Wow! It has been four weeks since my last post. Time flies!! This post gets us through 2/3 of the year. Hoping that I can make it the whole year!!
Our winter is upside down. My last post was about how spring felt like it was upon us...and just after I said it, winter set in again. We have had rain, snow flurries, and below freezing weather. My Aprium, Peach, and Nectarine trees started their bloom and some of the citrus started to shoot out new growth. The past two nights have been in the mid-20 degree temperatures. Not too hard on established trees, but the new growth is showing some damage. Cross our fingers for the trees and nature to recover for the next fruiting season.
What has happened in the garden over the past four weeks. Well, the mandarin harvest has come to an end. The largest crop that we have ever experienced with our two trees producing 1080 mandarins over the 3 months that we were harvesting. We have already harvested over 100 oranges (light crop this year) and over 25 grapefruit. Lemons will go on for a long time. Limes are done with about 30 (small tree).
I started some veggies in start pots. I planted 100 beet starts. Beets are amazing from the garden and our kids love them. The chard continues and we should have some Kale soon. The garlic is growing fine but the bulb on the garlic really does not develop until its last month and it takes about 6 months from planting to harvest. After I plant the beet starts I plan on starting some more chard for this year as well as experimenting with carrots directly in the ground. I also am planning on putting in some lettuce greens at the same time...but I need the weather to warm up a little. Forecast is for rainy weather 8 of the next nine days.
A four-week summary if you do not want to read the details:
Mandarins: 51 ($12.75)
Oranges: 65 ($32.50)
Lemons: 31 ($15.50)
Limes: 6 ($1.50)
Grapefruit: 10 ($7.50)
Chard: 3 bunches ($9.00)
Day 214
1) 1 mandarin
2) 1 lemon
3) 1 lime
4) 1 grapefruit
5) 2 oranges
Day 215
1) 2 oranges
2) 10 mandarins
3) 2 lemons
Day 216
1) 4 oranges
2) 2 lemons
3) 1 bunch chard
Day 217
1) 5 mandarins
2) 3 oranges
Day 218
1) 10 mandarins
2) 3 oranges
3) 1 lemon
4) 1 lime
Day 219
1) 10 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 4 lemons
Day 220
1) 1 orange
2) 2 lemons
3) 1 lime
4) 1 grapefruit
Day 221
1) 1 grapefruit
Day 222
1) 1 orange
2) 1 grapefruit
Day 223
1) 3 oranges
2) 1 grapefruit
3) 2 lemons
Day 224
1) 1 orange
2) 1 grapefruit
3) 1 lemon
Day 225
1) 1 orange
Day 226
1) 2 lemons
2) 6 mandarins
3) 3 oranges
Day 227
1) 2 oranges
2) 1 grapefruit
Day 228
1) 2 oranges
2) 1 lemon
3) 2 limes
Day 229
1) 3 oranges
2) 4 mandarins
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 230
1) 3 oranges
2) 5 mandarins
Day 231
1) 5 oranges
Day 232
1) 2 oranges
2) 3 lemons
Day 233
1) 2 lemons
2) 1 lime
Day 234
1) 3 oranges
Day 235
1) 2 lemons
2) 1 orange
3) 2 bunches chard
Day 236
1) 1 orange
2) 2 lemons
Day 237
1) 3 oranges
2) 2 grapefruit
3) 1 lemon
Day 238
1) 3 oranges
2) 2 lemons
Day 239
1) 3 oranges
2) 1 lemon
Day 240
1) 6 oranges
Day 241
1) 2 oranges
Four-Week harvest: $78.75
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $1185.00
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $125.00
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Days 200 - 213 It Feels Like Spring is Just Around the Corner
The past two weeks have been sunny without a single day of rain (it did rain last night though). One would think that spring is here and it does feel like it in many ways. We have flowers blooming and the rose bushes are pushing out their first buds. The fruit trees have yet to have any bud break...but according to my records, the first trees in our yard that bud out are still about 3 weeks away (Peaches).
Hopefully if you are reading this regularly and applying some ideas you will have all of your trees pruned by this time (in Northern California). I also took advantage of the rain last night and applied my first fertilizer for the year. I try to feed my trees every couple of months in the spring with
EB Stone Citrus and Fruit Tree Food. So far it has not let me down and my trees seem pretty healthy. Feeding and watering (in the summer) are what is needed to have a long-lasting tree and yearly harvest.
Also, if you are reading this and planning on doing some planting of bare-root trees, now is the time. We replaced a Red Delicious apple with a Pink Lady because we really did not like Red Delicious (was here when we moved here) and Pink Lady should give us fruit well into the Fall. We also replaced the Venus grapevine with a Thompson seedless. Our kids like the green grapes better and they are sure good when frozen, a great summer treat.
The past couple of weeks continued to bring us mandarins daily. They are on the end of their season... What we did twice in the past two weeks though was to harvest something from each of our five citrus trees. We generally do not have mandarins when the grapefruit are ready, but with the bumper crop this year we could do it. Our son is a grapefruit fanatic and wants one each night before bed as his fruit snack. The ability to walk out to the backyard and harvest fresh fruit this time of the year cannot be beat!!
