Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

Whether you have 20 acres or 1/4 of an acre, you can have fruit-bearing trees on your property that will give you mouth-watering, tree-ripened fruit as well as a sense of pride and accomplishment.

In choosing the location for fruit trees, a place with as much summer sun as possible is best. With a short season to ripen fruits here, we need as much sunlight as possible. Fruit trees should not be planted in the vegetable garden. Worse than root competition, the shade created by the trees diminishes the productivity of the garden.

There is some advantage to planting early blooming fruit trees on a north slope or the north side of a building. The winter shade will delay the blooming of trees such as plums and apricots and peaches. Fruit trees should always have good drainage. This is especially true for stone fruits which will not tolerate standing water around their trunks.

The question of whether to plant standard trees or dwarf trees is mostly determined by how large your orchard is. Standard apple and pear trees should be set 20 feet apart and semi-dwarf trees can be spaced 12 to 15 feet apart. In an area 100 feet by 100 feet you could plant 25 standard trees and 50 to 65 semi-dwarf trees at that spacing.

Dwarf trees can also be planted in hedgerows 4 feet apart where space is at a premium. They take a lot of care when planted so close together but will give you a nice harvest.

You will also want to consider which varieties to plant for a long harvesting season. Cherries are the first to ripen, around the first of June, followed by apricots, plums, peaches and pluots which ripen at different times through the summer depending on variety. The first apples and pears ripen in late August and other varieties ripen through the fall months. Persimmons ripen around Thanksgiving. With careful planning you can have fresh fruit over a six month period.

Not all fruit trees will bear every year. Spring weather conditions frequently damage the crops of apricots, peaches and plums and even apples and pears have good and bad years. Plant enough trees so that you will have more food than you need in the good years, and in the bad years you will still get enough.

• Chrysanthemums come in bright fall colors to give you instant color in flower beds and containers.

• Sow these vegetable seeds directly in the soil: carrots, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radish, spinach and root vegetables. Keep the surface of the soil moist until the seedlings are established.

• Rough black spots of apples and their leaves are due to the ‘scab’ fungus. Nothing can be done now, but remember to spray trees next spring with lime sulfur just before the blossoms open.

• Rose of Sharon, with its hibiscus-like flowers, is a lovely summer bloomer in our climate. The tree form makes a small tree for full sun or part shade.

• Peruvian lilies, or alstromeria, make wonderful cut flowers. Set out plants now for armloads of flowers next year.

Grow a container fruit orchard

There are various reasons for wanting to grow fruit trees in containers. For some folks, the only place protected from deer is on the deck. Others may enjoy watching a fruit tree up close on the patio, or want to grow a citrus tree that needs winter protection. Whatever your reason, there are dwarf fruit trees that can be grown in containers even in the most limited spaces.

The types of fruit trees that can be grown in containers are apples on M-27 rootstock or genetic dwarf apples; genetic dwarf peaches and nectarines; all figs; cherries on Zaiger dwarf rootstock; and dwarf citrus.

First you will need to choose containers for your little orchard. Though many types of wood or ceramic containers can be used, a heavy plastic, like the terra cotta-colored plastic pots, are easiest to work with for repotting. Most trees, either bare root or canned, can be planted into a 16 inch pot. After one full growing season, repot in early spring into a 20-inch pot, and the next spring into a 24-inch pot, its final destination. Use any good bagged potting soil that drains well.

Watering and fertilizing are the most important maintenance tasks. Plants should never be allowed to wilt, but don’t overwater them. Fruit trees generally need water about twice a week, but they will need more if they become root-bound.

Fertilize apples, figs and citrus once a month during the growing season using an organic fertilizer or a 5-10-10 fertilizer. You don’t need a lot of nitrogen, since you don’t want fast growth in a container tree. Peaches, nectarines and cherries should be fed twice a month.

After three to five years, growth may slow down, or trees may need constant watering. These trees will need root pruning in late winter. Lay the container on its side and roll it to loosen the root ball. Pull the tree out of the pot. With a shovel, slice two inches off the sides of the rootball all the way around. Place the tree back into the pot, add fresh potting soil, and tamp it down firmly. Water thoroughly.

Fig trees and citrus are not as hardy as other fruits. In the winter, move them to a protected area where they will not freeze during cold weather. Citrus can live in the house by a south window during the coldest weather.

Fig trees can be sheltered in the garage. Move them after they drop their leaves and go dormant. They will not need any light or much water while in dormancy. Water sparingly once every three of four weeks during winter storage. If you must leave them outdoors, spray with Cloud Cover™ in early November to protect them from drying out in freezing weather.

Enjoy delicious home-grown fruits fresh from your patio!

• Cool season vegetables should be planted right away to insure good crops this fall.

• Mums are the beauties of the fall garden. Choose plants now in a wide variety of colors.

• Divide Oriental poppies and bearded iris now. Add some bone meal in the bottom of the hole when you replant them.

• Wisteria trees need to be trimmed throughout the summer. Keep long tendrils trimmed back to maintain the shape of the tree.

• Plant beets now for fall harvest. They will have a deeper red color than beets planted for spring harvest, and tend to have higher sugar levels too.

Bring in the Harvest!

The long hot days this summer have made the garden grow like crazy and now the harvest is coming in. The tomatoes are starting to ripen, summer squash is plentiful and beans and corn are coming on fast.

It’s time to harvest the garden to keep production going strong. The more you harvest, the more you grow. Harvest vegetables in the morning when they’re crisp and cool.

Squash tastes best when harvested young. Pick zucchini when it is eight inches long, and pick crookneck squash when only six inches long. Immature winter squash lacks flavor, so wait until the rind is hard. Harvest winter squash with two inches of stem remaining. A stem cut too short is like an open wound, and will cause early decay.

Cantaloupes are starting to get ripe. To make melons sweeter, hold off watering a week before you expect to harvest the ripe fruit, when it starts to turn color. A cantaloupe is fully ripe when it pulls off the stem easily.

With other melons, check for a strong, pleasant aroma at the blossom (not stem) end to indicate ripeness. A watermelon is probably ripe if it makes a dull “thunk” when thumped, and when its underside has turned from white to pale yellow.

Pick most kinds of tomatoes when their color is even and glossy and the texture still slightly firm. Some varieties, primarily large heirloom types, ripen before they reach full color. Pick them when they are mostly colored up and bring them inside to finish ripening.

Let sweet peppers reach their final ripe color of red, yellow or orange, for maximum sweetness and flavor. Hot peppers are nutritious at all stages. Sample them at different points to see what you like best.

Lettuce is a fast crop and it’s important to harvest heads before they “bolt” and go to flower. Harvest butterhead lettuce when a loose head is formed; crisphead lettuce when heads are firm; and looseleaf lettuce and romaine any time when the plants are large enough to use. You can pull off leaves of leaf lettuce or harvest the whole head.

Cabbage also must be picked before it bolts. Test the head for firmness, then cut it off. If you have mature heads that you’re not ready to harvest, hold off water or twist the plant to break some of the roots. This should keep them from bolting.

Pick green beans when they are at least three inches long but before they begin to get tough and stringy. Harvest pole beans faithfully every other day and the plants will yield right up to frost.

Corn is ready when the silks turn brown. Check an ear or two by pulling back the husk and testing a kernel with your fingernail. It is squirts a milky-white juice, it’s ripe.

Home gardeners have the advantage of being able to pick their vegetables just as they reach their prime. Knowing when vegetables are perfect for picking is a skill that you will gain with experience. For the best flavor and quality, prepare them for eating or freezing as soon as possible after harvest.