Australian Politics Forum - Some alterations to my orchard

Jovial Monk

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Some alterations to my orchard
Jun 3^rd, 2024 at 1:57pm

I have about 8 perry pears—making the pear version of cider. They suffer terribly from fungus—this is a humid area. Not much growth happening. I spray with organic fungicide but still—a LOT of spraying.

So I am thinking of lifting them. Might try an experiment: take say 3 cuttings from each tree and if they strike will grow them and plant them somewhere—have a strip of ground will do. These then will be trees growing on their own roots, not grafted. Will do this in spring.

Any sort of dwarfing really does weaken the resistance of a tree so will see, a little experiment.

It is a lamentable pity that Heritage Fruit Trees, Vic, no longer sends plant material to Tas & WA—red tape! They sell trees on natural roots, noit dwarfed. Close planting so root competition keeps trees small, summer pruning for size, espaliering etc all keep tree sizes 2m high or less. Do NOT need dwarfing for that!

In place of the perry trees—raspberries and blueberries growing in acidic soil (note for lees—this is acidic soil not alkaline soil acidifying Grin

) in raised beds and maybe see if something else could be added, native fruits for example.

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #1 - Jun 4^th, 2024 at 10:28am

If a raspberry cane leans over until it touches the ground it sets roots and a new cane grows from that spot.

So need to set up wires or netting around a bed of raspberry canes. Might pay to kill the grass around and cover with gravel.

Don’t think rabbits will be a problem with raspberries Grin

Need to look up how to look after blueberries.

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #2 - Jun 4^th, 2024 at 10:48am

Ag Dept info sheet:

https://nre.tas.gov.au/Documents/WfW-Blueberry-factsheet.pdf

Have plenty well-draining topsoil, will buy some bags azalea mix to acidify it.

No problem with chill hours here Grin

Frost might be a problem, might plant them in the garden bed running along the back of the house or in the courtyard between two sheds. Or put them in pots, move out into the open after the last spring frost.

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Jovial Monk Moderator Offline Dogs not cats! Posts: 45884 Gender:	Re: Some alterations to my orchard Reply #3 - Jun 4^th, 2024 at 10:51am OK, to break claysoil you need to dig it up coarsely and spread lime thickly on the clods. Of course, I have a bit more land than the average homeowner, so I used a bigger spade:
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Sprintcyclist Gold Member Offline OzPolitic Posts: 40619 Gender:	Re: Some alterations to my orchard Reply #4 - Jun 4^th, 2024 at 10:58am Good work, yes, a bigger spade would work well
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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #5 - Jun 4^th, 2024 at 11:00am

In the space between Trees 1 & 2 and the depth of the 11 rows of apple trees the soil was dug more finely and I will plant several packets of broadbean seeds.

In spring the broadbean canes will be cut at ground level, generous gypsum, compost and sheep manure will be dug in and tomatoes planted. Between trees 2 and 3 I will plant sweetcorn, french beans and melons.

Space between trees is 4m and there are 11 rows 2m apart so 20m deep.

Winter next year the space between trees 3 & 4 and 4 & 5 will be planted, the other spaces some green manure then dig the ground up coarsely and spread gypsum again, gradually breaking up the clay and turning it into loam.

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #6 - Jun 5^th, 2024 at 1:29pm

Somebody want a dog, hardly used? Bitch been annoying me and I am annoyed to begin with—am working!

Got the best part of three shallow trenches dug, do about 6 I reckon. Then spread with blood and bone, gypsum, some soil, broadbean seeds then soil, water lightly.

All this was supposed to be done April‚ bloke got called to the mainland for 6 weeks. Hopefully, will still get some nice beans to harvest and if it is mainly green manure so be it.

In Adelaide I planted broadbeans in May—never got the huge long stalks that broke with any sort of strong wind blowing, stalks were short, didn’t break. Thought maybe here April might be the month. Will see.

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« Last Edit: Jul 13^th, 2024 at 8:48am by Jovial Monk »

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #7 - Jun 5^th, 2024 at 4:26pm

3 trenches 6m long dug, gypsummed etc and planted with broadbean seeds—three and a half packages of seeds.

Well, I was worried about nothing—looked at the back of the packet.

OK, Adelaide sow late autumn and winter.

Tassie—sow autumn to late winter. So planting them at the right time after all tho April would have been good too.

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #8 - Jun 10^th, 2024 at 9:39pm

Four packets broadbean seeds planted so far. Another 3 or 4 to go.

Sure I got some already but everything keeps getting moved as renovations and now painting moves from room to to room. What am I babbling about?

Packets of seed of collard greens—a brassica, the leaves taste like spinach.

Dig in tons of compost and sheep manure and some gypsum, plant the seeds. Another way of improving the soil.

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #9 - Jun 26^th, 2024 at 11:28am

Haven’t seen any cotyledons from my broadbeans yet, so carefully dug one up—was a stem growing up so just a matter of time.

Need to get the rest planted, been busy with the house.

Going to get a huge crop, assuming I can keep the bloody rabbits away! Can freeze some, preserve some, keep a dozen plants going, not picking beans, until the plant and the pods die and dry—seeds for next year.

