Fig Pruning. Lattarula.

Lattarula before pruning.  This was a challenge.  Growth this year was rampant, making thick tall canes, as tall as the house.  Lattarula has a great breba crop, one of the best for me.  I love this fig.   I wanted to keep enough 2012 growth for a good 2013 breba crop.  But also, prune back so it doesn't become too big.  I don't want to climb a ladder to harvest figs.  This photo is after taking lots of cuttings, so the tree was even more congested a week ago.

After.  I pruned about half of the growth.  There are about 10 branches pruned to stubs, which I want to make new canes at lower level, for fall crop and brebas for 2014.  The rest are left for brebas, which I can prune away after they bear in mid Summer.  That will make for a more compact tree.  I also kept some prunings to start a tree at the Battleground place.

Grape pruning.

Each year at New Year's I prune the grapes.  It's early enough that the vines don't bleed, which they do if it's Spring.  This is the "before" for the arbor.

After.  I pruned most back to 3 or 4 nodes of new growth.  Removed some redundant vine.  Took more off Canadice, which I don't like as much flavor-wise.  Left more of Venus and Interlaken, which I like more.

Price grape, over gate.  Before.  Some vines grew more than 10 feet, into the lilac and beyond.

This is my favorite grape, a blue grapey flavored seeded grape.  It does not bear heavily.  I pruned back to 2 or 3 or 4 nodes.  I saved cuttings of this and Interlaken and Venus for the Battleground place.

Testing Seeds. Progress Report. Day 3.

Not sure about these Chinese beans.  But it's just 2 days.  Some are swelling.  Maybe a sign of life.

The squash are sprouting.  Ditto for the French Breakfast radishes,  The carrots are not sprouting yet.  The Della Fave pole beans are swelling a bit.

The Cherry Belle radishes, and Taiwan Sugar peas are sprouting.  Also a couple of the Roma II beans.  Not the carrots, yet,.

Testing Seeds

I have a lot of seeds from previous years. There is more planting room this year. I want to test some of them for viability, use them if they are viable. It's early. I can test a few at a time. In the past I used gallon-size ziploc bags, drew a grid on paper towel, and had many varieties per bag. This time I'm using sandwich size bags but otherwise similar.

Just 4 varieties per bag.  This is Cherry Belle radish (2012) , Taiwan Sugar Pea (2012), Parisian Market Carrot (no date - 2010?), and Roma II bean (2009).  They are all from 2012 so should be OK.

The beans labeled "Ning's Beans" must be 6 years old.  A Chinese bean.  It will be nice if they grow.  Not counting on it.

Scarlet Nantes carrot (2010), Della Fave pole bean (2012), Scallop bush squash (2008), and French Breakfast radish (2010).  I think the squash are 2010, no year on label.  The others are 2011.

All ziplocs are now on the heating mat.  I didn't count seeds.  If a few grow, or a lot grow, I'll try them.  If they don't, I won't.

Looking Forward to Gardening, 2013.

Beekeeping.  I'll plant a lot more nectar bearing plants, especially clovers. The nectar bearing trees should add more blooming potential each year. That includes fruit trees, lindens, and others. Ning wants a wildflower meadow. That fits the bee concept, perfectly. Plus there are 2 big wild cherry trees, big swaths of wild blackberry brambles here and nearby, small orchards, and the big buckeye tree. As the orchard grows, there should be a lot more nectar and pollen. (Illustration, source unknown)

I've signed up for another class on beekeeping in Jan. The beehive kit needs to be put together before bee season starts. I should do that in Jan or Feb.  I may build a second hive in case there is a swarm, or to have in Vancouver.  (Illustration source unknown)

Orchard.
Overplant the grass with more clover, to add soil nitrogen-production.
The plums need deer cages.. I've put in the posts, next comes the fencing.
Add 2 persimmons, ordered, bare root.
Add 2 sweet cherries, yet to order, bare root. Remove the 2 apples to a different area. They are small enough to move easily.
Finish putting in fence posts for vinyard while soil is moist and easy to work.  The wires can be installed while the vines grow.
Plant one ordered bare root grape vine and some grape cuttings from the Vancouver vines.  Price grape, maybe Interlaken.  (Illustration source, this blog, 1910 postcard, Des Plains IL)

Raised beds. Three built, 6 to go. I can build 2 or 3 per weekend. No hurry.  Some need deer protection fencing. Some need season extender hoops/row cover. The last ones can be built in April, maybe May. (Illustration source, this blog, 1940 Postcard, Toronto).

 That's about all of the major stuff. The rest is the usual - plant veggies, pruning, puttering.