The addition of ground wires is cheep , and really tightens up a fence, since they require no insulators, can be fastened directly to your steel posts, making it much more effective .
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I like that idea and think it would make a significant improvement to my system. The bed is heavily mulched with wood chips which extend a couple feet outside the fence line. The wood chips also act as an insulator and reduce the shock. Your system would solve that problem. Thanks Hort!
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For Christmas my 8 year old got me a paper sack full of fruit. A Fuyu persimmon, a hachiya persimmon, some golden berries, a pound of cherries, a coconut and two different kinds of apples. I thought it was wonderful. I should’ve taken a picture before we grazed on it.
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Merry Christmas to everyone.
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Just wanted to wish everyone here Happy Holidays. All the best to everyone and hope you get the opportunity to spend time with your friends and loved ones.
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Merry Christmas everyone,
May it be a spiritual fulfilling day and you have the wonder and excitement of a child.
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Merry Christmas!
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I took advantage of the time off from work to gift my trees with winter coats. Merry Christmas to everyone and to my figs and persimmons.
These figs were all very productive the past year and hopefully will yield even more next year.
Sleep well Tam Kam persimmon. Hope to see you wake up in the spring.
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Looking very cozy Andrew. They will be fine and productive for you next year.
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@PharmerDrewee,
Taking time off to work on your trees! That sounds so familiar 
I gave you a big thumb up for your effort. Your trees probably appreciate the winter coats, too.
By the way, the Coast of Maine lobster compost is my favorite brand of compost. It does wonder on my plants. I wish they were not so expensive!!!
Eagle eyes.
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3 hours of work is definitely worth the big fig harvest next year! I think I should get around 1,000 figs with the number and size of my bushes. They produced way more than I could eat last season.
That lobster compost is like magic! It grows amazing veggies, berries, and really boosts young fruit tree growth. I bought a lot of it on sale during the fall to use next year.
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Around here, a couple of nurseries sell this brand. Not at HD or Lowe’s.
I’ve never seen them on sale, ever!!!. I have used compost of this brand for almost 10 years now.
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I’ve been to their production site. i also use all their soils and compost. up until about 5 yrs. ago i used to be able to drive down there and buy a truckload for real cheap. i guess they weren’t making enough money that way.
Got out in the apple orchard today and pruned 7 Honey Crisp trees on Antonovka rootstock. Beautiful day for pruning…40 degrees and almost bare ground.
Here are some pictures of the first tree that I pruned. These trees are going into their 10th growing season (yikes…seems like it was just yesterday that we planted them!).
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Found a persimmon at the grocery store! Never eaten one before. So, how do I know when it is ready to eat?
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It’s a Fuyu, so no need to worry about it being ready. It’s nonastringent. Go for it. Should be crunchy.
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If you wait until it starts to soften, it will be sweeter. It ripens by storage at room temperature with something that produces ethylene, e.g. an apple or a banana.
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We have a large Valencia orange tree in the backyard planted by previous home owners. We usually leave the fruits on the tree until Fall/Winter and start juicing then. I saw someone’s post here (I think @Matt_in_Maryland) saying they mixed orange and lemon juices, which I tried this year and it was great. Made me wonder what else I should mix. Our new winner so far is Valencia + passion fruit - Rich tropical flavor with nice sugar/acid balance. We call the juice cocktail “Flavor Bomb”, following DWN’s pluot naming scheme 
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