Gardening

[HBS Guy]

Hmmm had a thought just now, dangerous I know.

Because I changed my mind yet again I have three 3m/19' posts spare. With the existing posts and some old aluminium blinds etc I could make a shelter from excess spring/early summer rain or hail for my cherry trees!

Don’t know how yet.

Heh, that paid fossil fuel mouthpiece Adapt2030 said Tasmanian cherry growers were putting their cherry trees in greenhouses “because of the increasing cold” and gullible fool Booby and even lee believed that. Idiots! Fruit trees, esp cherries, apples and pears need chill to break dormancy and set flowers. They weren’t greenhouses, of course. They were structures with retractable walls and roof—to protect the cherries from excess spring rain and hail!

Will see if I can copy that for my cherry trees!

[UnSubRocky]

Oh dear, salt and grass not a good mix, unless you are talking kikuyu.

Which is why I want to know of a good plant that could possibly soak up the salinity from the soils.

[HBS Guy]

Samphire? Grevillea?

[johnsmith]

Hmmm had a thought just now, dangerous I know.

here's another thought. You've had your holiday, isn't it now time you got started on your homework? Here, I'll remind you what it was

hey monk

my vege patch is looking a bit barren

what do you suggest I plant coming into winter?

Try to keep in mind that it's not going to snow here anytime soon. Our winters are fairly mild

[HBS Guy]

Kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, apples, pears, quince, cherries—well, those are my thoughts.

[johnsmith]

Kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, apples, pears, quince, cherries—well, those are my thoughts.

Apples and cherries on the gold coast? You need to think harder

[HBS Guy]

Well, they are on my mind.

You will just have to cover over and refrigerate your backyard!

[johnsmith]

Well, they are on my mind.

You will just have to cover over and refrigerate your backyard!

actually, went for a drive the the markets at Pottsville today ... bloke there was selling a bush that he said were Brazillian cherries. Apparently they like the warmer climate.

You live and learn

[HBS Guy]

Give them a go: be VERY wary of shoots from the rootstock shooting up and replacing the grafted stem/branches.

Granny Smiths, in a shady spot in winter could be doable, does not need much chill at all to break dormancy.

[johnsmith]

Give them a go: be VERY wary of shoots from the rootstock shooting up and replacing the grafted stem/branches.

Granny Smiths, in a shady spot in winter could be doable, does not need much chill at all to break dormancy.

I'd love to have a large variety of fruit trees, but space is limited. I'm keeping what room I have for my figs.


Maybe I can plant one in the neighbours yard at night when they won't notice? .... he is to lazy to cut / prune down trees so it'll probably still be there in 20 yrs time

[HBS Guy]

But you have a shitload of palms that you LOATHE!

Has the missus said: do NOT dare to cut the palm trees, arsewipe!”?

[johnsmith]

But you have a shitload of palms that you LOATHE!

Has the missus said: do NOT dare to cut the palm trees, arsewipe!”?

palms are along the front boundary. Not really a good place for fruit trees, especially if I want to eat some of the fruit myself.

Having said that, I have one spot along there picked out for a fig, another further back .. although that second spot may go towards another carport later on. With 2 boys, I'm going to have a few extra cars in my yard in another 7 or 8 years time .... i need to start planning for it.

[HBS Guy]

Fucken, tell them to park in the street!

[HBS Guy]

Book on espalier training on its way!

John can thin the palm trees, use them as posts. Some wire netting and his fruit will be safe from feathered, four and two legged fruit thieves! That just leaves the refrigeration etc etc.

[johnsmith]

Book on espalier training on its way!

John can thin the palm trees, use them as posts. Some wire netting and his fruit will be safe from feathered, four and two legged fruit thieves! That just leaves the refrigeration etc etc.

i don't mind the two legged variety stealing some, as long as they leave me some.

[HBS Guy]

Got the Espalier book, will be handy.

Search Ebro™ espalier system. This is the best picture I could find on the web and it is crap:


Each of the four levels is flat with 6 wires under it so there is a lot of tree there, lots of fruit and none higher than 1.8m—bloody good!

I toyed for a while with making the two cider apple rows three using Ebro espalier. Could do it, keeping the spots I have worked on for planting the trees I will have there in September. That will allow 2 x 3 + 1 x 7 = 13 more cider apple trees. Maybe in the front yard when the house is built? Get the local yokels whispering again

Nah, too much work and I do not have enough time, 2 weeks last year, 4 weeks this year to establish fruit trees on a virgin block that has heavy, alkaline clay is ridiculously short. I could do without the extra expense too: would need another 9 posts, close to $200 plus hire of an auger, labor etc. Nah.

Plant the trees I got, the ones I ordered, make a simple espalier using say two or three or four wires each at 60cm, 100cm, 1400cm and 1800cm on row 5 where the beurre bosc etc pears will go. I say make, will get a carpenter to make it, allowing for where the posts are not exactly in a line. Bang in a couple long star droppers (need to be 1m deep or the clay will heave them out the ground eventually!) in the middle between two posts and wire some connection between them to carry the multiple wires at each height. Maybe star droppers at 2 metres from each post, then have three segments of 2m each. Easy.

