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Garden Gate:  An Orchard Maybe??  |
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Windsong
True Blue Farmgirl
309 Posts
LaVonna
Decatur
Tx
309 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 01 2009 : 8:26:53 PM
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I am having visions of actually making a farm of my acreage. I am a natural health practitioner and wanted to aim it towards a healthy farm enterprise. I have clients that would buy what I grow. I do not have visions of anything HUGE. I about chickened out of the whole thing watching Kristins post of gardening this summer. I am thinking raised beds on the square foot garden plan.
But this post is to target ideas for an orchard. I am in Texas and peaches grow well in our area. Apples and plums. The problem I run into with my little wild plums is in the late frosts. Our weather tends to, even in January, we can have an ice storm on the weekend and it be 70-80 on Wednesday and another ice storm on the next weekend. March can be in the 80s and everything is blooming by mid march. Then sometime in April- folks swear by a frost at Easter- and then there are no plums. Wild plums is all I have here currently. I want to plant some fruit trees and try it though. I am thinking maybe if I site it just right or something.
I wrote to Jenny through facebook because she is up to her eyeballs in apples. Canning, juicing, and such and I wondered how many trees these came from. She said 3 and one of them is half dead! They are old trees.
So if a person had a maybe 30 people they were supplying how many trees of each kind of fruit would you say. I want to plant elder, paw paw, peaches, plums (not the wild), apples, pears, persimmons, and would like any other suggestions. I would like to have some nut trees also.
What I am asking is to you who grow these what do you like and how many do you think I need. I have a total of 24 acres but plan to start with 2 or 3.
Now I will hush and wait your responses. Please, it is time to plan these.
Farmgirl Sister #758
www.windsongwellnessandtherapyshoppe.com
http://sadiesfarm.blogspot.com/
http://healthtalkcafe.blogspot.com/ |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 08:11:59 AM
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First of all, you do realize that it will be YEARS, before your trees would be producing well enough to "supply" anyone? Any kind of farming/ranching is a barrel shoot, we are all at the mercy of mother nature, insects, fallen market etc. I (imo) would not plant exotic fruit trees, or at least not many of them, they tend to be more prone to disease. In order to get a good large crop of any one kind of fruit, again (imo), I would plant at least a dozen of each type of fruit tree, and remember there are many varietys of each fruit group, as an example, "peaches", there are early, mid and late producers, and you may have a late freeze, which wipes out the earlys, blight or some other hot weather disease that takes out your mid's, and then those early freezes, dang it all, there goes my late crop. I AM NOT trying to discourge you, what I am doing is warning you, farming everywhere is a crap shoot, and crop failures are a way of life for all. by the way, I have a small family orchard consisting of peaches(3 varietys), apricots, plums(4 varietys), necterines, asian pears, and apple. I have had just as many crop failures, as I've had bumper crops.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Windsong
True Blue Farmgirl
309 Posts
LaVonna
Decatur
Tx
309 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 09:30:17 AM
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I actually realize that this is not farmtown. You do not plant and three days later get apples. But, it is time for me to rethink my AG exemption on my land. I would rather try farming. I have animals already. I figure you may still have to feed the garden and trees but you do not have to go out into to snow to deliver babies or find strays. And besides my area was once a very active fruit center. It no longer is. People go buy fruit at Wal Mart.
I bought blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and pomgranates this last summer. They all had fruit on them when I bought them. I realize they grow and produce faster. I also see that you can buy little trees and bigger trees I am thinking you buy the biggest you can afford. My brother is my neighbor and he has a huge pecan orchard so I understand good and bad years. I still need the Ag exemption. I still would like to bring good things back to the land.
All I listed are trees that grow here. Just folks do not grow as much as they should.
I would still like feedback from those who do farm.
Farmgirl Sister #758
www.windsongwellnessandtherapyshoppe.com
http://sadiesfarm.blogspot.com/
http://healthtalkcafe.blogspot.com/ |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 09:53:07 AM
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I would plant as many trees as you can afford both $$ wise and time wise. They do need pruning and maintenance. It may take five years before you see any kind of production, but one thing is for certain, the longer you wait the longer it will be before you produce anything.
