Winter Projects for the Home Gardener and Small Farmer, Part 1
The temperatures are dropping, cover crops have been seeded, and the garden beds have been tucked in for their long winter nap. Spring seems so far away, but don’t fret, there’s still lots you can do to keep your thumbs green. In fact, the winter can be just as busy as the rest of the […]
Apple Maggot Timing
People have starting asking us about when to spray for apple maggot. This is a complex pest to control in orchards and home gardens, so it is a good idea to understand its life cycle. Apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella, is a small sawfly that lays its eggs on developing fruit, most commonly apples, but also […]
Encouraging Pollinators
Celebrate Pollinator Week! Most people have heard the news that honeybees are in trouble in this country. If you’ve planted fruit trees in your garden, you have even more to worry about- who is going to pollinate those flowers so you get the bounty of fruit you were anticipating? What can you do to encourage […]
Thinning Fruit
We cannot overemphasize the importance of thinning the young fruit on your trees. Now is a good time to start thinning. Early thinning can help break the tendency of biennial (every other year) bearing that is common in some apple and pear varieties, and ensuring you have more even crops each year. Some people are […]
Winter Damaged Plants
With the wild weather of late December and early January behind us, and the return to more normal winter weather, we’re starting to see winter damage on many plants, especially broadleafed evergreens. Even ‘hardy’ evergreens and some conifers that experienced the sustained cold winds are showing some damage. Where is the winter damage the worst? […]
Multi-Variety Trees & Watching for Bud Stages
Last month, we wrote about root stocks, and how they influence the way a fruit tree grows. Why don’t you graft several varieties onto the same root stock and save space? It sounds great, doesn’t it? 4 or 5 varieties of apple, all on one tree! Both pie and sweet cherries on one tree! How […]