# mini-orchard



## BucksCoBernie (Oct 28, 2010)

I went from 1 dwarf peach tree to 8 fruit trees within the past 2 weeks lol. 

Right now I have 2 peach, 2 apple, 2 plum, 2 cherry trees. 3 concord grape vines, 5 blueberry bushes, strawberries and raspberries.

Lowes has trees 75% off right now. I picked up a peach tree for $5 and 2 grapes for $2.50 each.

I still have the wiffleball field preserved even with planting the orchard. Cant wait till next summer!


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## smokinj (Oct 28, 2010)

Even dwarfs can get very big if not prune every year. Loads of fun on a small scale though.


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## heating8 (Oct 28, 2010)

are fruit trees ok to plant this late in our area?


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## BucksCoBernie (Oct 28, 2010)

heating8 said:
			
		

> are fruit trees ok to plant this late in our area?



yep.....cooler temps = less stress on the trees. Also a lot of rainfall in the autumn. This gives them enough time to get situated before the ground freezes and a head start on next summer.


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## smokinj (Oct 28, 2010)

BucksCoBernie said:
			
		

> heating8 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


+1


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## Highbeam (Oct 28, 2010)

We always plant bare root fruit trees in the fall and winter. After they go dormant. I use t-bars to stake the trees and keep them vertical for at least the first couple of years. 

I've only got 8 now, 3 apple, 2 cherry, 2 pear, and one plum. On most of the fruit trees you can see the graft line where the dwarf tree is grafted on to some other tree's root ball. If you accidentally bury the tree beyond that graft then your dwarf might become much bigger.


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## btuser (Oct 29, 2010)

2 apricot, 2 plum, 1 peach (soon to be 3) 1 cherry ( soon to be 2) and six apple.  Two of the apple are 4-in-1 varitey.  3 are in the ground and 3 are still in buckets (I've got to hurry up on that) but I'm clearing spaces so I can plant them.  I started this year before I was ready, but I figured I have to get going.    The peaches are the best I've ever tasted, but I've yet to get any fruit from the others.  I'd like to get to 20 trees, see how it goes.    Our land is flat, and not particularly dry.  Everything I've read about orchard planning tells me this is NOT the spot to start an orchard, but I'm going for consumption not production.  

I'd like to plant some rasberry/blackberry bushes on the chainlink fences.  Not a lot of Sun but the important thing is to just get something going.  We've got more wild blueberries than we could ever eat


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## BucksCoBernie (Oct 29, 2010)

btuser said:
			
		

> 2 apricot, 2 plum, 1 peach (soon to be 3) *1 cherry* ( soon to be 2) and six apple.  Two of the apple are 4-in-1 varitey.  3 are in the ground and 3 are still in buckets (I've got to hurry up on that) but I'm clearing spaces so I can plant them.  I started this year before I was ready, but I figured I have to get going.    The peaches are the best I've ever tasted, but I've yet to get any fruit from the others.  I'd like to get to 20 trees, see how it goes.    Our land is flat, and not particularly dry.  Everything I've read about orchard planning tells me this is NOT the spot to start an orchard, but I'm going for consumption not production.
> 
> I'd like to plant some rasberry/blackberry bushes on the chainlink fences.  Not a lot of Sun but the important thing is to just get something going.  We've got more wild blueberries than we could ever eat



is your cherry self pollinating? all the varieties ive seen required a pollinator. 

I also have 5 blueberry bushes of 2 different varieties. pollinating with a different variety helps with fruit production.


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## btuser (Oct 29, 2010)

Its a sour cherry that says it self-pollinating but I'd like to get another.  I'd like at least 3 of each stone fruit in case one gets sick/dies I'd be able to keep it going.  I figure 5 years.  I love the bare-root trees, because of the endless varieties.  I also think its a lot easier to plant/lay out the roots rather than breaking up a root ball.  I'm always afraid to do too much or not enough.   Now if I can just learn to prune..... 

I've planted a few of the left-over trees from home centers, and have found the root ball to be almost solid.  I've had better luck by just Wintering the plant in the ground still in the pot, then breaking up the rootball and aggressively pruning the plant in early Spring.  When I do this in the fall the plant has a tendency to want to grow in response to pruning, and any new growth will just die anyway.    This is my 3rd house trying to plant fruit trees.  Hopefully my wife will let me stay here long enough to get some fruit.


