Orchard Status, May 2024.

 

Orchard Notes: May, 2024.

So…I’m caring for a few trees that have *NEVER* given fruit. I have three dead trees. I want pears.

Here are my notes for the spring status –

this chart is for the main orchard, facing south.

Cherry – alive with blossoms (this is a young tree)	Cherry – has leaves but no blossoms. This tree has a massive clump of ornamental grass that I’d like to get rid of	Cherry – dead.
Maybe Plum? Lots of leaves but no blossoms. I think that in five years I’ve gotten one plum	I don’t know what this tree is. But it has blossoms this year.	Apricot. In 2023 we had crazy amounts of fruit, this year it had early blossoms but with the cold coming up may not have fruit
Maybe Plum? Has leaves, no blossoms.	Dead	Apricot. In 2023 we had crazy amounts of fruit, this year it had early blossoms but with the cold coming up may not have fruit
Old pear tree, root stock is sending up tree, but it needs to go.	Cherry – has a lot of blossoms	Cannot plant here because of the electrical christy box.
Young-ish cherry, has blossoms

 

Next up, the Apples – they all look good, blossom-wise this year. Numbered, starting from the back of the property.

1.Small tree, not so many blossoms this year.

2.lots of blossoms, keep an eye on the irrigation

3.This tree lost a lot of limbs last year. Irrigation is problematic, since the water tends to run into the dry beds.

4.The best looking tree, plenty of blossoms.

 

Extension Class - Flowers

 Notes for possible flowers:

Hibiscus are annuals, but reseed.

Good pollinators

Black eyed Susan

NATIVE PLANTS

Trumpet vine

red hot poker

penstemon

succulants - Hens and Chicks

Indoor Gardening (class by University of Nevada Extension Office)

 This Zoom class is one of about eight that is normally given in person at the Bartley Ranch in Washoe Valley.  I signed in with both my PC and my iPad and took screen shots of the power point slides (so I can go back and compare with the notes.

Year-round gardening in possible and a "pot to plate" ethos is a good thing.

- Indoor food food gardening requires 12 hours of bright light (or supplement)

We have lots of ideas for lighting, including grow lights, growing in a bright window, etc.

- grow what you'll actually eat

herbs

oregano

basil (purple and green)

cilantro

shiso (green, red, britain)

greens

"picking" (leaf) lettuce (such as romaine - freckles)

chard

sorrel

 

and micro greens

 

other veggies and stuff

•  icebox watermelon

• bush tomatoes

  peppers (sweet or hot)

  nasturtiums

   

  Grow microgreens  

  - can use recycled food plastic

  - cocoa coir

  - progression planting (for lettuce, too!)

  
  

  What I think I want

  We have this crazy hole in our kitchen counter that has a drop-in compost bucket (I compost, but don't use the in-counter bucket).  I want a hydroponic kit for the kitchen counter.
   
  Like this one 
   
  Here are some screen shots of the slides
   
  

  
  

  

  
   
  

 

 

 

 

 

June 3, 2020

In the last week I've planted

• lemon cucumber
• basil
• daisies in a milk-can theme planter
• another tomatillo
• English lavender in the raised beds
• Purple coneflower (also raised beds)
• two raspberry plants in a whiskey barrel

The work I've done

• made the brush pile next to orchard a bit smaller
• dragged some branches from the apple trees to the brush pile in back
• dug out about half of the south raised bed
• dug three more moats in the orchard

May 21 and 22

Off for the next week, so digging moats and clearing the raised bed area.

Everywhere I have lived as an adult, I have taken descendents of the iris that my grandma had along her driveway.  I have dug them up and carried them across the state, then across the country.  They have lived along my driveway, in my yard, in pots on a balcony, and in planters on a shaded patio.

When we moved here, there was a ceramic pot that matches our Celtic cross for the garden, so the iris are there, and blooming as of yesterday.

I'm seeing lots of these little guys.

May 20 - how time flies!

It's been a little rainy, so not much new is getting done.

I got a cart that will eventually be used to follow me around the ground to hold my "stuff" - hand tools, water, phone, etc.  Right now, it's been used to move the tomatoes in and out of the garage until the nights get warm.

Monday is "spring cleaning pick up" day - we get to put out 6 bags/barrels of "stuff" that will be picked up with our normal garbage day tipping.  So far...I have two bags and one barrel.

Raised Beds

The goal for the week is to get the walkways raked and weed free.

So far I have one bed cleaned and this week will start to add amendments.

Orchard

Blank Spots for Containers

The goal for the week

 ___ get the additional bubblers in the new trees so they'll get watered with the established trees.

___ apply fungicide to the apple trees.

___ thin as many apples as I can reach.

___ Trim trees in the orchard proper so I don't put my eye out.

 

 

Panoramic of Orchard from Southeast Corner

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patio

Goal for the week

___ get the bubblers/drip line in the patio plants

___ rubbermaid container with pole beans and squash (save for Saturday when nights are warming)

May 13 - around the ground

Today I started "reclaiming" the dry beds.  Now that the weeds are easier to find and control in the main garden, I can begin "loop hoeing" the enclosed beds.

Finished the fungicide today.

Orchard Row 4 is raked, whole orchard is hoed.

Clipped all suckers on all fruit trees.

Baby Tumbleweed

Baby Apples (Tree One)

Cherries, Tree 2-3

Enclosed Beds

Nectarine, Tree 2-5