The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: pgkevet on February 03, 2020, 10:18:41 am
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I finally finished repairing the espalier framework and pruning all the apple & pear trees and , since the weed-ridden raspberry patch got razed to the ground with assorted self-setter trees and some dud's from the old orchard, I also had a massive pile of woodchip. Two rounds of mulching woodchip around the espaliers, vines, figs, peach... turned out to be 2/3wheelbarrow per tree to shift it and more pruning and chipping pending...Anyhoooo... while I was sticking 3 Tesco trees in I did a mental tot-up. Since I've been here I've planted more than 70 fruit and nut trees and 60 soft fruit bushes most of which ends up feeding the wildlife. I had been thinking about a grove of 10+ cherries but frankly time to call a halt. I've got 10 cherry trees as it is and rarely get one for me and the cost/practicality of netting them doesn't add up...
The same applies to the veggie patch. It gets smaller every year because with hares, pheasants and ocassional stray sheep plus slugs and caterpillars it's more work than worth - so just grow some easy care stuff outside - beans and leeks. The greenhouse is the best bit with peppers and toms and Ill see how I get on with the raised bed I made last year (waist high) before making another 'cos it wasn't cheap on materials and effort but the stuff growing in it is superb and easy to manage...
This years plan is to invest in a 6-foot wide cut lawn mower. The tractor and topper would chew up the lawns and the ride-on i have does a good job but its 6 hrs to cut the lawns .. as in 1.5 hrs every day and keep going around come warmer weather....
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Yes, but a chap needs a hobby,,,,
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Yes, but a chap needs a hobby,,,,
...who has time...
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Usually when I have 'A Plan' then V gets supportive - as in saying things like 'Don't be stupid'.
I mentioned i had been thinking about a cherry grove and abandoned the idea - so V just had to say 'I fancy a cherry grove'. This led to a discussion as to how many trees constitutes a grove. I thought 10 was quite a decent number and expected to be shot down. V thinks she wants 14...
Best dictionary def for 'how many trees in a grove' came up with between 5 and infinity. I have baulked at that. No way am I planting an infinity of cherry trees..... so maybe I'm going to have to agree 14...sigh..
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1/2 my grove planted - just waiitng for tesco/B&M/Aldi etc to get another batch of cherry trees in....
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Sounds like you need a tall fruit cage ;D .
Don't they have a decent dwarfing rootstock yet?
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Sounds like you need a tall fruit cage ;D .
Don't they have a decent dwarfing rootstock yet?
Yes they do and I have 5 dwarf cherries planted near my soft fruit patch but mine grow slowly (expected) with poor flowering and fruit set (may be location) and a tendency to curl disease of soem sort. Production doesnlt justify the cost of an 8ft cage. Directions with them suggested anchoring the branches to bend them downwards but mine don't really grow long enough.
The best arrangement I saw was at rhs wisley where they had a cherry fanned against a wall and then a net dropped over from higher up the wall. I had originally intended to do that with the ones I have fan shaped on a free-standing frame but I've not been very successful in shaping them and keeping them low.
My Dad's solution was to pull ladies stockings over well fruiting branches. Here I get very few years with a goodly amount of fruit forming. The one year it was extraordinary and promising it all fell off. I didnt know at the time that one needs to thin cherries in that situation 'cos they don't drop some (like apples) - it's all or nothing.
I'll get it right one year.....
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Tesco got more trees in stock... grove finished 11 cherry trees and a plum total - now just wait a few years...
It also puts my fruit and nut tree planting total into the 80's...
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I have been keeping the netting from around the hay bales for fruit and veg protection. 4 ft wide and more than 35 ft long must provide a good degree of protection either on the ground or upright.
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Three years ago we reached a milestone with our wee orchard - the number of apples grown finally exceeded the number of trees planted! :excited:
The other folks in my office really couldn't understand why I was so excited, nor why I was treating my lunchtime apple with such high reverence! :roflanim:
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I have been keeping the netting from around the hay bales for fruit and veg protection. 4 ft wide and more than 35 ft long must provide a good degree of protection either on the ground or upright.
I've been doing that as well, too useful to throw away.
Besides, saw a video where they cut a dead cow open, pulled a load of this netting from its guts, so good to make sure I take it all away.
