Red Pluot Seed.  12.2.15

Status report for fruit tree seedlings, 12.2.15

Apricots.  3 seeds germinated.  About 1/2 of what I tried.  These were the first, about 2 months old now.

Peach. so far only one plant.  Most of the seeds rotted.  These are all from Oregon Curl Free.  I repotted the plant today.  Leaves were pale.  Now in regular potting soil.

Red pluot.  4 seeds germinated of about 8 attempted.  I removed one from paper towel / zipper lock bag today.  The roots are easy to get off the paper towel if the paper towel is very wet. The first one to grow is looking good, abnout one month.

Germinating Red Pluot Seed.  12/2/15

There are some unknowns with these.  For the ones in the sunroom, temp drops into the 40s at night.  Daylength is short.  I don't have them on artificial lighting.  I don't know of the short daylength will induce dormancy, or if growth will continue into Spring.  I don't think temperature is an issue as long as the sunroom doesn't get much colder.

Soil pH for various plants. 12.26.13

Image source - vintageprintable.com

After having the soil tested, and reading the recommendations, I looked up what a number of my garden plants require.   According to the info I could find, many would tolerate soil pH in the range of my soil, pH 5.05.  Which must make sense, because they grew in it last year.  However, if I lime the soil, maybe some or most will be more vigorous, or more productive, or produce earlier.

From this site - the gardenhelper.com  I edited out vegetables I don't grow and don't plan to grow.

Vegetable Optimal pH Beans 6.0-7.0 Beet 5.6-6.6 Broccoli 6.0-7.0 Cabbage 5.6-6.6 Cantaloupe 6.0-7.0 Carrot 5.0-6.0 Catnip 5.0-6.0 Chili pepper 5.0-6.0 Chives 5.0-6.0 Cucumber 5.0-6.0 Dill 5.0-6.0 Eggplant 5.0-6.0 Garlic 5.0-6.0 Kiwi 5.0-7.0 Lettuce 6.5-7.0 Mint 6.0-7.0

Vegetable Optimal pH Okra 6.0-8.0 Onions 6.2-6.8 Parsley 6.0-8.0 Peasmage 5.6-6.6 Peppers 6.0-8.0 Potato 5.8-6.5 Pumpkins 5.0-7.0 Radish 6.0-7.0 Raspberry 6.0-6.5 Rhubarb 5.0-7.0 Rutabaga 5.0-7.0 Shallots 5.0-7.0 Spinach 5.0-7.0 Squash 6.0-7.0 Strawberries 6.0-7.0 Sunflowers 6.0-7.0 Sweet corn 6.0-7.0 Swiss chard 6.0-7.0 Tomatoes 5.5-7.0 Turnip 5.0-7.0 Zucchini 6.0-7.0

From various websites,

Image source vintageprintable.com

Apple - 5.0 to 6.8
Bearded Iris - slightly acidic to almost neutral, about 6.8
Buddleia 5.5 to 6.5, another site states 6.0 to 7.5. They grew like crazy in my ph 5.05 soil. Cherry - 5.5 to 8.0 prefer 6.5; another site state 6.2 to 6.8
Chinese Haw - 4.3 to 7.3
Dogwood 5.0 to 7.0
European Ash 5.0 to 8.0
Figs - 6.0 to 6.5
Ginkgo - 5.0 to 8.0
Golden Chain Tree - 5.0 to 8.0 Iris - 6.5 to 7.0
Linden - 7.0 to 8.0 but another site states 4.5 to 7.5 and prefers 7.0; another site states 5.0 to 8.0
Lilac 6.0 to 7.5 but there is a massive lilac in our soil pH 5.05
Mulberry - 5.5 to 7, another site states 5.5 to 6.5
Okra - 6 - 8 Paw Paw - 5.5 to 7.0 but another reference states 5 to 6
Peach - around 6.5
Pear - 6.0 to 6.5 but tolerate 5.0 to 7.5
Persimmon - 6.5 to 7.5 Plum - 5.0 to 6.5
Quince - 6.0 to 7.0
Red Twig Dogwood - 5.0 to 8.0
Tomato - 6.0 to 7.0 better if 6.5 to 6.8
Weigela 6.0 to 7.0


Acidic, 4.5 to 6.0:
 Pieris, Rhododendron, Azalea, Camellia.

Not related to this topic, but thought about after looking for images to ponder for this post.  The vintageprintable image at the top does not give a source, but the caption states those are 3 year old black locust trees, form seed, in Kentucky.  About 1910.   That's a lot of growth in 3 years.  It makes me wonder - is it because they are from seeds?  Because they are a fast growing black locust?  Because the climate and soil in that Kentucky forest was super good in the 1900s?  All?  I think more people should try to grow trees from seeds.  We would have more diversity, the trees would be free, and if some achieve that size, that fast, then there would be faster biomass accumulation and faster shade.

Winter Solstice Gardening. 12.21.13

It was a nice day.  40s and 50s, sunny.  I slept very late.  Needed to, Ive been sick.

Today I did some kitchen garden chores....

Added one wheelbarrow of mole-hill soil to the last raised bed.  It's about 1/3 to 1/2 full now.  Covered half of that with leaf compost which after other chores was all I had left.

Added 2 wheelbarrows of 50:50 mole-hill soil:leaf compost mix, to the original first raised bed built late summer 2012.  It had settled several inches.  Covered with a couple of inches of leaf compost.  At one end is a 6 inch wide row of chinese chives.  I covered those with compost too. 

Cleaned up the 2nd bed from last year.  It has grown garlic, onions, and Chinese chives at one end.  Then pole beans last summer.  I raked out the weeds and largest pieces of straw mulch, filled in some low spots, then covered the rest, including degrading straw mulch, with a couple inches leaf compost.  This bed also has a 6 inch wide row of Chinese chives at one end, which I covered with an inch of compost.  Those are fully dormant, not at all visible exceot a few drued flower stalks.  No tilling, not needed and causes loss of soil structure and organic matter.  Now that bed is ready for next Spring.

Planted 3 rows of Egyptian Walking Onion sets I found in the garage.  They were pretty dried out but look viable.  Those went into a raised bed that has a low tunnel row cover for protection.  It is an unusual time to plant but the soil was soft and easy to plant in - raised beds are wonderful.  

Found a plum seedling and a ginkgo seedling in that last raised bed.  I remember planting those seeds fall 2012.  moved to where I have other tree seedlings heeled in until I figure out where to plant them.

Using the ipad photo blog function for the first time.  Here is my fire.  Off to shower and rest.  It sounds like I did a lit but none of these chores was difficult.  The ground was soft, the compost was dry and light, the weeds pulled wth almost no effort.

Ginkgo biloba seedlings.

Ginkgo biloba seedling.

Ginkgo biloba seedling.

 These are Ginkgo biloba seedlings growing among the irises and herbs.  I planted the seeds last fall.

There are around 5 or 6 seedlings.  I'm guessing I planted a couple dozen seeds.  There was evidence some seeds were dug and eaten by birds or squirrels.

These received no special care after planting the seeds last fall.  Whatever the irises and herbs got, the ginkgo seedlings got.

They are small enough, they can stay put for a couple of years.  Then transplant to another bed or someplace more permanent.

Ginkgo biloba seedling.