What are you stocking in the pantry?

[wooddustmaker]

I wouldn't say it went off topic, but thats just me. Sounds like a great orchard. I just scrounged some seed catalogs, and was looking through them to decide what trees to plant here at the new place. Kind of wondering if those 4-in1 trees would be any good. More variety in a smaller space. I will have to ponder on it, and do a little poking around. Good luck to all.

 

[mythreesons]

I wouldn't say it went off topic, but thats just me. Sounds like a great orchard. I just scrounged some seed catalogs, and was looking through them to decide what trees to plant here at the new place. Kind of wondering if those 4-in1 trees would be any good. More variety in a smaller space. I will have to ponder on it, and do a little poking around. Good luck to all.

Thanks...I feel everyone should try to grow as much food as possible...I learnt to buy all my edible landscape from our local nurseries...I have only bought heirloom seeds and a new seed sweet corn that grows in containers from the seed catalogs..My fruit trees were well over 5 to 8 feet tall and they are all dwarf...not bare rooted like from the seed catalogs...I want to see what Im getting...kwim? Unless your just trying to get ideas from skimming through the catalogs? Ive never looked into buying the 4-in1 trees because like I mentioned I want to see what Im buying..You could always ask your local nursery if they coukd order you whatever particular tree your looking for..Since you mention space...you could plant all your(dwarf) fruit trees in containers if you like.. I watch a woman on youtube that goes by the name gardengirltv that was limited on space also...she has done amazing things by growing her food vertically...she is in NY I believe...I would like to do the back to eden garden...if I had known this when we first started growing our own food..I would no doubt had done this method of gardening...you can search it on youtube and you can watch the film for free at backtoedenfilm.com. This guy is incredible in his wisdom and faith...now Im not to much into religion but I totally believe what he saids...it all makes so much sense..Good Luck Sir!

 

[ThrottleJockey]

We're in the process of turning our landscape edible. I have tended a small patch of wild raspberries in the back of our house at the tree line and now it has spread and nearly conceals our propane tank. We started out with only about a dozen strawberry plants in a single row along the edge of our deck 3 years ago and now it is 6 rows deep all along the front of the house, this year we're going to let it fill in completely. As far as fruit and nut trees go, make sure you have something to keep the animals away. I have given up hope of ever getting cherries or mulberries, I watch them very closely and the night before they are ready, they get stripped every year. It's okay though because it keeps the critters away from everything else. I guess what I'm suggesting is to keep some form of tree that you know the birds and raccoons will love and don't expect a yield from just to protect the "good stuff". The deer go for the apples, but won't touch the pears....

 

[Emerald]

I wouldn't say it went off topic, but thats just me. Sounds like a great orchard. I just scrounged some seed catalogs, and was looking through them to decide what trees to plant here at the new place. Kind of wondering if those 4-in1 trees would be any good. More variety in a smaller space. I will have to ponder on it, and do a little poking around. Good luck to all.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the 4-in-1 trees. they grow well and do take a bit of care while pruning but they are nice trees. Almost every tree you buy is grafted now days (see I said almost) there are a few exceptions but not many- Key lime can grow by root cuttings very well.
And having as many permanent fruits and perennial food plants should be a big part of your pantry! lol
But a good pantry is going to be as varied as the people who stock it. No list of stuff is ever going to be exactly what every person/family needs but if you look them and pick and choose to get started they can help. I"m sure I have stuff in mine that other members would think were un needed or even gross.

 

[ORChick]

I wouldn't say it went off topic, but thats just me. Sounds like a great orchard. I just scrounged some seed catalogs, and was looking through them to decide what trees to plant here at the new place. Kind of wondering if those 4-in1 trees would be any good. More variety in a smaller space. I will have to ponder on it, and do a little poking around. Good luck to all.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the 4-in-1 trees. they grow well and do take a bit of care while pruning but they are nice trees. Almost every tree you buy is grafted now days (see I said almost) there are a few exceptions but not many- Key lime can grow by root cuttings very well.
And having as many permanent fruits and perennial food plants should be a big part of your pantry! lol
But a good pantry is going to be as varied as the people who stock it. No list of stuff is ever going to be exactly what every person/family needs but if you look them and pick and choose to get started they can help. I"m sure I have stuff in mine that other members would think were un needed or even gross.

That makes me curious. We need to start a new thread - "Pantry items that others would find unneeded or gross"

 

[Hinotori]

Ox tail. I make soup out of it same as Mom, Grandma, and Great Grandma.

 

[Wannabefree]

Ox tail is good stuff!

 

[wooddustmaker]

Emerald, thanks for the opinion. My thinking is that the less room I put into the orchard, the bigger the garden can be. My3, the space is not exactly the problem, just want the most bang for the buck, so to speak. I will start a new thread about "weird" things in a pantry. Don't know what everyone finds "weird," but we may find out.

 

[Emerald]

Another good thing about the 4-in-1 trees is that they always have a pollinator right there and will normally set higher fruit. once they start to bear fruit don't be shy about pruning the fruit back to so many per limb or cluster on some fruits. The only fruits I don't take fruit out is my cherry trees. on the apples and peaches and pear I do take out some fruits to make the others bigger when there is a good fruit set. but if you do like I do(read read read) hit the library or even here online you will find out how many to leave per inch/branch. I want to say that it is like one peach for every 4 to 6 inches for a bigger fruit. I didn't do it one year and lost some branches as they got way to heavy and snapped off.
if you can tho.. go to a good nursery to check out the 4-in-1 trees if you can and buy the biggest ones you can as the little ones can be too delicate as in the one little cherry that I mail ordered got just chewed to death by the deer one year. my bigger transplants they don't bother much any longer but that tiny tree just didn't make it. the company when I asked about maybe getting a different type tree refunded me! even tho they didn't have to and I used that same refund to just buy the bing cherry that I now have. so they got the money back.. lol.

 

[wooddustmaker]

Emerald, thanks for the thoughts on the multi fruit trees. Still pondering on it. There is a local nursery that sells fruit trees for $10 a piece. May still go that route. Talked to my MIL about it a bit tonight. They just got back from a trip, so we will talk later, when they have rested up a bit. Variety is the spice of life, right?