Dwarf fruit trees

The ideal grafted tree. Source: bianoti.com (FR)

In May gardeners' thoughts are not necessarily limited just to growing vegetables. Some gardeners, as well as new home owners, might also be ruminating about fruit trees; and more than likely, they are thinking about selecting some kind  dwarf tree(s) for either their yards or patios.

Quite simply, the best  and most succinct guide that I've found about choosing  dwarf trees is from Spruce Crafts. Their article covers the kinds of fruit trees that are readily available and the importance of being aware of the root stocks used for grafted varieties. Note, also,  that although  there are many images from nurseries  of dwarf trees growing in containers bearing perfect fruit, this area's climate is not particularly suitable for potted trees unless either you 1) can move the tree into your greenhouse or living room for the winter, or 2) use a very, very large pot that might protect the roots from freezing - a container  so large that you'll never be able to move it again.  You might just as well plant the tree directly in the ground and gamble on using a lot of mulch!

This reminds me of when I first moved to our house (and long before I knew much about fruit trees), I planted dwarf pear and cherry trees - with very mixed results.  Although the pear trees were the least work, the neighborhood squirrels got almost all the fruit.  The cherries were a somewhat different story... I didn't mind sharing that fruit with the birds, but the dwarfs did not stay particularly dwarf.  A sour cherry that awarded us with many pies, grew to about 16 feet and then suddenly died after 8 or 9 years. A multi-variety grafted sweet cherry  I planted in the backyard actually lasted about 15 years but grew to about 25+ feet!  I've never been tempted to try apples, not because of my cherry experience, but because squirrels and too many insect pests like them.  Trying to grow apples organically, I've been told by arborists,  is an oxymoron. [Although there are natural pesticides such as sulphur and neet derived compounds, these can be pretty unfriendly to beneficial insects too and timing of their application is essential.]

That said, a 10 - 12 ft dwarf apple, pear or peach tree will eventually (think years) produce between 1 - 3 bushels if properly cared for and assuming you successfully guard it from everything in your neighborhood that also likes fruit.  A dwarf cherry tree of the same size can  produce 15 - 20 quarts a lot of pies. Dwarf trees will also need pruning best done in January or February.  If you have other shrubs and trees in your yard, look at them and ask yourself two questions: "do I prune these regularly now?" and "do I really want to spray fruit trees?"  If the answer to either is "no" or "not enough," maybe you should stick to potted tomatoes...

Veggie History - Basil (Ocimum basilicum) 

Thai basil ("Siam Queen")

A wide variety of basil is now regularly available from nurseries and seed suppliers.  In temporate climates, basil is usually grown as an annual herb and is  frequently promoted as a potted or windowsill herb. Historically, however,  basil has been incorporated   into healing and spiritual practices s much as much as serving culinary purposes by many cultures.

Originally basil grew in tropical areas from Sub-Saharan Africa through Southeast Asia, and many of these locales actually grows as a perennial shrub.  Ancient Egyptians utilized basil as one of their ingredients in their embalming concoctions, and they probably domesticated it for other purposes as well. Alexander the Great is credited with introducing the herb to Greece and that, of course, set basil up for being added to early Roman cuisines - but it was apparently associated more with the daily menus of poor and desperate than with those of  elite.  Basil spread slowly in Europe and was not widely grown in Britain until the 16th century. The earliest Pilgrims may not have migrated  with basil seeds in their pockets to North America, but by the early 18th century basil was available from  colonial seed purveyor, and the herb was included in both Thomas Jefferson's and those of other Virginia planters' kitchen gardens by the end of that century.  

Holy basil (Tulsi).

Most of the "sweet" basils, i.e. those  familiar to cooks, are all cultivars of the Mediterranean area's species that we now think of as the Italian favorites of "Genovese," "Large Leaf," and  "Dark Opal," but  "Thai basil"  also owes its derivation to this area.  Over generations O. basilica  has  been bred for somewhat different flavors in different societies - lemon (Indonesia), pepper and anise (Thai).   African basil (Ocimum gratissimum), a different species and popular in much of West Africa and parts of the Carribean, is also called "Clove basil."  Finally, there is  another species, "Holy basil" or "Tulsi" (Ocimum tenuiflorum),  - grown also by Thomas Jefferson - that is still used in Hindu worship rituals as well as in Indian and Thai cooking.  "Tulsi" is also espoused  by homeremedity believers as an herbal panacea for many ills - just check the Internet!

And remember...

"A man taking basil from a woman will love her always." - Sir Thomas More

APRIL - GARDEN PREPARATIONS

Source: Ulster County CCE

Here we go again with another annoying post about what you should or can be doing now for vegetable gardening...

