Is Fireside a prolific bearer for you?
I gifted my neighbor with a nice sized 15 gallon potted Fireside tree maybe 5 years ago. It has grown nicely, but only yielded a couple dozen apples so far
@smsmith yes, it is currently the most productive tree in my small orchard. It is loaded with apples each year. Last year I didn’t thin enough and it lost two large branches due to the weight of the fruit. This year I’ve picked at least 55 gallons of apples from it, likely more.
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Thank you for the response.
Not sure why the neighbor’s tree is under performing
It might just need a bit more time. My fireside is at least 50 years old on a standard sized tree.
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My runted Fuji produced 2 buckets of huge perfect apples. Crisp and delicious. I netted the tree to try to keep the squirrels out of it. I still have a fridge full of Galas, starting to go soft, but I’d really rather eat the Fujis.
I think I will use the Galas for mincemeat.
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Dug up 3 black walnut trees out of my garden (squirrels). They had some impressive roots after just one summer. Very long tap root. Got a blister. ouch.
Growing season is pretty much done here this week me thinks.
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Frost on the roofs this morn
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Cider making day
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guess were going to find out how hardy my potted seed/saplings and container trees, including figs, are going to fare after being left out the last two nights of lows into the low 20s/teens the two “Home Temperature” plots are just what the weather channel reports for my location. funny how different my “outside” sensor is from that but maybe not surprising given the sensor is in the share on the direct north side of the house:
i actually have a chamber built to store them in for the winter long haul but as of 2 days ago everything was still green and alive. we dropped so low and quickly i wasnt sure what to do. i pruned all my figs to get them chamber ready after the first nights lows and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. they werent dripping any sap but some cuts were slightly “wet”.
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In Minneapolis area when I get seedlings the last weekend of April, I often spend 20 minutes hauling into the garage at night because I don’t have the rabbit fence ready. You can put down a tarp or something if you want the floor clean and dry, but our car wheel wells drip snow and mud spray in winter.
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I’d like to have an online Zoom-based orcharding and/or permaculture meeting in January when the below-zero weather usually arrives. Probably a Wednesday night, so maybe Jan 7 or Jan 14. Message me if you are interested.
I did one last year and I enjoyed it.
It helps if you have a map or some pictures set aside that you are ready to screen-share to use as talking points. I imagine we’d talk about what we are growing, what didn’t work, what did work, what we are planning. Both regarding plants and gardening practices.
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I recently talked to a coworker who told me hes got 2 nectarine trees that are doing fine here in ND, he said in the fall sometimes his lower fruit will freeze before its ready but usually the fruit higher in the tree survives. Anyone else growing nectarines in our climate and have suggestions as to what varieties do best?
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really? what type of nectarine is he growing? i had a contender and redhaven die on me and reliance survived 1 winter gave me 1 peach then died to the snowline. im growing 4 seedlings of siberian c peach that have so far survived -25 2 years in a row. ive always thought nectarines as z6 and higher fruits.
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hardired nectarine
This is exactly what he sent me, “took them about 5 years to bear fruit and even then it was like 3 to 5. even now the 2 plants only produce about 30 pieces. The tries grow about 2 inches a year so stay pretty small the small little branches that fruit comes on die back every year but big branches are ok. you need to get a hybrid tree as well, they are designed for colder climates. I have been at my place for 19 years i planted the tries 16 years ago. But soil matters my soil is really sandy so i keep having to put manure around the trees. if you have dry rich soil they may do better” He lives about 10 miles outside of Bismarck ND.
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interesting. never heard of that one. what do you mean by hybrid? is it crossed with some thing else or on a specific rootstock? where did he buy them from? i justgot some pits of iowa white peach thats supposed to be z4 hardy but then again contender and reliance are also supposed to be z4 hardy as well yet get damaged or killed at -25f. thats not even a typical coldest winter temp here but has been the last 5 years.
thats just what he told me, I didnt dig into it, the link takes you to the website he bought it from, starks.
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just saw your highlighted link.
I wonder what kind of microclimate he’s created? Hardired is generally listed as a zone 5 variety.
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im on heavy rocky clay so i have to plant on mounds or the trees drown. maybe thats why they croak on me . the roots are more exposed to the cold. ive been mulching my siberians pretty heavy so that may be why they have made it so far.
that is what i was thinking. i dont want something i need to continually baby. they either make it or dont. ill protect them some when young but after that they get mulch and thats it. i dont fertilize my marginal trees after talking to jim walla. he recommends not to fertilize or prune his mulberries for 3 years.
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