Oops ... Maybe I should go open up my thingamajiggers and see what I got going on in a couple days.
I have 3 apricot, 3 peach, 3 plum, 3 pear, 3 cherry trees, 3 cherry bushes, 3 pecan and an apple tree.
I have bought trees from Tractor Supply. They discount them in October / November, perfect for planting. I plant November to February. The TSC trees are grafted. 3 plum trees were grafted on peach. Made plums 1 year, was 1/2 plums and 1/2 peach the next, then died.
Figure on 3-4 years before fruiting.
The cherry trees grew fast for 4 years and died during drought. The bushes have survived but make sparsely.
Peaches, pears, apricots, plums and pecans thrive .
My best trees have come from buying local grown fruit and starting seeds myself. I have a line of buckets, half full of potting soil, sitting along the carport Drip line. When I eat fruit, throw seeds in the appropiate bucket. They stay mostly shaded, until planted. I prefer E-W over N-S. I have had 20 pear trees, 3' tall in one bucket. The single apple tree was from grandson eating an apple and burying the core, next to a cherry tree. The apple, a store bought Gala, produces a smaller apple. We don't havest many, the squirrels get them and the pears, as soon as they start to ripen.
The pecans pop up all over the yard. I give away the small trees to be transplanted.
Most are not hard to grow. Water, prune, bug control, but harvest aren't quick coming and can be far between, feast or famine, but ohhhhh sooooo good.
Mix varieties (cherry is must, but I will not put out cherry trees, again).
I have bought trees from Tractor Supply. They discount them in October / November, perfect for planting. I plant November to February. The TSC trees are grafted. 3 plum trees were grafted on peach. Made plums 1 year, was 1/2 plums and 1/2 peach the next, then died.
Figure on 3-4 years before fruiting.
The cherry trees grew fast for 4 years and died during drought. The bushes have survived but make sparsely.
Peaches, pears, apricots, plums and pecans thrive .
My best trees have come from buying local grown fruit and starting seeds myself. I have a line of buckets, half full of potting soil, sitting along the carport Drip line. When I eat fruit, throw seeds in the appropiate bucket. They stay mostly shaded, until planted. I prefer E-W over N-S. I have had 20 pear trees, 3' tall in one bucket. The single apple tree was from grandson eating an apple and burying the core, next to a cherry tree. The apple, a store bought Gala, produces a smaller apple. We don't havest many, the squirrels get them and the pears, as soon as they start to ripen.
The pecans pop up all over the yard. I give away the small trees to be transplanted.
Most are not hard to grow. Water, prune, bug control, but harvest aren't quick coming and can be far between, feast or famine, but ohhhhh sooooo good.
Mix varieties (cherry is must, but I will not put out cherry trees, again).
OSU Ag extention service have a wealth of info. available on line, on this and many other Ag related subjects.I want to plant some fruit trees this fall but all the info I am finding is just confusing me more.
Any advice when it comes to varieties that do well in Oklahoma ...Based on what I learned at beekeeping class yesterday, these trees will be really good for them. I'd also like varieties that I can stagger the blooming on (makes for a steadier food source for the bees, and makes harvesting/putting up a little easier too).
9 to 12 trees, depending on how I need to space them out, along with a row of blackberry shrubs along the chicken and rabbit pen fencing (so they can all nibble through the fence for treats) and a strawberry plot up by the patio (and another larger bed in the front) and a couple of beehives, three at the absolute most, depends on how productive they are, should pretty much fill up the backyard.
Grumpy would like peaches ... I'm more inclined to go with apples ... So maybe both?? Lol
I wish @Timmy59 would stick his head back in the door.I miss him ...
Anyway ... I have 3 raised beds laid out in an east/west orientation. Do I need to change that to north/south??
I'm thinking maybe a row of 3 or 4 apple trees, a row of 3 or 4 peach trees, and a row of 3 or 4 cherry trees. There is a guy on YT who has planted standard sized trees and keeps them pruned to 6 to 8 feet tall. I'll have to go find his channel name -- don't recall off the top of my head. OR maybe 3 of each of those and 3 pear trees??!?!?!? I seriously do not know what to do except I know I'm gonna have to prune and I need to watch my varieties to make sure I have the appropriate cross-pollinators ...
Ugh ... Now you see why I'm asking for help ... I need to get the trees in the ground this fall so I can get a nuc this coming spring.
I do have a lot of help with the heavy-lifting stuff. Thank goodness. I really feel like once it's in and established that the maintenance won't be overwhelming. As much as I'd like an acreage it is turning out that this little plot of land is just about the perfect size for me to play around on.
Anyway ... Thanks in advance for any advice, attagirls, "OMG you're nuts! Don't do all that you'll never get it done"s ... Sometimes the harshest criticisms turn out to be the very thing that clicks the light on for me and I figure out a way that would have never occurred to me otherwise.Ok ... Ready ... Set ... SPAM ME!!
Funny you should say that ... I got an email from them this morning. I'm about to become a professional student!
All garden rows should run N/S so all the plants gets equal sunlight now raised beds i dont thing it matters so much aslong as your plants
are small to medium height but if your using trellis or have corn i would rethink them. Jus a side note if you will pay attention to the large fields most of their rows run N/S also
are small to medium height but if your using trellis or have corn i would rethink them. Jus a side note if you will pay attention to the large fields most of their rows run N/S also
Just to give you another option, not sure how close you are to a public library, but some of them around here have seed banks that you can check out. You plant the seeds, grow the plant then let some go to seed to replenish the seeds you checked out. Rinse and repeat.
https://www.tulsalibrary.org/programs-and-services/seed-library
https://www.tulsalibrary.org/programs-and-services/seed-library
I'm not too far from the Bethany Library. I'll go by and check them out.
I also just registered for the gardening class at OSU Extension Office on 8/18. That should be fun!
Seed banks weren't even on my radar. Thanks for the tip! I'll check into it and see what I can find.
Thanks!!