• It's finally time  to start your warm weather vegetables indoors.   Remember these seeds like starting soil temperatures of  at least 60°F, but between 70°F and 78°F is what  tomatoes, peppers, eggplants etc. really like.  

•  If you have already started onions,  kale, cabbages, broccoli, and Swiss chard, you can set these out.  Place the leeks in a trough so that you can fill in around them as they grow to blanche the stalks. Lettuce can also go out, but it  may need protection against drastic temperature drops - do you have a cold frame or cloche? 

• It's not too late for peas, parsnips, radish, and spinach seeds to go in the ground. 

Source: U. of Maine Extension

• Now is also the time to plant new dwarf fruit trees in your yard. Get them started now if you didn't buy and plant them  last year - you won't get fruit for a few years or so anyway.    Look for the graft line on the stock and make sure to  plant it at least 2 inches above  soil level or you may discover you have a full size standard specimen in 10 years... The Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home will answer all the other questions you might have about turning your yard into an orchard.

• It's also a good time to add any compost or peat to the garden. Better to work it into the soil now then when the garden is half planted.  I find this is easier to do  using raised beds or raised rows, than digging a trench,  mixing in amendments and refilling the trench.  If your soil is compacted, do not just dig a small hole  and mix in soil  amendments for a single plant.  The plant's roots will probably stay confined to the hole. [Although digging a very wide hole would be okay, but raised beds or rows are an easier approach.]

• REMEMBER to label your rows and beds...  AND,  label those seeds you are starting in the cellar or in the sun room.  

What to start seeds in? 

We've mentioned before that having heat mats and grow lights are very desirable items for starting plants indoors. If you have a small garden plot, however, these items entail a significant investment  that might seem like  an indulgent luxury. A single 4 foot grow light, a heat mat and  a timer  can easily cost between $150 and $200. You can also create your own grow light system by  using a regular fluorescent fixture and rigging an adjustable suspension system for it.  It's almost as good as a gold standard model.

Source: Johnny Select Seeds

If you can keep your set up out of the cellar, (say, someone gives you  permission to have it  in the living room) you can dispense with the heat mat, but a grow light really is worth its cost. Planting trays and containers or pots are areas where you can economize. I tend to use large 3 1/4" pots that allow me to grow 24 tomatoes under a grow light. By using smaller pots you could double or triple that number, but you may need to transplant  your children  before relocating them to the great outdoors.

Container options include everything from  compressed manure or peat pots, plastic trays of small plug cells in various sizes  up to 200+ seedlings, to thin plastic cells in the popular 6-pack format. Of course, paper cups will also serve the purpose. Because I sometimes exhibit very frugal behaviors,  I  continue to look for and pick up  containers abandoned by other gardeners. This has allowed me to avoid buying starting pots of any kind for years.  I have also saved and used small yogurt cups  for pots. They work well, but you need to make  drainage holes in their bottoms.

6 pack cells

Compressed peat or manure pots

Some gardeners, whom I know, like  using compressed manure or peat pots, but I'm sort of neutral about it. Their advantages include  reducing the risk of damaging fragile young roots during transplanting and decomposing over the course of a growing season.  The downsides are that 1) it is important that no part of these pots  be exposed to the air because the compressed peat or manure sides can wick volumes of water away from the your seedlings; 2) if you do not keep your garden well watered and the pots moist, the roots of your seedlings may   have difficulty piercing the dry pot sides resulting in stunted plant growth; and 3) you have to buy them every year.

200 cell plug tra

Some kind of leak proof tray for holding your plant containers is essential because the containers have to be able to drain and/or absorb water.  Disposable aluminum baking sheets can also serve the purpose, but  they are too flexible  for easily moving the plants around.  Some of the commercial plastic plant trays are not  very sturdy either -- look for trays that have reinforced bottoms! If you decide to use commercial plant trays, consider also obtaining the clear domes (i.e. covers) for them.  

Clear dome cover for plant tray

typical leak proof tray

The domes  help maintain the temperature and restrict moisture loss while your seedlings are small. They are commonly available in two sizes: 2" and 7" heights). I have also  used the clear plastic bottoms of salad boxes from grocery stores for this purpose. Once your seeds have sprouted, it is important to monitor how tight the covers need to be on the trays.  Keeping the environment under a dome too moist can promote the growth of molds and lead to problems. I use  2" domes and just prop up the domes as the seedlings grow.  When the seedlings get to about 4" in height, I remove the domes.  




Now, get going...