Hi there! I’m a total fruit growing newbie. I’m getting ready to order as much as my budget will allow but I’m a little concerned about not being ready to plant when it’s time to pick up my goodies. I’ve been researching a lot about how to deal with bare root trees and plants and how it’s best to get them planted before they break dormancy. I also read that a few nights of over 40 can cause them to break dormancy. Our current 10-day forecast has a couple of nights in the low 40s at the very end, which is right around when I’ll be picking up my order. There’s no way I’ll be ready to plant at that point. For reference…I’m in zone 5 in Northern NY, and I’ll be getting apples, pears, plums, peaches, honeyberries, elderberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and grapes. I’m not as worried about the trees, because I can get those planted more easily than the other stuff. Well…I’m still worried about getting them planted before they break dormancy, but I’m less worried about the planting site. I’m guessing all the berries and the grape vines can be potted up? Should I just pot them all up individually and plant them when their new home is ready as if I bought them that way at a nursery? Or should I say pot all the raspberry plants in a tub and so on and so forth and then pull the plants out when I’m ready to plant? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
I pot things individually because if I plant in groups, I must damage roots when ready to put them into their individual final places.
Things like elderberries and honeyberries might already be breaking dormancy when you receive them, mine are already pushing growth, though I am in a warmer zone and this has been a warmer year.
Strawberries are likely the most difficult thing you’ve listed for planting as they need their crowns just right or they don’t seem to make it for me.
Pre-dig your biggest holes and fill with straw. This way planting the trees will be quick and easy.
Yeah the strawberries are a concern because I still need to build the beds for them and source soil. Part of me is wondering if I should just wait until next year to do it all and spend this year preparing. The struggle is that I wish I’d gotten it all in last year.
If stuffs dormant you can just stick them in the fridge (NOT freezer). Strawberries especially as bare root crowns can stay in there for a while just make sure they dont dry out and check them like once a week to make sure no mold. Light will also encourage them to emerge from dormancy so keep covered and away from the sun. You can lose fridge space easily though if you have a big order.
If you want to pot up everything early I mean you could. You can more easily baby them that way. But where are you gonna keep them, grow them, so forth? I assume your concern is about the ground being frozen so not workable? Plants in containers, especially small ones are more vulnerable to cold/freezing and temperature changes than inground ones. So not really sure why you would do this unless you have a space indoors or somewhat sheltered to leave them for awhile.
I wouldnt really worry about the grapes or fruit trees. Grapes have tertiary buds that will grow if the others die so even if theyre awake and it looks like they get winter killed you will probably be fine.
If you say youre picking them up theyre probably coming out of cold storage and fully dormant anyway. Most of my fruit trees are were still sleeping soundly as of last weekend, just the peaches/nects starting to wake up. If youre picking up from a local nursery it wont be any further along than you are anyway.
Don’t know what your plans are but I’d suggest you dont buy bags and bags of expensive potting mix. If theyre in ground raised beds you can definitely use quality top soil and cut it with good compost. Will be much cheaper. If you live out in the country you can easily source composted manure for free and make your own compost as well. Use the money you save to buy more plants or make a bigger plot. A soil test is like 20$ and you can dial in your soil to make it better than the commercial mixes.
I’m trying to source bulk. We live in a town but are surrounded by farms. I have no clue though on how to go about sourcing compost from a farm. I suppose I could just call them. LOL
I would not worry about the strawberries much. If you don’t have fridge space, get hold of some long window planters and fill with any soil (not peat or coconut fiber) then plant the strawberries (even densely if necessary). Just make sure that the crowns are above the soil level. You can replant them anytime. Unless burried, they are weed-prolific. I have been moving mine around the garden since February and the night temperatures have been jumping between 10 and -7°C and they are just waking up. Even detached daughter plants. You could probably keep them alive for a few weeks with virtually no roots in an inflated grocery bag with lightly moist sand at around 10°C.
Welcome to the site Aimee!
I am suggesting you simply leave all the berries potted if they come in pots. If not dig a small trench and cover the roots with moist medium until you can permanently plant them. Keep them watered weekly.
I would try to plant all bareroot trees first, until you can dig all your tree holes, place the majority in a moist trench with all roots covered with a moist medium.
Dennis
Kent, wa
If there are no frost day, you are fine to plant them. First thing I do is read the instruction that come from the trees. Last year I did ordered some bare root trees. I soak them in the bucket of water for at least 2 hours or until evening. During that time I prepare holes for their final home. I manage to get hold of horse compost for cheap using Craiglist. I mix them with slow release fertilizer, flower petals, and the native soil. My soil is on the sandy side, so it’s not important to dig the holes twice as deep or wide. All my trees break dormancy during shipment. It was not a big deal. I planted them and then wood chip around the base. If your bare trees are not prune, then you should prune them so that the energy goes to the root instead of branches and leaves. All my fruit trees survived Winter.
Yup im in farm country in Rensselaer/Columbia co. As for compost you’re likely only going to score manure or composted manure for free or really cheap. So basically yeah drive around or call up the local or small time folks with livestock. You gotta manage pickup/ transport most likely though.
If youre establishing your raised beds for the first time its probably easier and a better idea to bulk buy compost/top soil from a local garden supply store. Composted manure is good stuff but you can run into problems using it exclusively. Yard waste/leaf & limb compost is less likely to cause problems with being too hot, too many weed seeds, herbicides anti-biotics etc… and if you are building a basic raised bed soil out of top soil and compost it is the better bet. A free composted manure source will be great longterm for topdressing and increasing organic matter and nutrients for you plants so it is worth looking for imo.
Dormancy is a spectrum, not an exact point in time.
Just plant everything as soon as you can and it will all work out fine. TRUST ME you are just nervous and you care and want to the plants to do well, but remember the plants are resilient. You can dig a plant up in the middle of summer and transplant it and it will do everything it can to survive. It’s certainly not ideal, but plants want to live!
Don’t let roots dry out and you should be good. Heel bare root plants in https://youtu.be/FfN9sVVDlfs and get them to their final location as soon as you can, and then make sure you help them out with water until they are on their own.
Thanks for the info! I did end up reaching out to the horse farm up the road, and she said once the ground is dry, I’m welcome to help myself to the pile. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to have a source anywhere around here (that I’m aware…relatively new to the area) that sells bulk compost/topsoil mix.
You will be good with horse compost. It’s gentle and does not burn like chicken or cow. Good luck on your new trees and plants.