Garden Planning Starts Now

First of all, for anyone who is planning to have a winter garden, now is the time to get the seeds in the ground. Yes, right now. Plant: kale, spinach, chard, beets, potatoes, carrots, brassicas, and turnips. You need to get the plants well established before the cold season returns.

Secondly, now is the perfect time to plan out what bare root plants you will want to establish this coming winter. Why now? Because you can see where the hottest spots are in your garden, you can see which spots really need filling in. If you know you are going to be buying a bare root fruit tree you can make sure that the spot is prepared now, while the ground isn't soggy. It will make your winter plantings much easier.

I have wood, a lot of dirt, and plenty of space...it's time to build a few more beds and get my winter seeds in the dirt. Why haven't I done it already? Good question. Very valid question indeed. The job hunt and financial stress we've been under has caused a lot of mind muddle which prevents me from doing anything useful at all. Then I went and (with very good intentions) read a book that ground me down for a full three days (all of last weekend). I have once again learned my lesson in triplicate: read only books that will not rip away my fragile shell of denial.

So here we are again. Not feeling bad at all. Excited by the fortune that has given me an interview in the one place I've secretly been wanting to work my whole life. A place I would have studied to work if I wasn't already on a different path by the time I realized it was a career option. This interview may not result in a job, but I am never the less grateful for the opportunity to try for it. I am buoyed by this sweet brush of luck.

The only real mar on my ability to achieve total kick ass results in the garden right now is my need to work on the talk that Nicole and I are giving at the library on food preserving. I'm pretty excited about it. Sharing my passions with others is something I constantly do whether or not anyone wants me to. Public speaking, though, is one of those things I tend to view as an enemy TO MY LIFE. Yes, I shake, I quiver, I sweat, my mind delivers complete emptiness, the palpitations start, and before you know I am passed out on the floor.

OK, I've never actually passed out from speaking to groups. I've only passed out from severe panic attacks or seeing so much blood come out of my son's nose that I'm sure we could float away on his river of blood.

I will keep reminding myself that the purpose of the talk is to get other people excited about doing some food preserving. The more people who preserve their own food the more people I'll get to geek out with over it.

Back to garden planning: I am thinking about what fruit trees to plant. There is a lot of thought that has to go into this. It's not simple. For one thing I have to narrow my choices down to those that do well in my climate. We have some serious issues to consider here when choosing apples- apple scab is a big problem. Another one is leaf curl which plagues stone fruits such as peaches and plums. Cherries are prone to cracking here where it rains so much in the spring. Then there's the question of what you actually want to eat and how you will process the excess. If you plant a fruit tree there will eventually be excess. Maybe not for several years, but if the tree lives and is relatively healthy it will give you fruit.

You also have to consider pollinators. Not all fruit trees require a pollinator but many of them do. Sour cherries don't need any company in the orchard to give you fruit. Many peaches are self fertile as well, though not all of them.

I have a large city lot with no established trees on it so I can plant a couple of trees that I can allow to grow large. What kind of fruit do I most want to be able to pick from my own garden and not have to buy at all in a few years? Oh, that's such a problem because my answer is: I want it all!!!! The OSU extension service has some very good publications about fruit trees for the Willamette Valley. For those who don't live here in my area, be sure to check your own extension office. Most counties have one or there may be one in the next county over from you. They are a great resource for local gardening and pest information. Plus, most of their information is free.

I want a peach tree. I would really like two of them so I have enough to can a lot against the winter. Peaches are often over two dollars a pound at the farmer's market. You can get them much more cheaply at big grocery stores but often they aren't reliably good. I can get good peaches from the u-pick operations in my area but I may not be able to depend on them over time. Their prices will surely (of necessity) rise, and they may not exist in a few more years. I love canned peaches even more than canned pears. Fresh peaches are certainly one of summer's most precious gifts. It is difficult to choose them. So far the only one I'm certain I want is "Suncrest" which may not be easy to find. Honestly, one tree just might be enough.

Sweet cherries. Although my friends Ericka and Jim have a delicious yellow cherry tree in their yard (they don't know what kind it is) I don't generally prefer the yellow ones. So I want "Bing" cherries. Unfortunately "Bing" cherries are especially prone to cracking here in my area. So I need to choose a variety that does well here but is like a "Bing". I have narrowed it down to three choices: "Lambert", "Stella", or "Lapin". If anyone has personal tasting or growing experience with these, would you please step up the the mike and tell me what you think?

Sour Cherries: for me it will have to be "Morello". I know the general vote goes to "Montmorency" but I'm going to have to stick with "Morellos" which have a deeper red color and redder flesh. "Morello" is a favorite old English variety. It is a naturally dwarfing tree.

My mother has just arrived so I will continue this post later.