I doubt it's cold enough around here to grow cherries. I want to grow cherries. And apples. Granny smith apples make the best fresh juice.
I could fill a whole page or three with a list of the food and herbs I'd like to grow. Okay, maybe not a blog page. They're pretty long.
I can't find my list, so let's see if I can remember some of the plants I would like to have.
Elberta peaches
green cherries
dark red cherries
yellow cherries with a blush (all of these are sweet cherries)
red apples
yellow apples (yellow delicious)
green apples (granny smith)
green plums
dark red/purple plums
plums
pears
mulberry
pawpaw
raisin tree
banana
apricot
pecan (round paper shell)
almonds
hickory
chestnut
hazelnut
(a couple of kinds of nut trees I can't remember, that aren't your average run-of-the-mill nut in the west)
black currants
red currants
gooseberry
red raspberry
black raspberry
yellow raspberry
blueberry
blackberry
loganberry
strawberry
I'm sure I have forgotten several berries, as well as several fruit trees
a night-blooming garden
a water garden (only water plants)
a water garden (only water plants)
a flower garden made completely of edible flowers
herbs such as comfrey
mint (peppermint, spearmint, catmint, pineapple mint, etc.)
yarrow
feverfew
thymeherbs
rosemary
sage
St. John's wort (it's beautiful – I had some before, never used them but loved to look at them)
catnip
echinacea
wormwood
garlic
chives, soapwort, etc.
mint (peppermint, spearmint, catmint, pineapple mint, etc.)
yarrow
feverfew
thymeherbs
rosemary
sage
St. John's wort (it's beautiful – I had some before, never used them but loved to look at them)
catnip
echinacea
wormwood
garlic
chives, soapwort, etc.
assorted greens to eat (chard, arugula, etc.)
melons (large variety)
corn
green beans
tomatoes (large variety)
potatoes (large variety)
squash (including pumpkins)
beets
Jerusalem artichokes
artichokes
carrots
peas (edible pods)
legumes
wheat
oats
rye
and so forth.
hmmmmm
ReplyDeleteLOL Your comment made it through the maze.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest finding out what the average hours of cold (below freezing) temperatures are for your area. Then find fruit tree varieties that have low chill hours in that range. You may be able to grow more varieties of fruit than you think.
ReplyDeleteIt can get as low as about 27* at night, but the days are always above freezing. It's my understanding that cherries (for example) need to be colder than that to bear fruit.
ReplyDeleteThere is an orchard at the base of the mountain that is nearby. I don't know their altitude, but it is higher than the towns here. They grow and sell apples and peaches.
I wonder if it's possible to have a reverse green house, where it makes the plants colder?
ReplyDeleteAs long as the trees receive a certain amount of time below freezing they will bear fruit. There are different amounts of time required by each variety of fruit as well as types within a variety. So even if the temperature is cold enough at night and warmer during the day it is the overall amount of time in the cold temperatures that matters. I will see if I can find some information and send it to you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while working at DI I came across a book, "The Flower Cookbook". It is interesting and filled with information. The author also wrote "The Weed Cookbook". I would love to find a copy to see what weeds were used and how.
Love your list by the way.
Oh. I thought the trees had to be under freezing for several weeks or several months, without ever being "unfrozen". I'll have to learn more about this.
ReplyDeleteThe flower cookbook sounds lovely. *envy envy* :)
You would just have to run a cooler in the winter in the greenhouse to keep it super cold. :)
ReplyDeleteA refrigeration unit! Thick walls, some solar panels and/or windmills to keep the cost down. Perhaps have it sunk into the north side of a hill.
ReplyDeleteCould be realistic.