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I just measured the area on google that I want to plant into an orchard - it's about 500 sq metres and the weather comes from that side - faces south to south west but it's clear over the carse to the River Forth. I've put up a 5 foot horizontal hit and miss fence, and there will be a metre wide path from the drive up to the back gate - it's all on a slope. Chicken run will be alongside the house.
Kids have bought me a Cox pippen and a dual variety cox/james grieve. My cousin is giving me a plum, and I've got three varieties of tame bramble. Lots of Garden vouchers to spend from Christmas/Birthday
I'd like a gooseberry bush, and some blackcurrants and rasps.
I have no idea what would be best. Anybody got any ideas on varieties?
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you either need professional advice re apple varieties for your area or find out what neighbours successfully grow. Cox can be unpredicatble and the one i used to have only fruited alternative years - nice apples when it did.It's getting a tad late for backcurrant cuttings but if you have a friendly neighbour that'll give you some they do root easy. (You should have askd when i was pruning mine 6 weeks ago 0 threw several cutting size bits away.)
I gave up with the thornless blackberry - hard work to keep tame and the birds had them unless netted.
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[member=26320]doganjo[/member] , if its apple / fruit trees you're interested in, give Andrew at Plants and Apples (https://plantsandapples.com/) a call. He'll know exactly what varieties do well for us locally. The thing to do though is not to ask for a list. It's to tell him how big an area you have and how many trees you want, and then to trust him and let him supply them accordingly. HTH!
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I don't want a commercial enterprise, I'm too old to start that now. :roflanim: :roflanim:
I have two apple trees which will be plenty for my needs (and the birds) - they were gifts from my kids so they'e not going anywhere; and three bramble bushes, that are babies just now, will I am sure be fine in a year or so, and to be honest if they want to rampage along a fence they can feel free, the grass will either be cut or trampled by dogs.
I would like varieties of cherry, plum, and blackcurrant, and maybe gooseberry too. Mainly it will be an area to wander through with the dogs on fine days, or look over from my verandah; and to pick fruit as it comes around, sit in various seating areas (or as we call them in Aberdeen 'sitooteries'), and listen to the birds and watch the squrrels
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I don't want a commercial enterprise, I'm too old to start that now. :roflanim: :roflanim:
I have two apple trees which will be plenty for my needs (and the birds) - they were gifts from my kids so they'e not going anywhere; and three bramble bushes, that are babies just now, will I am sure be fine in a year or so, and to be honest if they want to rampage along a fence they can feel free, the grass will either be cut or trampled by dogs.
I would like varieties of cherry, plum, and blackcurrant, and maybe gooseberry too. Mainly it will be an area to wander through with the dogs on fine days, or look over from my verandah; and to pick fruit as it comes around, sit in various seating areas (or as we call them in Aberdeen 'sitooteries'), and listen to the birds and watch the squrrels
In which case tesco is your friend @ 2 for £10 and take a chance their tree varieties will fruit your way and a Wilco for the soft fruit.
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That would be Wilko? https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/garden-outdoor-living/planting-growing/c/1383 (https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/garden-outdoor-living/planting-growing/c/1383)
Never been there but it's only 25 mins away. Tesco is 10 minutes so I'll check them out again, but all I could see last time was apples.
I have a lot of garden vouchers though, so perhaps I'll do what you suggest, PG, and use them for hard landscaping items
Thank you
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I missed cherries at Tesco on my first hunt this year but they had a subsequent delivery which i bought out. They also had 5 apple varieties, 2 pears and a plum. Wilco usually stock soft fruit in decent condition around this time of year - i have bought blueberries there before but you have to be patient for some years with those. Currants and goosegogs will be quicker.
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Aldi special buys this weekend include fruit trees: 7 apples, 5 pears, 3 plums and 3 cherries.
Price for a cut price place seems odd at £9.99 but apparently will include a stick, netting and compost. More peculiarly the description states 'grows to 1.6m' which i have to think is wrong and the tree provided will be that height unless it's something weird like a ballerina tree or patio tree.
Going to see them may be worth it with thoughts of cordoning pears if wanting variety.....
I could fancy a yellow plum to add to my collection