Ramona, CA

Winter Offers Good Planting Opportunities by Carol Nagy Jacklin and Sally Snipes "And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been." — Rainer Maria Rilke Although our entire county has been overwhelmed with the trauma of burned earth, we need to focus on the future. This spring will be a particularly beautiful one because of the fertilizing ash that has covered the hills. Some seeds need the effects of fire in order to sprout, so many wildflowers will grow in profusion — some you may never have seen before. We can enhance the beauty of the coming spring by doing some planting now. It is time to shop for bare-root trees and shrubs. Consider planting bare-root fruit trees to replace trees you have lost, or to begin or add to your orchard. Many varieties of fruit trees require the winter chill that our mountain climate easily provides. Pear and apple trees particularly thrive here. They make outstanding additions to gardens, producing lovely spring blossoms, summer or fall fruit and often striking fall color. We want to discuss pears and apples to help you make a selection, and this is the time of year you can taste the fruit. Tasting should be your primary guide in making a selection. Pears There are several good pear varieties. Yellow Bartlett is the most commonly available in stores, and it grows well in the mountains. Bosc, Seckel, and Comisce are other good candidates to please your taste. Given a choice, most folks seem to like the red Bartlett best. Its tree is hardy and beautiful, and we strongly recommend it. Apples People find it hard to agree on which apple variety tastes best. There are hundreds of varieties, and each has its proponents. To continue a true name variety, you must have grafted rootstock. Planting apple seeds will create a new variety, depending on what other types pollinated the parent tree. Five different trees can result from the seeds of one apple! Some apples need at least one other tree of their own variety to pollinate (Red Delicious, Gravenstein, King, Mutsu, Northern Spy, Winter Banana, Empire, McIntosh and Winesap.) Never plant these as single trees. Some varieties are especially good keepers; they can be kept in a cool place for months (Yellow Newtown Pippin, Winesap, Fireside, Sweet Delicious, Macoun, Yellow Transparent, Spartan, Tayman Winesap, Granny Smith, King Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening, Spitzenberg or Cox Orange Pippin.) Varieties that do not sunburn in hot summer areas like Julian are Arkane, Red and Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Apple Babe, Mutsu, Empire, Summerred and Anna. Harvest times vary tremendously. If you plant several selections, your small orchard can produce apples from June through November. A few examples: Early Harvest in June; Red Astrachan or Lodi in July; Akane, Prima, Pettingill in August; Golden and Red Delicious the end of September; Winesap and Mutsu in early October, Red Rome and Newtown Pippin at the end of October; Granny Smith in early November. When choosing apple trees, consider antique or heirloom varieties. Commercial marketers have narrowed the apples most available today to meet two criteria — good keepers and beauty. Unfortunately, taste is often sacrificed to these other two qualities. The backyard farmer plays an essential role in keeping old apples alive for future generations. Sources for antique apples: • Greenmantle nursery ($4 catalog), 3010 Ettersburg Rd., Garberville, CA 95542 • Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery (free catalog), 4395 Westside Rd., Healdsburg, CA 95448; www.applenursery.com • Applesource (free catalog), 1716 Apple Road, Chapin, IL 62628; www.applesource.com Maintaining Fruit Trees This is the time to prune your fruit trees. Remember to encourage branches that are perpendicular to the trunk. Ideally, a sequence or spiral of strong branches up the main trunk is the goal. Cut out any weak or diseased branches, and make your cuts very close to the main trunk. Sharp tools make the job easier. Clients have told us that pruning a young tree seems cruel, but it will erase hours of heavy surgery years later. Don’t prune off more than half the tree. Maximize the effect, but minimize the trauma. If deer are a problem in your area, try ringing your young trees with lavender plants and daffodils. Beautiful blossoms and aromatic smells keep the deer back a bit and so they are less likely to nibble. This spring will bring us new inspiration of what Mother Nature can do without our help. We will witness regrowth and the hope that comes with it. Planting will keep us focused on the future. Planting fruit trees is an especially good way to plan for future generations.