what was the first garden related thing you did in the new year? I (finally) got around to planting my PAF blackberry plant yesterday 1/1/2024. it has been living in my garage for about a month because I’ve been wildly sick (RSV that became a sinus infection that became COVID). glad to see it in ground!
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I have been reading this forum and gathering plants/fruits info. to determine what cultivars work best in my climate. I am working on a scions wish list
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Thinning bananas!
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I cut down cedar trees on my property line but still have some within 3/10 of a mile. Mostly the wind blows away from my apples from those I couldn’t cut down.
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My fruit growing is a full year activity. My citrus in containers is a full year’s care. No letting off. This warm fall kept my figs and others from going dormant.
I got bees during a few warm days in December in my Greenroom, like last year. Most of my citrus trees are done blooming, not good, couldn’t do nothing about it. See what happens.
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First activity this year has been to put tree mats and tubes on mulberries, hackberries, butternuts, coffee trees, ect., I am using for hedge trees. I have found by trial that doing so accelerates initial growth in this climate, where every bit of heat is precious, by about 3 years.
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I transplanted the Shangjuan Lemon that I grafted to a Flying Dragon rootstock, and the Brooks Plum that on a St Julian sucker. I thought I’d detached the rootstock from the main tree, but just the opposite.
I started with an axe/mattock, but went back to the house for the reciprocating saw after I wore myself out cutting the first couple. It would have been so much easier if I’d started with the saw, but I hadn’t anticipated needing one, or being that out of shape.
Guess I was too worn out to take pictures of the plum. It had hardly any feeder roots off of a thick runner. Here’s the Shangyuan lemon:
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Started a new compost pile this morning and turned over the pile that I started last winter for the first time… i will turn it over a few more times before spring and it will be ready for use.
I also did a little mowing in my field.
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I took the kids to a friend’s house yesterday and we planted two apple trees I grafted last year. We planted King David and Ashmead’s Kernel both on MM111. It was my first go at grafting onto rootstock to propagate new trees. Much thanks to this forum for the encouragement and knowledge. Now I get to spread the joy of growing fruit with others.
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I dug new holes for trees. Seriously.
Secondly I started practicing my upcoming presentation to our county planning commission to rezone from residential to agricultural. Some in my quaint little village don’t like that idea. They like perfect yards and hiring gardeners and paid home tours.
Don’t get me wrong. I love where I live, but I’m just not that Southern Living Martha Stewart magazine girl. I’m trying to get out of this ridiculous R1 residential restriction imposed in the 1970s on a tiny village 20 miles in the middle of the nowhere. I want an orchard and a business license. I want to be able to sell these amazing Southern varieties which they won’t let me do in R1.
Sorry, I digressed, but I do feel better.
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Indoors I’ve been planting jujube seeds in the light rack I setup recently.
Outdoors I spent some time digging up plants for them to take home, first with my brother, then with my dad. I’ve got too many of some fruit and not enough of others (particularly blackberries) and need to shift things around. My brother got black currants, a pear, and a kiwi, while my father got red currants, a seedless grape, boysenberries, muscadine grapes, and some kiwi.
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Wow! Look at those kiwi roots. No wonder they grow so rampantly.
p.s. I got a new digging fork this year, and bent one of the tines the very first day I used it. It was St. Julian roots 2" diameter that I wasn’t anticipating. I also had a 1" steel bar, but I guess I could have been much smarter about which tool to use when.
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I sent out packages of budwood to 3 new swap buddies.
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Turned the compost pile, almost finished up putting all my tree guards on, ordered a good amount of tomato plants for next spring, and fenced off a couple areas of strawberries and low growing apples branches (rabbits are getting busy out there lately).
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me too 
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I planted fruit & nitrogen fixing trees seeds on 12/ 29. I pricked out the ones that germinated on 1/1 & put them in pots with potting soil. Was not expecting 3 cultivars to germinate so quickly.
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Dug a trench to stop roots coming to my garden. Prepared soil and replanted serviceberry that refused to grow last year to a better spot. Seeded onions indoor. Ordered roses for spring.
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hey Eli. im curious to exactly what you are doing? i definitely need all the help i can get as well. can P.M me if you want. im planting a bunch of trees for the farmer im working for next spring for her cows. why im interested in how you are doing things.
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The Mrs. is getting a nursery license for her flower breeding. She does mainly Amaryllis, Lillie’s, Cannas and some flowering tree like Confederate Rose and the like. I spent New years day starting 37 fig cuttings. I’ve got a big list of apples to get. Might be a 2 year endeavor.
Alabaster
Blairmont
Crimson Peasgood
Disharoon
Jim Kell Thin Skin
King Soloman
Little Jewel
Long Keeper
Lord Burghley
Poor Man’s Profit
Rabun Bald
Alaska
Pierce Pasture
Waltana
Crimson Gold
Chestnut Crab
Whitney Crab
Appletown Wonder
Bedfordshire Foundling
Colvis Spice
Cornish Aromatic
Ecolette
Etter’s Gold
** Fréquin Tardive de la Sarthe**
Golden Sweet
Howgate Wonder
Longkeeper
Margil
Norfolk Beefing
Paroquet (Paraquet)
Peasgood’s Nonsuch
Red Falstaff
Saint Cecilia
Striped Beefing
Sykehouse Russet
Violette
Wickson
39th Parallel
Black Amish
** Brushy Mtn. LT**
Clark’s Crab
Golden Harvey
Hudson’s Gem
Jefferis
King David
Victoria LT
Winesap
Yates
Hoover
Hollow Log
Hall
Shockley
Summer Row
Cauley
Cranberry of North GA
North GA Spice
Fort’s Prize
Myer’s Royal LT
Old Fashion LT
Park’s Pippin
Wallace Howard
San Jacinto
Tar Button
Terry Winter
Royal Sweet
Husk Sweet
**Forward Sour"
**Circassian"
P.14
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