January Jump-Start (Garden Dream and Plan Thread)

[milkmansdaughter]

I went into our local county extension office last week, and found out they are giving away free apple trees tomorrow for Arbor day. Arbor day is April 27th, but here in Alabama, it is celebrated this year the last full week of Feb. A friend is coming with me. She does not want any trees but any she gets, she's giving to us. We started with 4 fruit trees when we moved here, and added 5 last year. We'd like to add 5 more this year, and 5 next year. FREE is GOOD!

That got me thinking. I looked up Arbor Day, and there's a link to the Arbor Day foundation. For a $10 membership fee, they will send you ten trees.

Also, through the extension office, I found a 3 part class that starts Friday that teaches how to prune and care for fruit trees. I'm sure different extension offices offer different things, but thought I'd throw that out there...

 

[treerooted]

Ah that's fantastic @milkmansdaughter !

I'd reeeeeeealy like to get some apple trees going.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Hey Arbor Day is my birthday we've gotten the trees from them before. They haven't grown very well. Pretty sure that's my fault, lol

We need to prune our apple trees. They're giant and neglected. Might try to do that soon, our extension office said now is the time apparently.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

I totally missed the right time to prune. "Winter" was very short here this year. I still haven't pruned our three oldest fruit trees, and I'm not sure they've EVER been pruned. I did get the grapevines, fig tree, blackberry bushes, blueberry bushes and roses all pruned, although a bit late in the season.
Soon, very soon, I need to get my garden area fenced and planted, and rebuild the trellises for grapes. Soooo much to do, but exciting too!

 

[CrealCritter]

ONLY? ONLY 3 flats of tomatoes and ONLY 3 flats of peppers!

Yep 1/2 as much as I usally sow. 72 plants will do two 50' rows or thereabouts.

 

[CrealCritter]

I totally missed the right time to prune. "Winter" was very short here this year. I still haven't pruned our three oldest fruit trees, and I'm not sure they've EVER been pruned. I did get the grapevines, fig tree, blackberry bushes, blueberry bushes and roses all pruned, although a bit late in the season.
Soon, very soon, I need to get my garden area fenced and planted, and rebuild the trellises for grapes. Soooo much to do, but exciting too!

Well if you enjoy what your doing - it doesn't really classify as work.

 

[CrealCritter]

Yep 1/2 as much as I usally sow. 72 plants will do two 50' rows or thereabouts.

Just like every other year, come the end of June, the tomatoes will be 6' tall and pretty (weather permitting)

Then in July they will be ready for the first picking and run into the end of September middle of October. Then frost will kill them.

Pretty much the same every year as long as no bad storms roll through and I can find time to tend to them.

I spray them weekly every Friday evening with need oil & Palmolive original dish washing detergent. Never really had much of a pest problem to speak of.

 

[CrealCritter]

Weather permitting... Tomatoes will get set into the garden the middle of April. I till in 3 lbs 12-12-12 and 1 lb of ammonia nitrate and about 1/2 lb of epsom salt per 50 row. Then when they get about 2' tall I till the same in-between the rows add the same amount of fertilizer plus 3 lbs of barn lime then mulch them in with a thick layer of hay. Seems to work well... My summer garden is low on nitrogen.

 

[CrealCritter]

I hope the weather turns dry next week or two so I can spread chicken manure and till it into the spring garden. I try and sow seed into the spring garden the end of February or beginning of March. Before the spring floods come in April. Where I live (southern IL) cabbages have to be seeded early or eles they won't head before the warm weather sets in middle of June.

These were harvested the beginning of July / seeds direct sowed end of February. I love cabbage and expecially my wife's cabbage rolls + there's kraut.

Cabbage Loopers are a big problem I spray cabbages/broccoli/Brussels & cauliflower twice weekly with BT and Palmolive orginal twice weekly with a pump sprayer.

 

[Beekissed]

I totally missed the right time to prune. "Winter" was very short here this year. I still haven't pruned our three oldest fruit trees, and I'm not sure they've EVER been pruned. I did get the grapevines, fig tree, blackberry bushes, blueberry bushes and roses all pruned, although a bit late in the season.
Soon, very soon, I need to get my garden area fenced and planted, and rebuild the trellises for grapes. Soooo much to do, but exciting too!

I missed pruning the trees this year too. I normally do it in January but we had some super cold weather then and I didn't feel like getting out on a ladder then...figured the sap would still be down in Feb. I was wrong...will be over 80 here tomorrow, so I've missed that small window of pruning time. Again.