What Did You Do In The Garden?

To tell the truth I haven't seen ANY dead large branches or small branches, just some blackened discoloration, a split and some bark missing and a couple of small twigs that were dead. I cut all of that out and went beyond it. I SUCCESSFULLY!!! cut out fire blight from my pear tree 2 years ago. I cut back 8 inches beyond the dead leaves and dying small branches---it is an ~5yo tree now--and it came back gangbusters. Most of this year's pear tree pruning was the waterspouts that grew up after the pruning and it looks really healthy.
My apple tree looks really healthy, too. I would say the 95% of what I pruned was alive and kicking. I will take your advice and spray it with a fungicide. I don't really know how old it is, but it is at LEAST 25yo. I have gotten good crops from it but never sprayed, so the apples were small, but very sweet The GD apple tree that died about 12 ft away from this one probably suffered from pruning neglect AND blight. I got to it too late and after 3 years the stump had rotted and knocked itSelf over.
We are really late on budding out but I will be pruning crossover branches, 1-2" wide this weekend and looking very hard at anything else that I think I should cut out.
I plan to treat my fruit trees with neem oil this summer bc it isn't harmful to my animals. We will see if that prevents any insects from going after them.
I will let you know if I see any flower buds in the next few weeks. They won't bud out very fast. Although it was 75 degrees yesterday, 65 today and tomorrow, we will be getting down to 28 Monday morning. Everything here this year is VERY LATE.

ninnymary said:

I planted Honeynut butternut squash, Scarlett runner beans, and cilantro. Pruned my meyer lemon a tiny bit. Thinned the fruit in my peach tree.

Mary

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You just sound so so SUNSHINY lol. i can laugh now since we have had sun for a couple of days. Thinning peaches just sounds amazing.

murphysranch said:

I'm amazed at some of the plants that I got and put in last fall are not sprouting out yet. Specifically the crepe myrtle - I see some green wood when I snap off some twigs, but otherwise dormant. Also the freeway plants all died (I can never remember the name, but they are all over the freeways in Calif, in red or pink or white)- they sell them here but they didn't make it. I have the receipt and will take them back. Fred Meyer was selling terrific grasses last fall, and so far the five of them are dead as a door nail.

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I looked at pictures from last year and the year before and the cherry bush had flowers in April. Today they are barely getting leaves to open.

Yesterday, I took the plastic off the lettuce, weeded and planted lettuce where it did not come up and the rest of the box I planted, parsley, arugula, Swiss Chard, more lettuce, mustard and I put netting on to keep my cat out. I transplanted 32 peppers, 18 tomatoes and not sure how many collards and kale. I am going to start a few tomatoes today. I am sort of disappointed in my tomatoes and I will be probably planting tomatoes and peppers late this year.

Finally getting some seedling trays filled with seed...WAY late, of course, but glad it's happening anyway. Tomorrow I'll try to transplant tomato and pepper seedlings to larger containers...I normally don't do that, but trying new things this year.

That will free up that tray for more seeds.

Sugar snap peas are coming up...slow to germinate compared to last year and also less germination. Different source of seeds, so I'll remember that and won't source that next time.

Attacked one of the patches of small, leftover burdock in the north pasture yesterday. There were still a few left, but the 2nd wheelbarrow of it was full and I had had it for the day. Even though they were small I still had to pull burrs off of my arms, sleeves and even gloves. BUT, they helped to burn the pruned branches and logs from my apple, pear and peach trees. I also cleaned up weeds and sticks from underneath the part of the fence leading to the gate by the middle of fencing, street side. I felt very productive. DD mowed the yard and the south pasture. I just mowed enough to entertain the chickens and dumped two bags of grass for them to play with.

ducks4you said:

Attacked one of the patches of small, leftover burdock in the north pasture yesterday. There were still a few left, but the 2nd wheelbarrow of it was full and I had had it for the day. Even though they were small I still had to pull burrs off of my arms, sleeves and even gloves. BUT, they helped to burn the pruned branches and logs from my apple, pear and peach trees. I also cleaned up weeds and sticks from underneath the part of the fence leading to the gate by the middle of fencing, street side. I felt very productive. DD mowed the yard and the south pasture. I just mowed enough to entertain the chickens and dumped two bags of grass for them to play with.

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You get the prize for the worst job, I think.

I can barely move today. Going to do some stretching and take another hot bath. We burned the debris that we had been piling from all of the winter storm, Christmas boughs, and the nasty grass that I keep pulling out of my beds. I always think it will take an hour, but it took all day. Did mote cardboard and leaf mulching. Got a fresh load of leaves yesterday from my landscaper guy. I have not been getting too many this year. They mix branches with leaves so only bring me the clean batches. One gardener's trash is another gardener's treasure.

ducks4you said:

Attacked one of the patches of small, leftover burdock in the north pasture yesterday. There were still a few left, but the 2nd wheelbarrow of it was full and I had had it for the day. Even though they were small I still had to pull burrs off of my arms, sleeves and even gloves. BUT, they helped to burn the pruned branches and logs from my apple, pear and peach trees. I also cleaned up weeds and sticks from underneath the part of the fence leading to the gate by the middle of fencing, street side. I felt very productive. DD mowed the yard and the south pasture. I just mowed enough to entertain the chickens and dumped two bags of grass for them to play with.

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Sounds like a very productive day.

Mary

Today I finally pruned my seven apple trees.
It's very late, I should have had it done before March, so I will be dealing with exuberant growth at the cuts and a lot of waterspouts.
But it's done, and I'll worry about the overgrowth in August.