What if you were to plant a main orchard with trees that take longer to produce and then plant another acre or so in dwarf varieties that were to produce sooner? There are some great apple and plum trees available now that are grafted with three to five different varieties on the same tree. They produce surprisingly well for smaller trees.
I would aim to plant varieties for different uses, for example apples...fresh eating, cooking, long and short term storage etc. But I guess you know this.. :)
Don't overlook strawberries either, particularly a day neutral variety like Tristar that if it fails because of a cool spring, will give you a bumper crop come fall.
Sounds like a great use for your acreage LaVonna.
Diane |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 4:25:55 PM
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LaVonna, sorry didn't mean to hurt feelings, your original post sounded like you had no knowledge of orchards and you wanted ADVICE, as far as "farmtown" goes, had no idea what that meant, until my D-in_law told me, I did not imply you were stupid, I don't think, I was just being me, to the point and pulling no punches, I forget , not everyone has my thick skin, but please don't insult me with throwing "game" names at me, say what you mean, so there is no mistake like you did with your 2nd post, I have farmed/ranched all of my life, going back all generations as far as I can trace on my maternal and paternal sides, so I too know, peace!
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Windsong
True Blue Farmgirl
309 Posts
LaVonna
Decatur
Tx
309 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 5:17:56 PM
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Theresa, I did not take it that you were implying I was "stupid." I have always said I am about as Texan as they come- my fathers family was in the oil business and my moms family were many generation farming people. My mom left the farm to be wife to a roughneck oilfield worker. I came along late in her life and my grandfather only had his little garden by then. So I did not know the days of when he had all of the acres of veggies and fruit and loaded a wagon and team and went into town to sell his produce.
I have lived on my acreage since 1991 and I have grown the square foot garden most years but just for 2 people. I have had goats, sheep, cows, and horses. Horses do not count for Ag unless you are breeding and I really try not to do that. The one sheep, one goose, one peahen, and two chickens do not count for much either. Many on here are wishing they had more than a patio to grow something on. Others have room and do not know where to start. That is kind of where I am. I am trying to figure out where to start with the fruit. And as far as that goes...I do want ADVICE.
Diane, I am wondering if you have dwarf trees can they be the pollinator for big trees and visa versa. If so, I could mix them up and buy both. There is a nursery that grows trees suited for Texas and they have dwarf and full size. I believe you are right I will not ever get any fruit if I do not start. I am sure the nursery can help me with this as well.
Farmgirl Sister #758
www.windsongwellnessandtherapyshoppe.com
http://sadiesfarm.blogspot.com/
http://healthtalkcafe.blogspot.com/ |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 5:39:57 PM
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LaVonna, great fruit tree people are "Stark Brothers", they have a web site and catalog, good prices, great warrenty, good knowlegable people, been around for many, many years. Have everykind of fruit and nut tree there is, including exotic. They are in Louisiana, Missouri.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Windsong
True Blue Farmgirl
309 Posts
LaVonna
Decatur
Tx
309 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2009 : 7:54:21 PM
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Teresa, I went to look at the website and it really looks good. But here they tell us to pay heed to A&M tells us to plant. I was not seeing the varieties that I have read about. Then I went back to their homepage and was reading about them. I clicked on "read our story" The family came from KY to this place in MO and set up their business. So since that was the same route my grandfathers family came through I decided to read it to my Mom. Mom lives with me and she is 88. When I read something like "and that became Stark Brothers Nursery" she asked "who?" and I repeated it. She then said that Stark Brothers was who her dad ordered from. And that would have been back in the day of the wagon and the model T truck that he drove into town to sell his produce. He was one who drove the neighborhoods selling his produce and farm goods. So, you know what? A&M be darned I am going to order some trees from Stark Brothers.
Thanks much for sending me this site.
LaVonna
Farmgirl Sister #758
www.windsongwellnessandtherapyshoppe.com
http://sadiesfarm.blogspot.com/
http://healthtalkcafe.blogspot.com/ |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2009 : 1:34:09 PM
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LaVonna, good for you, they are in my home state, and my family knows their family, and everyone I have told about them to, for their trees has been happy, and they always go back to them.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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Garden Gate: An Orchard Maybe?? |
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An Orchard Maybe??