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## kenny chaos (Oct 29, 2010)

Good for you guys.  
While too many typical arrogant americans think they are knowledegable enough to have concerns and answers about politics, global warming, homos, or gun ownership, what we really need are more men growing at least some portion of their own food.
Grampa always said a man isn't a man if he doesn't grow at least some of his own food.
From my travels, I gotta agree.  I wish I was more articulate and knowledgeable to explain its many personal, communtiy, and global effects, but anyway, good for you guys.


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## btuser (Oct 31, 2010)

Highbeam said:
			
		

> We always plant bare root fruit trees in the fall and winter. After they go dormant. I use t-bars to stake the trees and keep them vertical for at least the first couple of years.
> 
> I've only got 8 now, 3 apple, 2 cherry, 2 pear, and one plum. On most of the fruit trees you can see the graft line where the dwarf tree is grafted on to some other tree's root ball. If you accidentally bury the tree beyond that graft then your dwarf might become much bigger.



I've thought about that.  I'm thinking I might plant some non-dwarf fruit trees outside the fence.  I know a dwarf tree wouldn't last with all the bamb-rats we have.  Maybe prune it old-school, so the fruiting spurs are out of reach.   Of course, then they just strip the bark.  OHHHHHH I'd be so pissed!


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## timfromohio (Nov 1, 2010)

Amen to Kenny's statement - not trying to change the thread, but it's hard for individuals to affect meaningful change in the topics he mentioned.  On the other hand, you can, with a little effort, affect your family's grocery bill and dependence on the "system" by growing some of your own food.  Heck, you might even influence your neighbors in the process.  

We are planning on planting more trees/brambles in the Spring - I had always thought Spring was best?  I guess anytime the plant/tree is dormant works, right?


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## BucksCoBernie (Nov 1, 2010)

Tim: Either now or spring is best to get the trees/brambles in...winter and summer are the worse time to plant.


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## dumbodog00 (Nov 2, 2010)

How long does it typically take to get fruit from a dwarf tree?  I would like to plant some but didn't know the time frame?  Are reputable mail order trees any good?  Just looking for some input, suggestions.


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## BucksCoBernie (Nov 2, 2010)

dumbodog00 said:
			
		

> How long does it typically take to get fruit from a dwarf tree?  I would like to plant some but didn't know the time frame?  Are reputable mail order trees any good?  Just looking for some input, suggestions.



I got fruit from a 3yr old peach tree the 1st summer after it was planted in the fall. If I remember correctly apples take a little longer. If you want fruit sooner than later buy older trees locally instead of whips. If you want to go the mail order route i'd suggest checking out http://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees.htm I havent used them personally but a guy I met who recently started a hobby farm ordered a bunch of raspberries from there at a great price.


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## btuser (Nov 2, 2010)

dumbodog00 said:
			
		

> How long does it typically take to get fruit from a dwarf tree?  I would like to plant some but didn't know the time frame?  Are reputable mail order trees any good?  Just looking for some input, suggestions.



I'm not an expert by any means, but from what I understand the longer you wait the more fruit/better tree you get.   You have to get the right branching structure to support the fruit to come.  5 years is the recommended minimum for apple trees, but often when you buy them the trees are 2-3yrs old already.  It also depends on the root graft.


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## Highbeam (Nov 3, 2010)

Any trees that I've bought bare root did not grow fruit the first year. The second year they always did have fruit. Now my bare root trees were always at least 5 feet tall and had branches when purchased so surely 2-3 years old.


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## woodchip (Dec 31, 2010)

I have a small orchard here, mostly old varieties of apples that were grown by my great great grandparents on their farm back in the Victorian days. Varieties include Elmore Pippin, Phelps Favourite, Longney Russet, and Tom Putt, as well as more modern high yielding ones such as Golden Delicious, Gala, Sunset, and Spartan, cider varieties include Dabinett, Kingston Black, and Tremletts Bitter. 

A couple of pictures below are of our apple day we held last October, when a few friends came round and we ate, drank, and generally had a good time!!







This was me when demonstrating how to cook apple dumplings in cider apple sauce outdoors on the BBQ







And this is the cider press, copied and scaled down from an old one I use when in the orchard in Somerset where I help as a volunteer at their apple days. 

I'll be pruning tomorrow, first days work of the New Year. All the apple prunings will be kept aside and dried for use in the BBQ for cooking sausages next summer.


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## btuser (Jan 4, 2011)

I've got 3 trees Wintering in pots in the ground.  Not in the sun, not covered past the root graft.  I just noticed that on the tips of two of them new leaf buds have broken open and began to spout.     Must have been a warm spell.  They were areas that would've been pruned but I was still surprised.


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