What we hope to always have and have growing...Self Sufficient

[secuono]

I planted a pear tree this past fall. I'm looking for a cheap online store to buy a few more pear varieties and apple trees, dwarfs only. Ideas?

 

[Mickey328]

Wow, I didn't realize you could do veggie pits directly in the soil. We don't get much rain here, but our soil is mostly clay so we might have an issue with drainage. I wonder if we were to line the bottom of the pit with rock to a depth of 4 inches or so...that might work. I've yet to see what our crawl space looks like so it may even be that we can use it to "root cellar" all our stuff. Can hardly wait till Dave gets through the foundation from the outside so we can access it from there. All we have now is an opening in the floor of the closet in the spare room. So, first you have to empty the closet entirely, then climb down a ladder. It makes it really difficult and kinda dangerous to lug much of anything down there. And it would be a major PITA to have to go through all that folderol to get enough potatoes or whatever for dinner. Must be a fair bit of space down there though...we scrounged a 4L x 8W shelving unit from a "curb alert" the other day that Dave said would fit...I'm thinking we could fill nearly half of it with wine/mead...assuming I ever get around to bottling it, LOL

 

[vfem]

secuono, I bought my fruit trees from arbor day foundation. They were whips when I got them, but they were very inexpensive and totally worth the wait to fill out.

I see larger one's at Tractor supply for $12.99. Home Depot has even larger one's, but they're $19.99.

 

[secuono]

secuono, I bought my fruit trees from arbor day foundation. They were whips when I got them, but they were very inexpensive and totally worth the wait to fill out.

I see larger one's at Tractor supply for $12.99. Home Depot has even larger one's, but they're $19.99.

I've checked them. Only found $11 trees, not many to choose from at all, I see no whips.

 

[Jared77]

Problem is your going to have to pay shipping. So even if you can get a tree for a cheap price shipping is going to kill you with the weight of the tree especially with gas prices what they are. Id keep hitting the local box stores and maybe the nurseries to see if you can find a deal on something.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

Stark Bros has a decent deal for shipping free if your order is over $85 this year. but some of their trees could range from $18-$28 a piece. but i've seen that they're worth it.

 

[vfem]

I joined arbor day, and I do believe its been a number of years now... but I only paid $5 a tree. (Their 'bare root trees' are just whips.)

They may have upgraded to bigger one's since them, but its worth the price to join for a year for the prices.

 

[secuono]

Box stores rarely have the trees I want, $20-25 each. Nurseries charge you an arm for a tree. Fiance bought me a willow, cost $85! I went to walmart, bought a willow for just $18. Almost the same size, both are doing fine.
But I'll keep checking around.

 

[897tgigvib]

There is actually another option, but usually works for larger numbers better...and if you get good at it, you can actually make a few bucks...

if you had one rootstock apple tree...which you can start from cuttings, virtually free...that rootstock tree can make you lots of little rootstock trees from cuttings...

grow each rootstock cutting for 2 years 18 inches apart in a double or triple row...

and obtain scion graft stock...

now, if your apple rootstock is full dwarf, you can graft like 10 varieties of apple onto each one, and have 2 or 3 of them...they can be 7 feet apart since you'll be cutting scion stock from them so much once they all get going...

and grow your stock like that and do your own grafting onto all your little rooted rootstocks, pot them up, and sell them. Remember, their price something like doubles each year they grow...

get some nurseries local to order from you or sell them yourself...


Just a thought

See? it's value added from your own work and from nature growing them bigger, and if you have varieties nobody else has around, you'll have a hard time keeping up with demand

 

[thistlebloom]

Box stores rarely have the trees I want, $20-25 each. Nurseries charge you an arm for a tree. Fiance bought me a willow, cost $85! I went to walmart, bought a willow for just $18. Almost the same size, both are doing fine.
But I'll keep checking around.

Uh-Oh, I'm going to have to stick up for nurseries now!
It's really not a fair comparison: Big Box versus nursery. I'm not saying you can't get a decent tree from a mega store, but usually, you get what you pay for.

Nurseries charge more because their stock costs them more.
They order or grow their stock based on their expertise of the local area
They can give you personalized service and expert opinions. They can recommend a particular tree for a particular problem spot.
Their nursery stock has been well cared for, not stressed by neglect. That's because if they lose a tree or shrub or perennial they have lost money, therefore they have a vested interest in the plants success. Even after you purchase it. They really want that plant to thrive for you.
You can develop a good working relationship with the owners of a good local nursery, and that's worth a lot.


When you buy from the mega chain you aren't necessarily getting a plant that will succeed in your climate. Most of the box stores plants are grown hundreds if not thousands of miles away and shipped in.
They are often taken care of indifferently.
Have you witnessed the carts full of wilted and dying plants that they write off?
That's because big box garden centers exist to get you into the store and sell you additional hard goods. Their garden centers are not expected to make a profit, it's just bait.

Try asking a mega chain garden center employee specific questions about plants. Rarely will they know what they're talking about.

Sure, they guarantee their plants for a year, because it's considered a loss from the beginning.

I know there are budget constraints that make it difficult to spend the extra for higher quality. That's where I live.
But 2 years down the road that plant that you payed extra for will likely out perform the discount one.

And I won't even mention supporting local businesses!


Well now I'll get off my soap box...

And if you want to spread more of those willows around it's as easy as trimming off some branch tips and putting them in pots with moist soil. They'll root and take off for you. Can't get any cheaper than that!

Oh, one more thing...if you can wait until fall, most nurseries will have huge markdowns on their stock that they don't want to overwinter.
That's an excellent way to get good plants for less.