As my goal is to harvest each and every day, we have made it past the 200th day!! Pretty cool to have harvested something from the yard for more than 200 days straight. Hope to make it through the 366th day (July 1st) but the difficult times are coming...March and April.
A two-week summary if you do not want to read the details:
Mandarins: 148 ($37.00)
Oranges: 25 ($12.50)
Lemons: 15 ($7.50)
Limes: 8 ($2.00)
Grapefruit: 8 ($6.00)
Day 200
1) 12 mandarins
2) 6 oranges
Day 201
1) 10 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 5 lemons
4) 2 limes
Day 202
1) 10 mandarins
2) 1 lemon
3) 1 lime
Day 203
1) 22 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
Day 204
1) 15 mandarins
2) 1 orange
3) 1 lemon
4) 1 lime
5) 1 grapefruit
Day 205
1) 15 mandarins
2) 1 orange
Day 206
1) 1 mandarin
2) 4 oranges
3) 2 lemons
4) 4 limes
5) 1 grapefruit
Day 207
1) 15 mandarins
2) 1 orange
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 208
1) 4 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 209
1) 10 mandarins
2) 4 lemons
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 210
1) 12 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 211
1) 12 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 212
1) 10 mandarins
2) 1 orange
Day 213
1) 2 oranges
2) 2 lemons
3) 1 grapefruit
Two-Week harvest: $65.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $1106.25
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Hopefully if you are reading this regularly and applying some ideas you will have all of your trees pruned by this time (in Northern California). I also took advantage of the rain last night and applied my first fertilizer for the year. I try to feed my trees every couple of months in the spring with
EB Stone Citrus and Fruit Tree Food. So far it has not let me down and my trees seem pretty healthy. Feeding and watering (in the summer) are what is needed to have a long-lasting tree and yearly harvest.
Also, if you are reading this and planning on doing some planting of bare-root trees, now is the time. We replaced a Red Delicious apple with a Pink Lady because we really did not like Red Delicious (was here when we moved here) and Pink Lady should give us fruit well into the Fall. We also replaced the Venus grapevine with a Thompson seedless. Our kids like the green grapes better and they are sure good when frozen, a great summer treat.
The past couple of weeks continued to bring us mandarins daily. They are on the end of their season... What we did twice in the past two weeks though was to harvest something from each of our five citrus trees. We generally do not have mandarins when the grapefruit are ready, but with the bumper crop this year we could do it. Our son is a grapefruit fanatic and wants one each night before bed as his fruit snack. The ability to walk out to the backyard and harvest fresh fruit this time of the year cannot be beat!!
As my goal is to harvest each and every day, we have made it past the 200th day!! Pretty cool to have harvested something from the yard for more than 200 days straight. Hope to make it through the 366th day (July 1st) but the difficult times are coming...March and April.
A two-week summary if you do not want to read the details:
Mandarins: 148 ($37.00)
Oranges: 25 ($12.50)
Lemons: 15 ($7.50)
Limes: 8 ($2.00)
Grapefruit: 8 ($6.00)
Day 200
1) 12 mandarins
2) 6 oranges
Day 201
1) 10 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 5 lemons
4) 2 limes
Day 202
1) 10 mandarins
2) 1 lemon
3) 1 lime
Day 203
1) 22 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
Day 204
1) 15 mandarins
2) 1 orange
3) 1 lemon
4) 1 lime
5) 1 grapefruit
Day 205
1) 15 mandarins
2) 1 orange
Day 206
1) 1 mandarin
2) 4 oranges
3) 2 lemons
4) 4 limes
5) 1 grapefruit
Day 207
1) 15 mandarins
2) 1 orange
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 208
1) 4 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 209
1) 10 mandarins
2) 4 lemons
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 210
1) 12 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 211
1) 12 mandarins
2) 2 oranges
3) 1 grapefruit
Day 212
1) 10 mandarins
2) 1 orange
Day 213
1) 2 oranges
2) 2 lemons
3) 1 grapefruit
Two-Week harvest: $65.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $1106.25
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Monday, January 17, 2011
Days 172 - 199 Six Months... A Look Back and a Look Forward
It has been a long time since the last post. Still have continued harvesting daily, mostly citrus at this time, including 479 mandarins!!
We have had a couple milestones. Six months have passed and we have harvested daily since July 1st. Even if I do not succeed for the 1-year target, I have been quite pleased with the accomplishment of more than 6 months. Another milestone is that we have passed the $1000 mark for the value of produce. Our family has benefited, as well as friends who come by and grab a bag of mandarins every once and awhile.
Looking back, we have not only harvested, but I have written about topics including irrigation, planing timing, excess crops, pruning, and even a very inspiring NPR story. Look through the blog now that 6 months have passed.
Looking forward, I need to plant so that I can possibly make it to July 1st, 2011. I can forsee citrus for the next two months (oranges just starting, grapefruits still coming) but the months of April and May will be difficult. I will start my veggies in about a month and hopefully be harvesting by March.
If you are thinking about planting a fruit tree, now is the time to do the bare-root trees. Not very expensive ($20-25) and will provide years of fruit.
