The compost piles started heating up just before the last snowstorm this past week. Despite 10" of new snow there was no snow on top of my piles. The thermometer confirms just shy of 130f and heading higher. I will wait about 5 days and then turn the outside to the inside. I plan on getting it finished prior to planing squash on top in about a month.
I hear you. It can't come soon enough. Asparagus is welcome after a long winter. Mine is still aways away. The frost just went out a few days ago. In Ohio yours should really start coming on any day now. Farmer Steve's picture is getting me excited for what is to come soon. How many crowns are all you folks harvesting off of? I have 23 mature crowns ready to harvest and some smaller ones in a few places here and there that are another year out. I love snapping off spears while I am working out in the garden for an after-work snack, or quick breakfast on the weekends. Fresh asparagus is nothing like store bought. It is full of moisture and so tender, not mention tasty.
A big question for you horticulturist. I have an apple tree that I had cut down many years ago. There are branches sprouting out of the trunk. Will these branches ever produce apples? Thinking about making the remainder of the stump into firewood and burning it out or maybe pruning out what I have.
It's been rainy here too. Been doing the same thing upsizing the pots on tomatoes and peppers. I've been using 1/2 gallon cardboard milk containers for pots so if we have too much cold weather in May I can hold them in the greenhouse a little longer without having to water them twice a day. Tall solo cups work good too. Plus they stack a little better. LOL, some early lettuce plants I started had Komatsuna (asian mustard greens) instead of lettuce seeds in the packet. The "lettuce" leaves got HUGE !! Tis OK as I like it stir fry.
I would only let one stem grow on each trunk. But there's a good chance once that stump rots you'll end up with a not very strong tree(s) with a weak point at the base. But it could be fine too. If that was a grafted tree ( and a double stem probably wasn't) and all you have left is the root stock you might end up with rather small apples that could be bitter or even tasteless. Never know though. I'd start over with a newly engineered tree for apples, but for smoking wood the current coppiced state probably works well to just leave as is.
Nice fat stems. I think ours is getting old ( is 30 years old old for asparagus ? ) as some of them don't get big and fat any more. They do get a number of fertilizers every year.
Lettuce that grew up to be asian mustard greens: I put those in those larger containers earlier than others and they really took off while the greenhouse was still cool. Surprisingly they don't seem to use a lot of water, but I've only planted mustard greens in the ground before. Peppers are still indoors as I find they really don't like cooler nights very much and they still fit under the lights.
Depends. If your tree was from a graft, ( a graft is the most common, it is a verity of apple grafted to a hearty rootstock. ) if the suckera are growing above or below the graft. If above then you can select a good leader and prun the rest away. If below, only then it is the tree root stock that is growing. The best potential there is to graft a cutting from some other apple tree you like. grafting is a simple thing to do. Just check it out on youtube. With a good rootstock and a good graft union, you should rapidly be back into apples. Be aware that most orchards pull the old stock out, roots and all and plant all new stock.
Thanks. I worked with an older, older at the time not now, gentleman that explained about grafting. One statement he made I still remember "Apple trees are grafted and you will not get the apple that the tree produced from the seeds." True or not that has always stuck with me. I took the tree down perhaps 6 or 7 years ago. It produced red apples. I believe red delicious. I have a yellow delicious tree that is dying out. May have to research and try some grafting. The wood looks very tempting and my wife would like the apple trees out of here. I bought the place 23 years ago and didn't have time or interest in pruning them. Retired now and have the time.
The odds are pretty much against it relying on pollination and not knowing parentage in the pollination process. You could buy some root stock and snag some scions from the favorite tree and end up with some clones that will likely be easier to maintain. But geez good luck trying to buy root stock. Seem every grower is working on contract and minimums to be worth their while is thousands of starts.
...wow....how old is that? Did you plant that bed or is it wild? A few of my new Pacific Purple guys are just starting to peek out.
We planted that bed in 97 or 98 IIRC. Jersey Knight is the variety. I'd like to try one purple types. Need to find some seeds.
Not really that old. There is a plant growing at my dad's farm that has been there since i was a kid. (i'm 64) Dad harvested seeds from it and started a whole new patch about 6 years ago. All male types produce bigger stems than other types. over harvesting can result in smaller stems the following year. i cut 4-6 weeks every year and when i see size decrease i quit cutting. i fertilize after i quit cutting 1 or 2 times in the summer as the ferns need to grow good to put energy in the roots for the next year.
Getting the garden going early this year. Looks like frost is done. Fruit trees are just blooming. Lack of bees, so I tried pollinating my pear tree by hand. We shall see. On a whim, had a few potatoes sprouting in the kitchen... so, put in a potato patch.
