Gardening Thread - Show me your gardens!

Thank you.
Easier to pick, better airflow, cuts down on diseases.
Need to keep an eye on the new shoots and put them in the fence panel in the opening you want. I try to have one vine per opening. They are 3'x10' hog fence panels. Use galvanized plumber's tape and outdoor screws to hold them down.
Built them 18 months ago, wood is dry, so I can seal/waterproof them now.

 

I going to pick up Starter Fertilizer from HD.

For touch up, Do I have to use the same grass seeds as the landscaper used?

Thanks for the replies!

I have to get yard supplies before Spring arrives.

 

It is 67 today here. Spring came 1 month ago.

 

It was 45 here today but felt like 35. Plus 10 to 15 MPH winds.

Spring can't come fast enough.

 

Not really…Depending on what combo they used (often a blend of winter, summer seed for appearance and drought/cold tolerance) it might be a different shade of green. Here in Pacific Northwest it is often a blend of fescue and Kentucky blue with some winter rye mixed in. Your local HD should have a good blend. Or you can ask the hydro seed company what they sprayed. Fescue is drought tolerant, Kentucky blue has a nice deep blue green appearance, winter rye grows well in cold wet but goes dormant once temps get to high. Hope that helps

 

What will happen if I used a different grass seed than the hydro mix? Probably a spotted look.

 

I purchased some columnar apple trees online. I brought them inside the house because I can't plant them until this weekend. Any advice on this? They're about 3 feet tall and in little pots. I'm mostly concerned with the weather. It can still dip down to the low 30s at night around here(I'm in northern MA). There was snow in the forecast for this week, but it looks like it's only rain now. Thanks.

I watched a video and the guy said tree stakes aren't good for them. Swaying in the wind will help build up their strength. But other sources say to stake them off for the first year or so. He also said I shouldn't mix anything into the soil when digging the holes, to just use the native soil.

 

I make a frame out of pvc pipe, about half as tall as the tree, and put rope from all corners around the tree. It's not staked and can sway in the breeze, but it's limited to how much it can move. Never had an issue with the trees.

 

I always stake mine, but it is not tight. Stake (sometime 2 or 3 stakes) is 2" away from the truck, with a loosely tight twine. It allows tree to move, but supports it in the strong wind.
I have 30 plants (plums, chestnuts, magnolias, cypress, Japanese maple, elephant ears, aronias, burning bushes, dragons, etc.) that I wintered over in the basement that I need to plant. Stakes work good enough, PVC frame would be better, but I do not have time or $$$ to build them.

IMHO low 30s is too cold for a tree to be planted outside. It needs to stay in 40s continuously. If it were me, I would put them in bigger pots, and keep them inside, until it warms up. Then transplant the whole pot with newly developed roots. Use Quick-Start if you do that.

I very seldom use soil that I take out. I have heavy clay soil. Holes are 3ftx3ft, with gravel on the bottom for drainage, and I use bagged top soil from Lowes, augmented with peat moss for water retention (fruit trees like slightly acidic soil, sphagnum moss is neutral if your soil is acidic already) and water pearls. Water the soil, compact with the foot, to get any air pockets out. Add soil, if needed.
Add Osmokote slow release fertilizer on the top, before mulching. Mulch with pine bark and pine straw, water with Miracle Gro Quick-Start. Use Quick-Start 2 more times, ever 3 days or so. It will help roots to grow.

It very CRITICAL to make sure that new trees do not dry out in the first year. I used to use Gator bag drip bags on new plants for that reason. I now use a 15gal pumping watering cart I pull with the lawn mower.

 

@Barsoom, @ImpulseRed008 thanks for the replies.

The online nursery recommended bringing them inside and just treating them like house plants until it's time for planting. The trees have been inside for about a week now. They are kept in a room that's relatively cool, 62-66ish. The window curtains are open but they haven't been in direct sunlight yet. I put them on the porch for a couple hours at night to acclimate them to the cold. A couple of them are already budding.
Wednesday night is supposed to get down to 27, but after that there is nothing below 40 in the 10-day forecast. I would like to plant them Sunday, as it is my only day off for a while. Should I be doing something different in the meantime? Do I move them directly in front of the windows?
I have what they call Tre-Prep fertilizer and tree stake kits, which I think I will use. I also bought a PH meter, but they all seem to have mixed reviews.

 

not an expert here but my experience.
Depends on soil. If its real heavy clay mixture you should mix in soil conditioner. 50/50 with native soil.

The fruit buds wont survive under 27°, dont expect fruit first year anyhow. Many say to pick off any blossums the first year to help with getting established.

They are small so prob wont see any til 3rd year. By then they should be established.

 

More direct sunlight, the better. They will be OK till Sunday. Make sure to mulch after planting. 2"-3" pine bark mulch.
You can habe your soil checked for free/very cheaply at the Ag extension

 

I used to make sure they were well watered the first year, but now extend that to at least three years. I have had very few trees die in the first year, but several die in the 2 to 3 year time frame. After 3 years, or whenever they really take off growing good, they are finally pretty well established.

 

This.

We lost a couple of those hybrid WRC trees this last winter, I planted them two springs back. Hot HOT and super dry, followed by a bunch of super cold frosts just stressed the exposed ones too much. They just did not get established and acclimated.

 

Planted AU Rosa plum (and put garlic around it), Legacy blueberry and a Little Gem magnolia (should grow to 10ft wide, 20ft tall).

Looks like 2 of Dragon princes and 2 Josie Lilacs died over winter.
Sigh.

Last 4 day long frost killed the Peach blossoms. Nectarines had bloomed eariler and should have fruit.
Apples seem to have set fruit. We'll see.
Blueberries are blooming like crazy. Bees were all over them tonight.
Blackberries are booming too. Primacane has been blooming for a week+, regular ones are just starting to bloom
The 15 blackberry starters I had started in January look good. Will need to build another trellise for them. They can stay in pots for another few months.
Tomorrow need to pot the 3 chestnuts I got in this week. Still need to burn and clear land for them.
Also need to get the 3 Aronias into the ground tomorrow.
That leaves me with a red bud, bald knee cypress, Crimson Queen Japanese maple and a few other plants to get in the ground this month. And potatoes.
Then build 6 more raised beds.
And find a decently priced contractor to replace and expand the fence around the back garden. Move rain barrels around while they are empty (I store 5K gallons of rain water, but empty all before winter), for the new beds, blackbereies and the new strawberry raised beds.

 

Tried covering one small apple tree branch that had blossoms, did more damage than if i would have left it alone.

The 3 other ones are looking good lots blooms coming

 

Snagged the last 7 Cherokee purple tomatoes at Lowes today. Almost no heirloom tomatoes on the shelf.

 

Frost last night. Uggg.

One of my apricot trees was in full bloom.

 

Booo

 

I have tried apricots and almonds for 11 years. Last minute frost got the flowers EVERY single spring.
Kept one apricot tree, just for its beauty. Planted blueberries where other apricots were, and putting raised beds where almond used to be.
PS Did you get any apricots from your trees? You are way more north from me.
That's another reason why I switched to chestnuts. They grow natively here (and I have a wild walnut tree on the property), so I should get some nuts.

PPS I have tried Olives too, tree died after 3 years. Too cold here.