[HBS Guy]

Look at this beautiful bit of leadlight I bought today for $250:

[HBS Guy]

The leadlighting is in an old, narrow door, obviously the survivor of two making up a folding door.

Reckon it would look stunning in the northern wall of my conservatory glowing in the sunlight.

The flowers are tulips, guess I will have to grow some, eh?

Stunning—and just $250!

[DonDeeHippy]

Got the Espalier book, will be handy.

Search Ebro™ espalier system. This is the best picture I could find on the web and it is crap:


Each of the four levels is flat with 6 wires under it so there is a lot of tree there, lots of fruit and none higher than 1.8m—bloody good!

I toyed for a while with making the two cider apple rows three using Ebro espalier. Could do it, keeping the spots I have worked on for planting the trees I will have there in September. That will allow 2 x 3 + 1 x 7 = 13 more cider apple trees. Maybe in the front yard when the house is built? Get the local yokels whispering again

Nah, too much work and I do not have enough time, 2 weeks last year, 4 weeks this year to establish fruit trees on a virgin block that has heavy, alkaline clay is ridiculously short. I could do without the extra expense too: would need another 9 posts, close to $200 plus hire of an auger, labor etc. Nah.

Plant the trees I got, the ones I ordered, make a simple espalier using say two or three or four wires each at 60cm, 100cm, 1400cm and 1800cm on row 5 where the beurre bosc etc pears will go. I say make, will get a carpenter to make it, allowing for where the posts are not exactly in a line. Bang in a couple long star droppers (need to be 1m deep or the clay will heave them out the ground eventually!) in the middle between two posts and wire some connection between them to carry the multiple wires at each height. Maybe star droppers at 2 metres from each post, then have three segments of 2m each. Easy.

Hey monk sounds good, get a quote from a good fencer as well, Chippies tend to over think fences and over charge...…
Unless your on black soil 600mm in the ground will be fine, The longest star picket is 2400mm so that's 1800mm above ground.
If you want advice on structure or anything I'm still fencing after 35 years and still love it (except on really hot days)

[HBS Guy]

I am on clay and clay moves which is why I got 3m posts and had them planted nearly 1m deep. Some of the cracks in the soil are like 10cm wide!

I will have metal cross pieces made here that can be attached to the posts. Posts are not exactly perfectly in line—a fencing contractor would do the job in minutes where I would klutz around for a day—time is what I don’t have. Not that I have a lot of $$$ but time actually on my block is the real limiting factor.

Thanks, Hippy!

If I have enough $$$ I will get the fencing contractor to replace the strand of barb wire on my side and back fence with plain wire. Don’t need that shit. Owner of the land to the south and east of my block is happy for me to do that—at my expense of course

[HBS Guy]

OK, ferry booked!

[HBS Guy]

I have two Beurre Bosc pears, one for perry, one for eating/cooking. Might put one in Row 5, one in Row 4 (or 3, will so some research. Good pollinator for some of the other perry pears (which will pollinate it, of course.)

Green Horse: Packham (Packham’s Triumph, an Australian pear) is a pollinator. Reckon I will buy another good pollinator:

Beurre Hardy

Ripens: March

This late ripening pear originates in the Anjou region of France where many of our best pears come from. It's a medium sized roundish pear with a deep orangy brown skin with a fair amount of russet. The yellowish-white flesh is fine, juicy, and of excellent flavour. Bears heavily and crops regularly. An instant favourite! Cooks well. Pollination by any...

It is given as a pollinator for Green Horse in several tree nursery sites. My fave site for research, Orange Pippin, does not seem to have or know about Green Horse, damn it.

I might use some very nice-looking Green Horse pears to preserve, a good pear for it. Doubt any other perry pear has culinary uses! Eating/cooking pears that look a bit crap will likely end up being milled/pressed with the perry pears.

[HBS Guy]

Row 5 worked out.

Have mixed the Beurre Bosc with the Green Horse to boost pollination—probably overthinking this WAY too much but there you go.

Wish there was a simple database program with text and pictures etc, I would create a layout to capture info about all my trees:

Pollination group—time it flowers, a tree blossoming in August cannot pollinate one blossoming in October!

Pollinators—with my trees even a tree classed as self fertile will get bigger crops if there is another tree of the same type/same pollination group nearby.

Shape of tree, leaf and fruit

Growth habit—slow/fast, tidy/sprawling etc

Diseases—how susceptible or how resistant

Uses of the fruit.

Etc.


Probably will create a format in a spreadsheet or page layout program, one page to a fruit, print them all out, file into clear plastic pockets (or laminate the them) and file in a folder, keep it in the garden shed and the electronic version on the laptop.

[HBS Guy]

Anybody wanting to plant some fruit trees these are some of the better sites to look:

Australian:
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
https://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au Not as information-rich or accurate as you would want but do sell cool temperate trees
https://www.heritagefruittrees.com.au

[HBS Guy]

Other:
http://www.fruitandnut.ie
https://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk
The best by far, good, detailed info (not on perry pears tho
http://www.orangepippin.com/