Margali 2020 Garden

[margali]

I think the spinosad drench worked or its the relative cold (53F). Stirred the top couple of inches and no fire ants attacked. They are making new mounds along the edge of the bed. I will repeat tomorrow along with edges. I did stir up this little guy. I moved him to the apple barrel.

Things are starting bud and flower. My orange tree is looking pretty sad though. Not sure what it needs: warmth, fertalizer?

 

[Prairie Rose]

margali, i have been experimenting with a pruning method to keep fruit trees very small without having to keep them in pots or buying expensive dwarf trees. The book I found it in is called Grow A Little Fruit Tree by Ann Ralph, but you can find the basics in this article : https://www.thisoldhouse.com/landscaping/21018761/grow-little-fruit-trees-for-big-rewards

The tree from baymule might be too big to use this method on though. I am using it on a peach tree I found on clearance at Lowes a few years ago. I have had it three years now, and it is still only waist high, and I don't intend for it to get any taller than I am. This year it should hopefully produce fruit. I got blooms last year, but the deer stripped the tree at that point and it took all summer to recover.

Your little garden looks lovely, I hope you are able to use it now that you have taken care of the ants! I am so jealous of your green grass and orange tree!

 

[margali]

That is the article I found when I looked at container trees! Thank you for the book suggestion. Articles quoted say it won't work for container tree but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

My anna apple tree tag said it would be 15ft tall. I need to keep it at 7' tall and 40" wide one dimension to fit thru fence. So roughly 50% less height than natural.

 

[baymule]

It probably wouldn't like living in a container. LOL Would love to have you stop by for a visit!

 

[margali]

Will fire ants eat through plastic sheeting like tarp or pond liner? Considering digging out all dirt and turning it into SIP (Sub Irrigated Planter) like my blue barrel planters. I have leftovers on the irrigation pipe and weed cloth. I would only need to buy the plastic sheeting.

 

[baymule]

In my opinion, fire ants are super ants and can eat through concrete. LOL LOL I think they could eat through most any plastic if they wanted to, but usually find their way through a crack or hole. So if it has drain holes, say hello to fire ants.

 

[margali]

No sign of the fire ants back in my garden bed. I dug down to grade in the one corner and found nothing alive. Now considering if I can afford to do the entire yard...

Hauled another 1/2 cubic yard of mulch to go around wildflower bed and behind the shed. Wednesday or so I plan on getting 1/2 cubic yard of flowerbed soil. That should be enough to do ~4" deep bed above the crappy clay. Bed is roughly 8'x10' with corners lopped off to make it a hexagon.

 

[margali]

Stupid car needed new tires and ate my garden budget. *Grumble*

So not getting more soil till next paycheck. Have nothing to do just: weed barrier and mulch behind shed, finish barrel composter, finish edging for flower bed, cut barrel in half for 2 more beds. Oh, I also need to build bed for our trailer conversion and paint floor.

I'll have nothing to do with my vacation week.

 

[margali]

I think I am supposed to be a tree farmer. I went to a local gardening group meeting Feb 10th and they raffled off plants as door prizes. I got 3 "mulberry seedlings". They looked like stiff dead sticks in the pot. I put pot on window sill and watered it halfheartedly. This picture is from today...

I don't know if they are dwarf, fruitless, or standard mulberries. I guess I'll find out eventually. Plan to separate to different pots then take outside.

 

[baymule]

Tires. Ain't none of 'em cheap. Rubber trees are grown in tropical countries, most of where labor is cheap......by the time tires get to us, they are so jacked up. Phooey.

Your garden plans just suffered a set back, you'll be back on track in no time.