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #10 - Jul 6^th, 2024 at 8:46pm

Lost count of HM packets of broadbean seeds I have planted. About half of one packet left.

Ordered a bigger heating pad to keep the soil I will plant tomato seeds in warm.

In Adelaide I planted the seeds 1 July each year. Here I will plant them late July/early August—will be planting them later due spring frosts.

Lots of work first—spread gypsum, compost, blood and bone and sheep manure, work that in to the soil <Oh my aching back!>

Be good.

Mostly San Marzano sauce tomato, a couple cherry tomatoes and some moneymaker eating tomatoes.

Just hope I do pick the last spring frost—if I pick the second the last I will lose a lot of tomato seedlings Grin

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #11 - Jul 11^th, 2024 at 11:36am

FINALLY! The earliest lot of broadbean seeds I planted started pushing the cotyledons through the top of the soil (if I can use that word for 100% clay Grin

)

Slowly getting gypsum spread, will do another couple of bags today, will likely need another 10 bags at least, I think.

I have carrot seeds I could plant—into clay? Onions too—might be OK if I dig a trench and use the bought soil to fill the trench in. Maybe the carrots too that way, hmmm. Use gypsum instead of sand to mix the carrot seed with?

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« Last Edit: Jul 13^th, 2024 at 8:54am by Jovial Monk »

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #12 - Jul 12^th, 2024 at 9:15am

Ordered some more types of vege seeds, incl Seneca sweet corn:

Quote:

Seneca Corn

$4.95/15 seeds

A rare selection from research projects, beautiful coloured corn can be used for flour, boiled into hominy or parched also used as an ornamental corn for coloured beads etc. Plant grows about 1.5m tall cobs form late January and mature by end February. Sow after last expected frosts, mid Nov – mid Dec. Plant in blocks 40cm apart, 2 cm deep, in rows about 1 m apart, 2 seeds per hole. Harvest when silks turn brown and husks are plump. 75 days.

https://tassieseeds.com.au/shop/vegetable-seeds/corn/seneca-corn/

Am also getting some more conventional corn.

With the corn a LOT of composted manure will be needed also fair bit of water so the get the most out of the expense of manure and water I will plant 2 Scarlet Runner runner beans by each corn plant—get two crops! Might even plant rockmelon and honeydew melon just inside the corn patch on the north and eastern sides. Plant lots, interplant for more robust garden.

https://seedsofplenty.com.au/products/climbing-bean-scarlet-runner-phaseolus-coc...

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #13 - Jul 13^th, 2024 at 11:21am

Hmmm reading the fact sheet of the Northland blueberry:

Quote:

Blueberry Northland
A blueberry with particularly large fruit, starting to ripen as early as christmas and cropping through until late summer. Blueberries in general produce a shrub with new branches suckering up from the base. They require chill, and leaves turn a lovely crimson colour in Autum. The fruit are prized eaten fresh, and can be stored well frozen or cooked in pies, jams etc. Can be self fertile but yeild will be better when pollinated by another variety.

https://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au/berries/478-blueberry-northland.html

The highlighted bit suddenly struck me, also I remembered that while raspberries come in a pack of ten canes blueberries come singly in pots with soil.

So I increased my order—were still some blueberries for sale.

Ordered another Northland plus two each Blueberry Blue Rose and Blueberry Sunshine Blue. All three varieties of blueberry start ripening in December so I imagine the flowering times would at least overlap if not be almost identical, giving me lots of large berries.

So I have six blueberry bushes, be enough for eating fresh, jams, freezing plus melomels and country wines—plenty for me to do! I can’t brew anymore but I can damn well make mead and wine and cider and perry! Lots of reading and learning to do! Fun!

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Jovial Monk

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Re: Some alterations to my orchard
Reply #14 - Jul 13^th, 2024 at 12:09pm

Some info re growing blueberries:

Bunnings:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/garden/planting-and-growing/how-to-grow-b...

Australianblueberries,com.au:
https://australianblueberries.com.au/is-good/grow-your-own/

• Organic matter to lower pH—not in clay soils

• Aluminium sulphate

• Sulphur—slower than aluminium sulphate

PlantNet:
https://plantnet.com.au/plant-care/growing-blueberries/
Quote:

For the most optimum potting mix for your blueberry, combine 50% pine bark with 50% of a premium quality Camellia/Azalea potting mix. This provides a well aerated potting mix which will extend the life of your blueberry in a pot considerably. A 5- 10 mm layer of fine gravel added to the bottom of the pot to assist with drainage is a good idea.

Will buy a couple more bags of azalea potting mix, see if anywhere sells pine bark.

Hmmm—have the perfect spot in mind for my blueberries! Sunny, protected from prevailing wind and on a slope—drainage no problem!

One bit of advice in all blueberry advice pages—net your plants! Birds and possums absolutely LOVE blueberries! A cage with wire mesh the best, I think, won’t kill any birds.

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« Last Edit: Jul 13^th, 2024 at 3:18pm by Jovial Monk »

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