Agree completely. Most scions I collect, and most I trade for, are all over the place in size…and having rootstocks uneven in caliper is a blessing!
(I’ll give a shoutout to Horne Creek and Big Horse Creek…they send ‘pencil’ sized scions dependably. Others, not so much.)
Horne Creek sells scions? I was considering having to drive to North Carolina and get in a machete fight for Bart and Wallace Howard on G202 on their first come; fight to the death March 18th tree sale…lol
I ordered 12 in October. A fortnight ago Jason emailed to say he could supply 8 of my requests this year. Yes…$4.00 per each if I recall.
(But, likely, he has quit taaking orders, but you could ask.)
Yeah its a very fair question. Plants are the only realm I think I let my materialism get the best of me. I guess thats part of it. I am always reading about new varieties that seem promising or unique and in many cases my best chance of ever trying them will be from my own trees.
I have about an acre of pasture on what used to be a dairy farm a long time ago. Pretty much just open clear land thats gotten no use for decade(s). Two years ago I started putting in a couple fruit trees but theyre so expensive and selection is mediocre so I just finally decided to go the rootstock/scionwood route this year. I think the prices nurseries ask for trees is fair for the most part but since I enjoy the labor and need the experience I am happy to do it myself.
But yes thinking about this is necessary like waking up after a hard night of drinking haha. I will probably pot up a couple to cover initial costs. Might giveaway several to friends/neighbors if they want some. But this wont be more than 15-20 at the absolute most.
There’s a new farm market that just opened less than 4 miles down the road. I might just end up getting the paperwork and sell to them for some part time income but thats not for awhile. Two of my immediate neighbors have a horse farm and some cows so I figure if anything they’d be happy to take the bad quality fruit or maybe barter for some apple finished beef. Got a brewer next town over who makes lots of stuff from local ingredients, might have to start making cider myself as well.
Dunno, lots of ideas… Im mostly in it for the homegrown fruit, hopefully can make my initial investment back in a year and maybe generate small income… Its my Dads spot and hes still got a mortgage and should probably retire soon, I think it would be good to get a little money generating to finish paying it off and any maintenance costs for the future.
Doing what @steveb4 mentioned next year for sure. Im pissed i paid 1$ per seed for lovell rootstock this winter. I grew seed from local peaches last year and they hit 4ft and grew better than my purchased stonefruit rootstocks. And I paid less than 1$ per peach and at least I got to eat the peach too.
Seems silly to be so cheap but at least for me thats part of the fun.
The part of the “saving money” I need to figure out isn’t on trees - most of what I’ve started adding has been super inexpensive (and now I’m learning to graft). I started with a neglected orchard - so my situation is a bit different and I’d like advice on any of this!
For me, It’s all of the other supplies:
Fence Materials
Spray stuff
Fertilizer/amendments
Tools - pruners, etc.
I find myself trying to figure out what is something I need to do this year vs something I can put off- both in terms of time and money. I also am constantly trying to think of ways I can monetize some of this in the future. I like the trees, I enjoy taking care of them, I want them to produce fruit - but right now it’s a hobby that costs a lot.
Some of these are 1 time costs, but it was an expensive year. I also had to keep scaling up as I found more fruit trees. I had a backpack sprayer that wasn’t cheap, but then I found another orchard block on my property and knew I couldn’t spray without something bigger. What I have is now pretty good, but I tow it around using my riding mower and a garden wagon - which doesn’t really work very well.
For me, spraying and amending isn’t an option. A combo of alkaline soil, neglect, and a terrible mite infestation meant the pears lost all their leaves completely by early summer my first two years here. This last summer was better for the pear trees. The apple trees still look awful but I’m hoping I figure some of that out this year.
The trick to cutting cost spraying is dont spray. As an example take a hard and fast rule all new trees wont be sprayed. Lets start here and say your going to plant a new spray free block
Persimmons
Mulberry
Pawpaw
Autumn berry
Jujube
Lets talk about fencing maybe you have a perimeter of blackberries.
If i was in africa and surrounded by lions i would sleep like a baby inside a blackberry perimeter instead of an expensive fence.
Sure they would try to cross them but after they lost half their hide they would decide the juice wasnt worth the squeeze. Anything you shock with an electric fence will remember it. I would start there in the short term. A fence about 6 inches off the ground catches most animals with the electric jolt.
