Potting a Peach Tree and Some Tree Volunteers. 10.29.14

El Dorado Peach Tree, Uprooted.  10.29.14

 I have been meaning to dig up the smallest of the genetic dwarf peach trees - this is El Dorado - and pot it up.  The main reason is peach leaf curl.  If I can keep it in shelter, out of the rain, in theory, PLC should not be a problem.  I have larger Honey Babe and Garden Sun, too big to dig up and treat this way.

I love peaches but it's been quite difficult growing them here.  The main problem is devastating peach lead curl disease.

This El Dorado Genetic Dwarf Peach tree is really too big to dig up.  It a robust, 6 foot tall tree, well branched.  I started digging yesterday, and finished today.  I dug a trench in a wide circle around the tree, then tried to slice under the tree with a shovel.  I was surprised there was a large thick tap-root.  I had to cut  through it to release the tree.  I pruned to even up the somewhat rough cut, trying to minimize removal of any more feeder roots.

Most of the other roots look ok.  Even though the root pruning was drastic, I've seen worse and the tree survived.  It does look  very drastic to me.  Being fall, there is a chance the tree will re-root itself with feeder roots despite removal of the anchor root.

Reasons it might not live -
*Too drastic removal of roots.
*Residual leaf curl disease on the stems.
*Root mass may freeze.  I plan to keep the tree outside because it needs chill time in order to bloom.

If the tree survives, it will make a nice ornamental.  Genetic dwarf peaches bloom beautifully.

Based on the tree planting info from Linda Chalker-Scott debunking horticultural myths, I did not top the tree or prune top to compensate for loss of root mass.  I did remove dead twigs.  There were a lot of those.

For this winter, I intend to keep the tree under house overhang, on the North side of the house.  That location may also keep it cooler, and delay bloom, which would be good.  But it it does bloom, and frost threatens, I can move it inside on chilly nights.  Next Spring and Summer I can keep it on the deck, for TLC. 

El Dorado Peach Tree, Potted.  10.29.14

 Doubtless, it will need a larger container by early summer.

There are also the peach seedlings at battleground.  They survived potting up and look nice and healthy.

I want at least 2 cherry seedlings in order to create Japanese cherry trees.  I think sweet cherry seedlings should be very robust and make a nice tree.  This was a volunteer sweet cherry from the yard.  At Battleground I also have a few sweet cherry seedlings.  By growing them in containers for a season, I can protect them and give TLC, as I do with figs, for maximal growth.    It would be nice to be able to bud graft at least one, next year.

While I was at it, I also potted up the volunteer fig tree from the front of the house.  It had nice roots.  Based on inspection, it was a stem or cutting, I just don't know from which variety or why it was there.

El Dorado Peach before moving.  10.28.14

Volunteer Fig Bare Root.  10.29.14

Sweet Cherry Seedling.  10.29.14

"Volunteer" Fig and Cherry Seedlings, Potted.  10.29.14

Volunteer Fig and Hazelnut. 10.26.14

Volunteer Fig Tree.  10.26.14

Volunteer Hazelnut and Columbine.  10.26.14

No way to know which type of fig this is.  None of my fig trees should have any seeds, because there are no caprifigs and no Blastophaga wasps.  That leaves, a wayward cutting, or a seed from a dried fig.

I don't know which it is.  These are adjacent to the deck.  I've been nurturing fig cuttings there.  If one looked dead, it's possible I threw it there.  Or, a pruning.

I want to keep it and see how it does.  Not that I need more fig trees.

The hazelnut could go to the Battleground place to replace one that someone cut off.  Not saying who.  It looks pretty vigorous.  Could serve as pollinator for the others, or could be a good hazelnut. 

Planting more bulbs. 10.25.14

Replete Daffodil and Gladiator Allium.

Amaryllis.  I placed it in the sunroom, as an experiment. 

I am pleased that Replete wasn't displayed as a pink daffodil, on the label.  It's more of an apricot color.  I need to plant the rest of the bulbs in a different location.  Now when I dig holes for bulbs, I discover other bulbs, planted earlier.

Final bulb count for new plantings this fall, Battleground:

Red Devon Daffodil / Narcissus = 18 X 2 = 36
Anemone blanda Mix = 20 X 2 packages = 40
Nectaroscordum siculum = 15
Allium gladiator = 2
Replete Daffodil / Narcissus = 12
Allium Ivory Queen = 4
Quamash Cammasia = 8
Tulip Estella Rijnveld = 15 X 2 = 30 in containers
Tulip Purple Pink Mix = 18 in container
Fritillaria rubra "Crown Imperial" = 1
Fritillaria persica = "Persian lily" = 2

If all of these flowers bloom, that will mean 164 flowers from bulbs next Spring.  Plus the bulbs that I moved from Vancouver late summer.  Those I did not do a good job and they sat outside, a few getting moldy, so who knows.  Last Spring, I also moved multiple clumps of Narcissus/Daffodils and Hyacinthoides from Vancouver, wild guess 10 bulbs per clump, 10 clumps  = very roughly another 100 flowers.  Other than the tulips, most are proven deer and rabbit resistant here, and most are varieties that should proliferate once established.

What to do with squashes? 10.24.14

Two squashes for roasting.  Butternut and Verte et Blanc

Butternut.  Sliced and seeds/soft contents removed.

Did the same with the Verte

Ready to roast.  On parchment paper.

Baked 375 for 75 min.  Butternut is easily pierced with fork, but not Verte.

Blurry pic.  Butternut contents scooped out.  Pureed in food processor.

Same with Verte.  This one I froze for future use.

I used the butternut puree in the same amount as I would use canned pumpkin, for a pumpkin pie.  Flavor was excellent, richer than my usual pumpkin pie.  I might do the same with the Verte, for a blond pumpkin pie.  Or find a different recipe.

Garlic Planting. 10.19.14

Garlic Planting.  10.19.14

Today I planted garlic.  I used last year's garlic bed, which is not the best garden practice but it's what I have.

I added an inch of well aged home-made compost and raked it in.  This compost was in a plastic garbage can for a few years.  So it's really well aged.

4 rows are the biggest cloves from last year's Inchelium Red.  Huge cloves.  Well adapted to local conditions - I've been growing this one for about 14 years.

3 rows are either Inchelium Red or German Porcelain.  I had a mix up.

2 rows are some new German Red that I bought locally.  To try something different.  Smaller cloves but my grow bigger in my bed, or not.

These are 8 cloves per 4 feet, and there are 9 rows per 8 feet.  I use bamboo sticks between the rows to mark the space.