After a hiatus of 2 years, I am back to the world of gardening. In the interim, we sold out old house (2014) and lived in a rental condo (2015) and in June of 2015 bought our forever home. In our last home, I had success with various vegetables and flowers but our backyard was not very big so space was a problem. In this house, space is not an issue- it is a 4 acre property. So, I want to get adventures and start a home- orchard with some fruit trees and various berries, in addition to flowers and vegetables. So far, I ordered three apple trees, plum, apricot and a peach tree- all expected to come at the end of the month. In addition, I ordered, several types of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, not to mention several perennials. I should probably have gone slower but since all these takes time, I did not want to put it off. In other words, patience is not a virtue I possess. I would love for other gardeners to discuss their experiences- their success and learning experiences. Did anyone grow any fruit trees? Or berries? What did you learn?
For those that like to share their zone and where they purchase their plants or trees, that will be helpful too- online or local and if online, any favorite nurseries. I am in zone 6 and so far purchased my apple, plum and peach trees from a online nursery- Grandpa's orchard. Have not received any trees so cannot share my experience yet.
I grow blueberries, currants, gooseberries, elderberries and figs right now. I used to have raspberries, blackberries and strawberries but didn't care much for them so gave them away. I got all the berries from Nourse Farms, an excellent online nursery. The figs are from a local nursery. They are all very easy to grow. Initial soil prep pays big dividends. I do not have fruit trees since I didn't want to spray but I see plenty of peach and apple trees growing well in the neighborhood. I garden in Zone 7. Another great nursery for all kinds of fruit is Edible Lanscaping located in Virginia. Before ordering online I always check nursery reviews in Garden Watchdog.
Sdiva, I garden mostly for butterflies and hummingbirds, and buy almost all my plants online. I am happy to pass on nursery recommendations if you like.
Did you prep the soil a year before you planted blueberries? I learned that the soil should be prepped to make it acidic. I did not but the nursery said I can add peat and agricultural sulfur to amend it. I also bought my berries from Nourse and Burnt Ridge. I love figs and bought a chicago hardy fig. I am in zone 6B and most figs do well 7 and on wards but am going to try. My neighbor has a fig and his has been fine. Are there any online nursery for flowers that you recommend?
Initial soil prep: When we moved into our house there was a gigantic silver maple on the property. We raked all the leaves and spread it on the beds to break down into compost. The next spring, I ordered two full truckloads ( about 16 cubic yards) of compost delivered, then spread it on all the planting areas to a depth of 3-4 inches. This was a Herculean task and it helped that we were younger at the time. Today I would have to hire someone to do this. The soil amendments I added are all from Espoma, an organic line. I also used Milorganite. I used the 'Postage Stamp Garden Book' by Duane and Karen Newcomb as a guide to amending the soil. For blueberries, I just dug in a lot of peat at the time of planting and add peat each year. I have not added any sulfur. They are doing fine so far.
Nurseries for flowers: Santa Rosa Gardens: excellent choice, quality and prices Bluestone Perennials Select Seeds Sandy Mush Herb Nursery: nice salvias Flowers by the Sea: the absolute best salvias and just wonderful people to work with Hallson Gardens and Naylor Creek for hostas Swan Island Dahlias for dahlia tubers Corallitos Gardens for dahlia plants Old House Gardens for heirloom flowers and bulbs Schreiner's Iris
I forgot about roses: David Austin Roses, if you like English roses Chamblee's Roses and Roses Unlimited if you like old garden roses. I love Austins more than anything else but unfortunately had to get rid of mine since I live in black spot heaven. Day lilies: Maryott Unfortunately several of the smaller places I ordered from are closed now but Maryott is reliable and they give nice bonus plants.