My never healing leg wound now in it’s 4th year of treatment started from someone letting go a few pulled back blackberry canes. Which tore my leg up.
Ouch. I hope that finds a way to heal. I’d take blackberries over the multiflora hedges I crawl under delineating wetlands. So thankful the game commission planted them in the 70s as a ‘living fence’ almost everywhere I go in PA.
Spend more time on Facebook marketplace. I’ve seen free trailers, 5th wheels, concrete block, lawnmowers, lumber, you name it. You just have to show up first with a way to haul away the thing.
Also here, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, wherever you choose to look at how other people are finding innovative solutions to problems. This forum has really great posts on saving money and stretching resources. I started a few.
Yes! I have just requested some of these! I am hoping they grow well here - I have alkaline soil and my understanding is that you do too.
I also plan on putting up 1 strand electric this year as a start (because it’s what I can afford).
Unfortunately, the spraying for me isn’t optional but at least the equipment was the big cost. The chemicals aren’t cheap, but they’re not as expensive as the equipment. I do mostly have pears which I understand to need less spraying than other things, so hopefully that works out in the future.
I will post it somewhere else, but I’m even afraid my mulberry will need some treatment this year despite being one of those “no spray” fruit.
That’s terrible!! I’m sorry to hear about your leg. I grew up in an area of northern CA with lots of blackberry and have tons of tiny scars all over my arms from picking blackberries endlessly. I haven’t had a good blackberry in years though.
Oh you just hit the nail on the head!!! I desperately need a truck. I am glad I have my subaru for getting to work, but I now understand why all my neighbors have a subaru and 2 trucks (a new one, and one that looks like it won’t start but probably does).
I thought it was odd at first, since I live in a conservative area to see everyone driving the Subarus - I feel like they have a liberal weekender car reputation - but I’m glad my car fits in! Unfortunately, there’s only so many times I can borrow a truck before I’m annoying. Even just renting equipment, all the places assume you will be able to tow a (heavy) trailer with your vehicle. I think a truck will be my next big expense.
Yep, that’s pretty much the standard in rural America. Our “farm truck” is rusting away and currently has some electrical issue that I’ll need to pay somebody to fix, but I’d be lost without it.
Thanks. It is very annoying because I’m a big swimmer. And can’t until it is healed. We have ridiculous amounts of Blackberries which love the 1000’s of hectares of planted pines around here. Undoubtedly one of the worlds greatly wasted fruit crops for human’s I’d say. Followed by the wild grapes here. We rarely run across fellow pickers. And most of the land owners give you permission fairly easily.
Jason said he can help next year. Which is fine; Apparently I’m getting a GRIN order I was not expecting.
How does an orchardist (or gardener) plan for unforeseen events?
I’m not sure that I know the answer even having gone thru a very destructive windstorm last year. While the storm did limited damage to my fruit trees and garden it limited my time due to cleanup (and well going out numerous times). The varmints ate up my apples without me noticing due to not having enough time to be observant. I plan to cut back on my gardening this year.
Get a good dog…one that can roam your orchard or at least put his doghouse in the orchard?
Most dogs no…but a good one is valuable.
We got this. Who is now ginormous. I am really thinking hard about fencing in my orchard and putting one of these in with the trees.
they are great dogs. my daughter has one. thinks he’s a lap dog.
A few years ago, I did chain my pricey German Shepherd to an apple tree at night. That did work somewhat as he did kill a couple young raccoons. The disadvantage was that the chain frustrated him and one morning he nearly bite me and normally he is a very gentle dog. Dogs generally do not like being chained. I fear that he would get ran over on the road if he roamed freely. Also, he would tend to roam and bother neighbors. Enclosing the apple trees in the dog pen is something that I have thought of but would be a big hassle due to the location. Two years ago, or so I did build a temporary net fence with an electric wire on top around the apple trees and that seemed to work okay as far as protecting most of the apples. Due to the storm last year, I simply did not have time for all that. Last year I thought that the varmints would get some of the fruit but not all of the fruit.
Sorry to hear of your troubles. Varmints are going to get the fruits of our labors more and more I’m afraid.
A thought that I have is designing a dog pen so that the dog can have access to the fenced in orchard at times but can be shut out by the means of a gate. You may not want the dog near the trees when spraying and other work involving the fruit trees. In other words, sort of like having two dog pens connected by a gate.
