are these good test subjects/fruit trees for a CA newbie?
emmers_m
9 years ago
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MrsLizzy K
9 years agokokopelli5a
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Lemon and Peach Trees Advice for Newbie Fruit Grower
Comments (5)Just because a soil is heavy, doesn't mean you can't grow these trees. They can still do well in heavy soil, you just need to control your water a little more. first, option 1 is a very bad idea. The surrounding native soil will act like a pot and the amended soil will stay soaked and sour, while the water fails to migrate out into the heaver soil. Just plant in the native soil, back fill the hole with native soil. set the tree about half and inch to one inch higher than the soil level in the container, so that the root balls stays high. then add a nice mulch about 6 inches thick over the soil, out 3 feet in every direction from the tree. after a few months, get some earth worms and put them under the mulch and they will become your little tilling factory, keeping the soil well worked. Just renew the mulch as needed so there is always at least 2 inches of mulch. Also don't drown the worms by saturating the soil with too much water, the will come to the surface and crawl away. Water moves very slowly through heavy soil, so drip irrigation can be a really good solution....See MorePlanting a new fruit tree where a diseased tree has died?
Comments (5)Thanks all! We're in the SF Bay Area (Oakland, so not in the fog belt---pretty mild/moderate). We do have very heavy clay soil and have been amending it where we've planted new trees to try to mitigate drainage issues after losing two avocado seedlings to root rot. As far as the second cherry, if this is bacterial canker, is it likely to spread to other fruit trees? We have aging apples, persimmons, and figs (one fig is ill with something too, but our local nursery noted that it may just be at the end of its life). We also have younger plums, avocado, and citrus. All are in close proximity (entire yard is maybe 1200 square feet?). It's obviously a little late for dormant spraying in our area, but is there anything I should be using in the spring/summer season to prevent the spread of the canker, if it can spread to other nearby trees? It does seem to have been eating away at the cherries for some years now, as the previous owner had taken off large chunks of both trees. Also, we would like to replace the cherry (though maybe in another part of the yard, it sounds like!) I've seen cherries on both Gisela5 and Mazzard rootstock. (Am guessing the current trees are on Mazzard or something similar as they're huge.) Is one more resilient than the other, or should I just choose based on size/fruiting? Thanks!...See Morefruit tree sprays in california
Comments (4)There are plenty of independent nurseries in Sonoma County and any number of them will carry dormant oil (for pests), lime sulfur and copper sulfate (the latter for diseases). The Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate and lime) you have to make yourself. There's a formula available on the attached UC extension website. Before you spend any money, note that winter spraying of fruit trees is NOT an absolute necessity, despite what books suggest. It's critical only if you live in an orchard area or if you've had pests and disease problems in the past season. Joe Here is a link that might be useful: UCExtension Bordeaux Mixture...See MoreNewbie from Northern CA
Comments (2)The answer is Yes. It will take awhile unless you already have everything (equipment wise) that you need. I would still expect to NOT make a taxable profit until at least year 3. I made a profit the first year. I only had 1/3 acre in veggies, no flower and the only fruit was strawberries. Did I make minimum wage, NO. I did cover all of my expenses, since I didn't have many. When I started to expand is when I really needed to add equipment and labor help, along with more seeds/dirt/pots and such. My first year expenses were: seeds and plants -- less than $150, market fees -- $200, didn't have/use a scale that year, had all the tables, purchased bags --$15, gasoline to get to market, gas price less than $2 --$200, labor to son --$300. Bought a used tiller $250. I had some other small expenses that might have added up to another $400 max. That year I sold $1700 and was extremely happy. Didn't make much but decided that I could make more if I expanded. At that time, our market barely had 20 vendors, the last year that I was at that market it had 85 vendors and others on a waiting list. I did very good until the number of vendors increased more than the number of customer did. After that happened, it was more stressful fighting to get that customer's dollar to my stand. Now I market at a much much smaller market, that is growing. I'm not making as much as I was, but the stress is usually lower along with the prices. The key to marketing in a farmer market is to be sure you have a good market with a consistent customer/vendor base and having a great product that YOU can sell to people. If you are not a people person, it does make a big difference. Some people can grow great, but can't sell. Some people can sell, but not grow. Being able to do both, that's what it takes at farmers markets....See Morefabaceae_native
9 years agowaiting_gw
9 years agoglib
9 years agomrcaballus
9 years agofruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
9 years agoemmers_m
9 years agoemmers_m
9 years agofruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
9 years agoemmers_m
9 years agoemmers_m
9 years agofruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
9 years agomrcaballus
9 years agowaiting_gw
9 years agoemmers_m
9 years agoEmbothrium
9 years agoemmers_m
9 years agomrcaballus
9 years agomrcaballus
9 years agofruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
9 years agowaiting_gw
9 years agowaiting_gw
9 years agofabaceae_native
9 years agoSteve357
9 years agoSteve357
9 years agowaiting_gw
9 years agomrcaballus_usda9b_ca
9 years ago
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