Columnar Apple Tree Progress Report. 7.14.19

Columnar Apple NorthPole, Transplanted Fall 2017.  7.14.19

New Columnar Apple Golden Treat.  7.14.19

 Here are some of the columnar apple trees.  As I age and become less able, I think they will be a great way to have home grown apples, easy to care for, prune, and harvest fruit.  They are also easy to grow in a fenced in bed, for protection from deer.

Some day I'll summarize my findings and experiences with columnar apple trees.  I've grown NorthPole for nearly 20 years.  Northpole is descended from excellent parents, one being MacIntosh, and has great flavor for fresh eating, pies, and apple sauce.  It's no novelty.  The main problem is it seems to bear in alternate years, if apples are not properly thinned each year.

The 2 NorthPole apple trees in my fenced bed are my own grafts, from unknown ("dwarf" or "semidwarf") rootstock that I obtained from suckers off a tree that had been removed.  That's not a good way to know what is happening.  Those trees are growing well.  I transplanted one at a large size - more than 6 feet tall - in fall, 2017, and one at about the same size in fall 2018.  Both have a few apples.  I don't expect much one to two years after transplanting.  I also transplanted the Golden Sentinel, much larger tree and much smaller rootstock, last fall.  It has no apples but is growing very nicely.  This year I added to sapling size trees, Tasty Red and Golden Treat, which have settled in and are growing nicely.  They probably wont bear for a few years.

To make up for my random rootstock experimentation, this year I grafted NorthPole onto Bud-9 rootstocks.  I also grafted Golden Sentinel and Scarlet Sentinel, which as far as I can tell from a long time searching patent literature, have never been patented in the USA.  Ditto for NorthPole, which as far as I can tell is past its patent or was not patented in the USA.    I'm growing four of those in containers - one did not take, and died.  I also have three in the soil, near two other apple trees, protected by fencing.  Those are also growing nicely.

Columnar Apple "Golden Sentinel" Transplanted 10/2018.  7.14.19

The goal with trying Bud-9 is to see if I can make a reliably compact, early bearing, either container size or garden bed size columnar apple tree from these varieties.  Since the grafts took for 7 of these trees, I have enough to play with during the coming years.

I need to add photos of the other trees, including the 19 year old NorthPole on unknown rootstock - maybe not dwarfing? - which is a handsome tree, and which I now have ideas about keeping relatively compact and suitable for a suburban yard. 

Healing Whip and Tongue Graft, NorthPole apple on Bud-9 Dwarfing Rootstock.  7.14.19

Columnar Apple Trees Grafted to Bud-9 Dwarfing Rootstock.  7.14.19

Kitchen Garden Progress Report. 7.14.19

Standing Amid the First Sweetcorn Crop.  7.14.19

Seedlings of Chinese Radish and Japanese Turnips, about 10 days after planting. 7.14.19

 Here I am amid the sweet corn.  This is the first crop, planted mid may.  They are growing nicely.  I've planted 5 blocks of sweetcorn, roughly 4 rows of 6 plants each with some variation, about every 2 or 3 weeks after this first batch. 

Seedlings of Purple Top Turnips, about 4 days after planting.  7.14.19

The purple top turnips and Chinese Radishes and Japanese Turnips all germinated very quickly.  The main challenge with planting mid summer, is keeping them watered.  So I water every day or every other day.

 Here I am next to the summer squash, zucchini, and sauce tomato crops.  For what it's worth, when out in the summer, I wear a white long sleeved shirt, that has been treated with a Rit  UV blocker for UV protection, and a straw hat.  It's not fashionable, but this helps with healthy skin.

Dayliies. 11 Jul 19

Seedling Daylily.  About 3 years old.  7.14.19

Daylily 7.14.19

I have not been watering or doing anything good for most of these daylilies.  I like them, but have not had the time.  Some are doing well regardless.\

Some more of the seedling daylilies have been blooming.  I'm very happy about the top one pictured.  This is a hybrid of the "Vigaro" NOID daylily, with Chicago Apache.  I like the deep color and ruffles.  I will keep it.  I want to name it something like "Tyranosaurus Rex Blood".  Maybe.  I'm not fond of the one labeled "Soon to be compost" and not sure about the lavender one.

I have lost the labels from some of the others.  If I find them, I hope to addend this blog entry with the accurate names.

Ugly Daylily Seedling, 3 years old.  About to become "compost".

Lavender Daylily Seedling, 3 years old.  7.14.19

Daylily "Ice Carnival". 7.14.19

NOID Daylily (labeled "Vigoro"). 7.14.19

Historic Daylily.  7.14.19

Daylily.  7.14.19

Some Early Fruits and Vegetables. 7.14.19

Here are some zucchinis and supper squashes that I harvested today.  They are doing the usual highly vigorous zucchini thing.  Also some salad cucumbers, and a couple of banana peppers.

Today I also harvested my first fig, a Carni fig, and harvested a few more Methley plums.  Those are the first plums of the year.  There are a few Illinois Everbearing mulberries waiting to pick.

Nepenthes (Tropical carnivorous pitcher plants) Growing Outdoors. 7.14.19

Nepenthes Deroose Alata.  7.14.19

 Here are some of the Nepenthes so far this summer.  I had moved them out of the sunroom because, on hot days, I couldn't get the heat under 120 to 130F.  As a result, a few of the pitchers were scorched.  I moved them to the front deck,, which gets mostly Western sun, and some are under the overhang and get no direct sun but lots of bright light.

I water them daily with rain water, adding 1/8 tsp general purpose Miracle Grow  per quart watering can.  I let the water drain through the bottom.   The benefit of that treatment can be seen in the Deroose Alata, which has had that treatment since late winter in the sunroom. All of the visible pitchers and leaves visible in this photo grew under this regimen.

A few are not pictured.  If the light is good tomorrow, I may add them here.

Except for Nepenthes Deroose Alata,  all were added in early June (I think).  They are all starting to grow and most are starting to produce pitchers under my growing conditions.   It will take a while to see the mature appearance.

All were from growcarnivorousplants.com

Nepenthes X Falcon.  7.14.19

Nepenthes Dyeriana.  7.14.19

L to Right, N. X Whisper, N. campanuplata X lowii, N. Ruby Alice.

L to R, N. maxima X aristochoides, N. Peter Damato, N. albomarginata Black.