- Author: Amy Breschini
Published on: February 23, 2010
Saturday February 20th marked our second "Advice to Grow By" Workshop at the UC Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden in San Luis Obispo.
More than 85 people attended! Thank you to all of you who are finding time on Saturday mornings to attend our workshops!
Charles did an excellent job leading this detailed workshop. It's impossible to learn everything about fruit trees in less than two hours, but he really covered a lot!
Here are some tips that I picked up during the class!
1. Know how many chill hours you have in your zone. (click on "Chill hours and frost dates" below)
2. Find ways to incorporate other varieties in your yard, by either multiple planting or grafting trees. Multiple plantings are something that is fairly new and we are excited to see how this can be used in small yards. We followed Dave Wilson's Backyard Orchard Culture for this.
3. Be aware if the varieties you select need a pollinator. Even though some trees are self-pollinating, they may produce even better with a pollinator nearby.
4. Know what rootstock your tree is planted on. It affects the size and the water requirements of the tree. Certain rootstocks may be more tolerant of your soil conditions than others. It is also important to know this when you are planting multiple trees in the same hole. The trees need to have equal vigor to compete with each other. A good nursery will have the rootstock labeled. The label is often separate from the variety label and usually a different color, located somewhere on the trunk.
5. Plant what you love! Go to local farmers market and taste varieties to find ones that you love! We listed some varieties in the attachment below that do well in our county, but new varieites are always coming on the market! Don't miss out tasting apriums and pluots before you run out of room in your backyard!
6. For more detailed information on everything from planting to disease and pests, visit the California Backyard Orchard. http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/
In our efforts to reduce wasted handouts during our workshops, we are posting our information here. Please see the underlined links below.
We'll see you in the garden every 3rd Saturday of the month for our community education program called "Advice to Grow By"! We meet at 10am, please bring a lawn chair, hats, sunglasses and layered jackets are recommended.
Restrooms are located inside the main building (enter the UC Auditorium doors at the parking lot level).
Happy Planting!
Attached Files
CHILL HOURS AND FROST DATES
Suggested Fruit and Nut Varieties for SLO and SB Counties'
No Comments Posted.
Leave a Reply: