CC's Fruits, Veggies & Food 2023

[Crealcritter]

Woke this morning to 25 degrees F, it's about a quarter after 10 and 33 degrees F. Forecast is calling for hard freeze Monday and Tuesday overnight. Then again on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Crealcritter]

My fedco order is out for delivery. 10 semi dwarf apple root stocks, apple scionwood, 10 peach rootstocks, and self harvested peach scionwood to graft.

I got my grafting knifes razor sharp and have everything I need to get grafting. What can I say? I'm easily amused

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[heirloomgal]

Growing stuff is SO FUN!
(Though I admit I'm not a fan of the hardening off process...but everything else is super fun.)

 

[Crealcritter]

Growing stuff is SO FUN!
(Though I admit I'm not a fan of the hardening off process...but everything else is super fun.)

I don't mind hardening off at all, sowing those little seeds in flats is what I'm not a fan of... I think my fingers are two big, hands to rough? It's hard to tell how many seeds are between my finger and thumb.excusses excesses excuses

But I'm amazed every time I do sow lifeless seeds, then they come to life and grow

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Crealcritter]

Been so long since I placed my order back in September 2022 that I forgot what apple scionwood I ordered. But I kind of know myself, I ordered some really old varieties that are no longer available in stores. Dating back to the 1700's ~ 1800's. And a good single variety cider apple.

Baldwin (all purpose - mid 1800's)
Esopus Spitzenburg (all purpose - 1776)
Fameuse (all purpose - before 1700)
King David (all purpose - 1893)
Kingston Black (cider - early 1800's)

Along with granny smith and golden delicious scionwood harvested from the mother orchard in mid February. I think I have what I need to get going and figure out the pollinating pairs for row placement.

Surprising Fedco trees is now closed for scionwood and rootstock ordering for 2023. Preordering for 2024, opens again in Sept 2023.

Happy to graft apple scionwood onto MM111 root stock this evening

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[heirloomgal]

Do you have any grapevines?

 

[Crealcritter]

Do you have any grapevines?

Yes, a 100 ft row, planted them last spring.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Crealcritter]

Some pictures of peach scionwood onto prunus americana root stock. I would have done the apples also but I'm conserned my daughter in law may get mad at me. She wants to learn to graft so tomorrow evening we will graft together.

I grafted all 10 root stocks via tongue and whip. Lesson learned... this is a fairly easy graft to cut but make the tongues long.

Rootstock on left, peach scionwood on right.

Match up the diameters of both and cut the whips to match on the rootstocks and scionwood.

Then cut the tongues and fit together. Don't overlap the ends the Cambian layer has to line up.

Then wrap the graft with parafilm to compress the wood and keep it snug.

Coat the parafilm with treecoat to seal it and keep it waterproof. if tip bud with a few buds that's ok. But if not a tip dab a little treecoat on the top where the scionwood was cut to length.

Set in bucket of water for a couple hours for the treecoat to dry and hydrate the rootstocks. Don't forget to label them, so you know which variety was grafted on the root stocks.

I'll pot all these together in a 3 gallon pot with cheap rural king bagged topsoil for now.

We'll see what becomes of these graft attempts. I did my imperfect best

.Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[heirloomgal]

Yes, a 100 ft row, planted them last spring.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

Will you prune the vines in spring? I'm hoping to find someone who has skills with pruning them.. My parents have these big, beautiful grape vines but the last few years all the growth is vegetative, zero fruit. I'd like to help them get it productive again but don't know how.

 

[AMKuska]

What are you going to do with all that food? That's a lot of trees! That's a lot of grapes!