Jesse D Henderson

Blueberry leaves turn red when they die. Always loosen the roots of transplants. Grass clippings in contact with the blueberry roots could deprive the plant of nitrogen.  I personally would dig it up and dig a hole twice the diameter of the root ball to plant in. Plants like soil. If you need to add acidity, mulch with citrus peels.

Mike Jay wrote:I don't know much about grafting but I'd like to get into it.  Before I prune these suckers off of the base of my apple, I'm wondering if they are the scion or the root stock?  

IF it's from the root stock, if I let one grow into a branch, could I start root stock from a cutting of it in future years?  

Or should I prune it off and get it started now for a grafting operation next year once it has good roots established?  

Sorry for the noobie questions.

Yes, try it! Another thing to look for when determining scion vs. rootstock is the growing habit. Those look like pretty aggressive suckers, so it's probably root stock. I tried doing this last year but I exposed my cutting to too much sun and it failed. Second on the rooting powder.

mark fitton wrote:Howdy folks! new to this site and love it. I have 2 1/2 acers in the mnts of NC and would like to now what type of fruit or nut trees I can grow on the property. elev I think is around 3000. have a streem that runs along the property. would love to turn it into a edible landscape. thks for any input.

Hey Mark, Useful Plants Nursery in Black Mountain, NC carries a lot of edible landscaping plants. They've been a primary source for me. I'm in Raleigh.

Matthew McCoul wrote:I'm putting in a new bedand I'm thinking about inoculating it with edible mushroom spores.

does anyone have experience with this? What kind of mushrooms / fungi are a good idea? Oyster mushrooms? wine caps? shiitake mushrooms? and what should I do to get them to grow there?

I am new to growing mushrooms in general.

I've had the same question. I just inoculated some shiitake logs for the first time! I'm deciding not to risk contamination with this batch so I'm following the directions and stacking the logs on a pallet in the shade. (There is a method that some people use, however, where they partially bury a log like a stump)
But I have heard of people doing this or doing something similar. For example, this guy I follow on Youtube inoculated carboard with Stropharia and buried it in his garden: Stropharia in the Garden

I would guess that if you are willing to take the chance that some other fungus will out-compete the one you inoculate with, the plus side is that the wood you bury will have broken down faster than it would have otherwise. So your hugul mound would benefit even if your mushrooms fail. Alternatively if you bury the log without inoculating, you're counting on some kind of fungus coming along, and who knows how efficient that random fungus will be at breaking down the wood?

If you experiment with this let me know.
Best,
Jesse

Thanks for your response Bryant.
My grandfather used to put human hair in stockings and hang them around his farm to keep the deer at bay. I'll try that if I can get enough hair! I do have 4 foot high fences enclosing my back yard, but the deer seem to jump at least one of the fences. I'm planning on addressing that by installing trellises along the fence and running a vining plant up them.

I do have some bee balm seeds and sage seedlings, so I'll give that a try.
Since my post I have also read that deer don't like wormwood, so I might give that a try too at some point.

Seed exchange is typical of annuals. How about tree cuttings/ seed exchange? It shouldn't be too hard to mail these to each other in exchange for shipping and handling and/or a trade and/or a small profit. Does this already exist?

If you want to participate list the species/variety and the locale where the tree has grown successfully (plus any advice you have). Include your terms. Also include what you currently need!

Example: I'll soon be planting two apple tree varieties: Liberty and William's Pride in USDA zone 7b, North Carolina. I'm also planting a Celeste fig. I could offer cuttings for trade when it's time for pruning.

I'd like to have some white willow cuttings for building a live fence. I'd like additional apple varieties for grafting. I'd like persimmon and paw paw seeds.

What do you need?

Hey permies,
I am starting a vegetable bed at a my new home. Can you double check my work to see if I'm making a newbie mistake?

I have seedling starts that are doing well. I know about hardening them off. I'll transplant and direct sow other plants after my last frost date. I've read up on amending my local soil (North Carolina clay). I'll have soil test results in about 2 weeks. This won't be a raised bed but the (sunny) area is slightly higher in elevation than neighboring portions of my yard, so I think this will assist in clay's drainage issue in addition to my amendments.

I've mapped out the beds with sticks and string, and I aimed for curvy paths with internal forks and keyholes (I'll have to post pictures later). I did this because I heard it can confuse pests relative to straight rows. Also I'm thinking it will create variation/ecological niches so I can learn my plants' preferences. Hopefully it will limit deer and rabbit access too. I'm planning to place taller plants on the north side. I'll be doing a three sisters guild and some variations where I switch corn for amaranth or sunflowers. Bushy plants (bush beans, peppers) will be on the south/periphery. Do you know if interplanting beans with peppers is a good idea (for nitrogen fixation)? I have a packet of rhizobium in occupant. I will plant some dynamic accumulators and beneficial insect attractors.

Incidentally are there deer/rabbit-repellent plants I could place on the periphery?

Here's what I'm most unsure about. I'm planning for dense interplanting. I have an idea that's a spinoff of sheet-mulching and square foot gardening (but I've been unable to find anyone else who's tried this). I am planning to make 12"x12" cardboard planting templates. I'll cut holes large enough to accommodate final stem size. I'll place the templates on top of the amended soil and wet them, and secure them somehow. I'll plant the right seeds in the right holes at the right depth. I'll then mulch with straw so the cardboard can have some sunblock, and so i don't freak out the neighbors. So it's sort of surface sheet mulching. Theoretically it will keep the weeds at bay for my sown seeds and keep the soil moist. Do you see any problem with this? I'll mulch the paths as well.

Thanks in advance for your help and insights. I'll post some pictures when I'm able.

Hey Scott, I'm in NC as well and will be planting some grapes in a few weeks. Thanks for this thread. FYI, after April 1 NC Dept of Ag does free soil tests. You just have to pick up the boxes/forms at your local extension office.

I'm loving these tips. I just got a volunteer potato plant from my compost pile.

A question about avocados: I've heard of germinating them by suspending them by toothpicks in water. I'm running that experiment right now. But what would happen if I just bury the whole thing? Sometimes I forget about an avocado and when I cut into it there are roots starting. Has anyone tried this method? I would think it's closer to what would happen in nature.

Then of course I'll have to figure out if the resulting tree will grow in North Carolina. I've heard there are cold hardy strains but I don't know if those avocados are in grocery stores.

This sounds great Willy - Nice use for the stumps!