Christmas Cash

My in laws were unable to buy or make anything to gift for Christmas, due to my FIL's on going health problems. Against my insistence my MIL compelled me to accept money as a gift. So after a lot of thought, here's how I will spend that money.

First 10% is going to God, the charity / church to be determined.

So I will add a little of my own money and buy these;

Stark Brothers Nursery ( http://www.starkbros.com/) has a reputation for delivering quality plants in a timely manner, and I have been wanting Goji berry bushes ( http://www.starkbros.com/products/berry-plants/goji-berry-plants/lifeberry-goji-berry-assortment ), Filbert nut trees ( http://www.starkbros.com/products/nut-trees/filbert-hazelnut-trees/fingerlakes-super-hardy-filbert-hazelnut ), and more plum trees, to go with my two surviving Damson plums ( http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/plum-trees/starking-delicious-plum and http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/plum-trees/ozark-premier-plum )

In this way I can move forward with the orchard plans (delayed by weather, family and work schedule issues) and let the in laws enjoy the fruits of their gift   

Great idea Keith, basically they are providing you an opportunity to purchase a gift that keeps on giving.

I'm all for that type of gift. The best presents are not necessarily those that are found wrapped up in pretty paper w/bows on them, but the gifts that keep giving for years to come. If I had had my orchard area ready, I would have asked for fruit trees for Christmas.

LOL, asking for trees might be tricky, some need specific pollinators, some have different space requirements. I prefer Dwarf fruit trees, for the ease of care. The trade off is a shortened life expectancy. So with the dwarf trees I plan to start a 7 to 10 year rotation. By adding new seedlings / graftlings every 7 to 10 years there should be an over lap between the new trees coming into bearing age, and the older ones dying out.

That sounds great Keith. I still have a dream of being able to have my own place and someday plant berry bushes, fruit trees, etc. But for now I am happy to be here where the Lord has put me.

That is so cool that you are able to do that.

some berry plants can be container grown, if you have room.

That is interesting. We have thought about strawberries because we know they can be container grown. We have thought about putting in blue berries and then digging them up to take with us when the time comes. We also love currants and planted them at one place where we were but the next pastor tore them out (ouch).    They were doing good too.

I would also like black berries and red raspberries. But I don't know about doing them in a container.

Another place where I was I built arbors and planted several kinds of grapes but we moved and I have never been back to see how they did.

I'll see what I can dig up and post a thread about container berries.

Looking for it. Thanks.

If I ask for trees, it would be specific ones.

I love Stark Bros. I have bought lots of things from them in the past and always gotten good quality plants.

I am doing a lot of dreaming in nursery catalogs myself these days. This new place has nothing but trash trees and dock weed. It is crying out for an orchard and some gardens.

Farmfresh wrote:I love Stark Bros.  I have bought lots of things from them in the past and always gotten good quality plants.  


 This new place has nothing but trash trees and dock weed.  It is crying out for an orchard and some gardens.  

Stark Bros. has always delivered healthy, quality trees to my family for many generations. If we can't find what we want or need locally then we buy from Stark Bros, or if they say it's not compatible with our growing zone, then we pick something else.


When I first saw this place, my wife had already rejected it. Horse weeds, honeysuckle, sumac, and sassafras trees were all that could be seen from the road. She showed it to me anyway, because nothing I had seen looked like anything I wanted to tackle. The weeds were over my head, but I walked through some of the really rough stuff, and was able to look down the hill at how the land lay. I told her it was a diamond in the rough. A couple of soon to be neighbors walked over to talk to us, and we hit it off. A few weeks later we closed on the property, and one of the neighbors bush hogged the property for us. DW's eyes were as big as saucers, and her jaw hit the ground when she saw it cleaned up for the first time. It's been four years, and we are still planting, and adding things here and there, but it's coming along. I still have a few junk trees to remove, but the rest are either a benefit to wildlife, or are too remote to get my attention at this point.

Wondered whether or not sassafras grew in Kentucky, now I don't need to look that up.   While it's not a great wood for burning, it's great for starting fires.

Sassafras roots make great tea too. I love sassafras tea when I can get it. Sassafras is also a beautiful wood to work with. I have turned it on my lathe and it makes the shop smell wonderful.

In my journal (on another forum) I was talking a bit about trees and brought up a catalpa for a pasture tree.  Have you ever worked catalpa wood Rohn?  It is beautiful.

Farmfresh wrote:In my journal  (on another forum) I was talking a bit about trees and brought up a catalpa for a pasture tree.  Have you ever worked catalpa wood Rohn?  It is beautiful.

No, I never have but I know some for a wood forum that I frequent that have. The things they made were very attractive.

I am planning on starting a couple catalpa trees from seeds gathered from my grandfathers farm. (There is only one old catalpa remaining there) More sentimental than anything, but the catalpa worm is one of the best fishing baits there is in this area.

Don't think I've ever seen the catalpa worm around here. But there are so few catalpas in the area-it's not a native tree.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratomia_catalpae

I'm sure you've seen the moth stage

That is one reason that I had considered it as a pasture tree. We have several lakes around here and small bait shops. Those worms might provide a bit of extra income for this old lady.

hmm, never thought about selling 'em... If there are some old timers in the area that like fishing you will have a few customers. Now if you can get them to talk to younger fishing buddies, you will have a market. The season for them is pretty short though, and I've never been able to keep them more than a couple of days.

According to my research you freeze them! They will hold in near perfect condition for over 4 months!! Plenty of time to sell if you are stocking a bait shop.   

It seems that Currants can be grown in containers...

It seems you can grow them in containers

http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-grow-currants-and-gooseberries-in-your-container-garden/

http://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/plant-manuals/berry-plants/currant-plants/red-lake-currant

Do not plant within 900 ft. of white pines. Cold-hardy. Ripens in July. Self-pollinating.

A mature Currant or Gooseberry bush can produce 6-10 pounds of fruit, so unless you plan on feeding a small army solely with berries, you don’t need to line your entire balcony with these berry bushes. That being said, some varieties of Currants are self-fertile, while others need a different variety of Currant (that blooms at the same time) nearby to cross-pollinate with. Read the plant tag or catalog description carefully to determine if the Currant you are considering needs a cross-pollinator. If it does, grow the plants side-by-side, or even better, in the same pot. All Gooseberries are self-fertile, so you’re fine with only one plant, if that’s all you want.

Currants and Gooseberries are shallow rooted bushes, so you only need a pot that is 15 inches deep. One that is wider rather than taller would be best. Choose a good quality potting soil that drains well. When potting up your plant, make sure that the crown of the plant (the main stem of the plant just above the roots) is about an inch below the rim of the pot.

Interesting that the balcony plants are being grown in full sun. Most of what I have read recommends partial shade, because the currants and gooseberries are both understory plants. I guess the gooseberry needs more sunlight than the currant, but they are both supposed to do well in partial shade.

I was curious as to why it said not to grow it w/in 900 ft of white pine, so I did some research. Growing it too close to white pines can spread white pine rust. It needs both the currants and the white pine to complete it's life cycle, and can kill the white pine!

Because of this, it used to be banned in the US. And while the ban has been lifted, there are still states where it is banned.