Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[jvls1942]

I am starting to panic. I received my apple trees over a week ago. It has been too cold and wet to plant them. they seem to look ok yet.
Jung shorted me one of the cherry trees. I need it for cross pollination. Might have to try to get one from Fleet/Farm and have Jung just credit me for the other one.
Nephew didn't show up yesterday to help me plant the apple trees. I guess I will have to manage by myself.
......jiminwisc........

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We plant when it's wet. That way I don't have to water them much.

I got a single serving of asparagus two days ago. It was delicious.

 

[Doodledoo4]

I am starting to panic. I received my apple trees over a week ago. It has been too cold and wet to plant them. they seem to look ok yet.
Jung shorted me one of the cherry trees. I need it for cross pollination. Might have to try to get one from Fleet/Farm and have Jung just credit me for the other one.
Nephew didn't show up yesterday to help me plant the apple trees. I guess I will have to manage by myself.
......jiminwisc........

Oh no. Are they bare root trees? While not ideal we’ve kept our bare roots in the garage for a week or so and they didn’t seem any worse for the wear. We’ve also planted in wet conditions so hopefully by the time you are able to plant they should be ok!

 

[jvls1942]

I called Jung. they shorted me one cherry because they ran out. Just how early does one have to order ? We ordered way before Thanksgiving.. Anyhow, they said they will reimburse us on the credit card. We will be watching for that to happen. Might have to call them to remind them.
I bought a Bing cherry from E&F .Potted, Not bare rooted like Jung's. only $10.oo more..
I figure as long as the roots don't start to mold, they should be fine. I am keeping them moist. It is plenty cool enough to prevent mold, I figure.
bought `12 bags of compost. all I have to do is blend it with the potting soil I have.
....jiminwisc.......

 

[wyoDreamer]

I have put bare root trees into a bucket with damp peat moss to extend the time they can stay "unplanted". The peat moss will fall off the roots when you dump it out of the bucket. Not a perfect solution, but one that should work.

I got my order for strawberries and a blueberry bush on Monday. Package says "Open Immediately", so DH did and then left the box on the table in the sunlight. I get home from work 5 hours later and he tells me the shipment came in and it looks like everything is there. But he didn't bother to moisten the roots at all. It was pretty warm in the box when I lifted the flaps to check, and the roots were completely dry. I would have opened the box, checked the order, moistened the roots and put the box on the front porch where it is cool and dark.

Gotta get the strawberry raised bed ready and planted tomorrow.

 

[jvls1942]

Wyo, your strawberries will be fine. they were dry only on the outside for a short time.
I put my trees into the wheelbarrow and covered them with some potting soil and a towel. It freezes every night. One of the apple trees has just about zilch for hair roots. I am tempted to not even go through the bother to plant it. There is not enough root to keep it from tipping over after I put dirt around them. I will take a picture. I am really not happy with Jung nursery. Never again..
I unloaded 12 bales of straw from the truck and stacked them 4 high. I am really out of shape. didn't have enough energy to throw a tarp over them when I got done. will do that today.
........jiminwisc.......

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm not a big fan of Jungs bare root trees. They never survive for me. Sometimes I'm left with just the root stock.

I planted my green beans and potatoes yesterday. I figured by the time they poke their heads above ground it should be warmer. There's not gonna be much for spring cold crops this year.

Spring always shows me how weak I got over the winter even though I try to remain active.

Jim how is Annie doing?

 

[jvls1942]

thanks for asking, Annie is doing very well. She uses the wheel chair to get from here to there, but she can stand on her one good leg and get things our of the lower shelves of the cupboards. I set up the chair in the shower and she can handle it from there.
tomorrow she sees the Dr. She is going to ask if it ok for her to drive.. He will probably say no, but she will do it anyway.. She says, afterall, I drove to the hospital with my broken knee after I fell.
Today I walked with the walker all the way to the mailbox. then walked into the garden area and checked the stuff. Garlic is about a foot tall with lots of stems.
The rhubarb we planted last fall looks like it has all come up. there are a couple with multiple shoots . one has about ten shoots. I thought that they would come up as single or double shoots the first year.
My son said that rhubarb is almost $5/pound. If I would have known how easy it is to grow, I would have an acre of it to sell. same with garlic..
as long as I was down there, I started the lawn mower and brought it back to the shed..
I think I am going to cut some apple branches today and see if I can get some to take root in water. My old trees are just about to quit on me. they are about 40 years old. But they are budding out again ..
.......jiminwwisc.....

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I didn't know that Apple trees could be started that way Jim. I've started willow trees like that but never apple. I might need to give that a try as well.

Glad to hear Annie is hanging in there. She sounds feisty which is always a good thing, especially as we all get older.

 

[jvls1942]

there are lots of tutorials on youtube about hardwood cuttings. apple, pear, elderberry, pine, maple, you name it.
apple is difficult, so take lots of cuttings. expect maybe half to root.
from tooting to fruiting takes many years, depending on the species. I think apple is about six years.. all I hope to do is get at least one pie out of this. somebody else will reap the benefits . but I reaped the benefits from somebody else's efforts so the cycle continues.

I also get the thrill of having a successful plant.
the most difficult thing about it is having patience.