A four-week summary if you do not want to read the details:
Mandarins: 479
Oranges: 9
Lemons: 20
Limes: 10
Chard: 2 bunches
Day 172
1) 11 mandarins ($2.75)
2) Two bunches Chard ($6.00)
Day 173
1) 133 mandarins ($33.25)
Day 174
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 175
1) 20 mandarins ($5.00)
Day 176 - 179 Gone for Holidays
Day 180
1) 23 mandarins ($5.75)
2) 1 lemon ($0.50)
Day 181
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 3 lemons ($1.50)
Day 182
1) 14 mandarins ($3.50)
Day 183
1) 20 mandarins ($5.00)
2) 1 lemon ($0.50)
Day 184
1) 35 mandarins ($8.75)
2) 1 lime ($0.25)
3) 2 lemons ($1.00)
Day 185
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
2) 4 lemons ($2.00)
3) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 186
1) 14 mandarins ($3.50)
2) 3 lemons ($1.50)
3) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 187
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
Day 188
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
Day 189
1) 19 mandarins ($4.75)
2) 2 limes ($0.50)
3) 2 lemons ($1.00)
Day 190
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
Day 191
1) 14 mandarins ($3.50)
Day 192
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
2) 1 orange ($0.50)
3) 1 lemon ($0.50)
4) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 193
1) 1 orange ($0.50)
Day 194
1) 40 mandarins ($10.00)
2) 2 oranges ($1.00)
Day 195
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
2) 2 oranges ($1.00)
Day 196
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
Day 197
1) 15 mandarins ($3.75)
2) 3 oranges ($1.50)
3) 3 lemons ($1.50)
Day 198
1) 20 mandarins ($5.00)
Day 199
1) 26 mandarins ($6.50)
2) 4 limes ($1.00)
Four-Week harvest: $138.25
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $1042.25
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
We have had a couple milestones. Six months have passed and we have harvested daily since July 1st. Even if I do not succeed for the 1-year target, I have been quite pleased with the accomplishment of more than 6 months. Another milestone is that we have passed the $1000 mark for the value of produce. Our family has benefited, as well as friends who come by and grab a bag of mandarins every once and awhile.
Looking back, we have not only harvested, but I have written about topics including irrigation, planing timing, excess crops, pruning, and even a very inspiring NPR story. Look through the blog now that 6 months have passed.
Looking forward, I need to plant so that I can possibly make it to July 1st, 2011. I can forsee citrus for the next two months (oranges just starting, grapefruits still coming) but the months of April and May will be difficult. I will start my veggies in about a month and hopefully be harvesting by March.
If you are thinking about planting a fruit tree, now is the time to do the bare-root trees. Not very expensive ($20-25) and will provide years of fruit.
A four-week summary if you do not want to read the details:
Mandarins: 479
Oranges: 9
Lemons: 20
Limes: 10
Chard: 2 bunches
Day 172
1) 11 mandarins ($2.75)
2) Two bunches Chard ($6.00)
Day 173
1) 133 mandarins ($33.25)
Day 174
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 175
1) 20 mandarins ($5.00)
Day 176 - 179 Gone for Holidays
Day 180
1) 23 mandarins ($5.75)
2) 1 lemon ($0.50)
Day 181
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 3 lemons ($1.50)
Day 182
1) 14 mandarins ($3.50)
Day 183
1) 20 mandarins ($5.00)
2) 1 lemon ($0.50)
Day 184
1) 35 mandarins ($8.75)
2) 1 lime ($0.25)
3) 2 lemons ($1.00)
Day 185
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
2) 4 lemons ($2.00)
3) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 186
1) 14 mandarins ($3.50)
2) 3 lemons ($1.50)
3) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 187
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
Day 188
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
Day 189
1) 19 mandarins ($4.75)
2) 2 limes ($0.50)
3) 2 lemons ($1.00)
Day 190
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
Day 191
1) 14 mandarins ($3.50)
Day 192
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
2) 1 orange ($0.50)
3) 1 lemon ($0.50)
4) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 193
1) 1 orange ($0.50)
Day 194
1) 40 mandarins ($10.00)
2) 2 oranges ($1.00)
Day 195
1) 10 mandarins ($2.50)
2) 2 oranges ($1.00)
Day 196
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
Day 197
1) 15 mandarins ($3.75)
2) 3 oranges ($1.50)
3) 3 lemons ($1.50)
Day 198
1) 20 mandarins ($5.00)
Day 199
1) 26 mandarins ($6.50)
2) 4 limes ($1.00)
Four-Week harvest: $138.25
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $1042.25
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Days 151 - 171 Dead of Winter...what to do?
The weather has turned grey, rainy and you do not feel like being outside. Our forecast is now calling for 10 days of rain without a sunny day. Surprisingly the mandarins are just getting better and better as they ripen to perfection. Over the past three weeks we harvested over 200 mandarins!! I did miss a post last weekend...kind of a time crunch with giving final exams last week.
Well, what feels like the dead of winter does not last very long around here. The Daffodils are already popping their heads up and will be in bloom within a couple of weeks. January often has a warm spell and the bees will be out in force on sunny days. I have been keeping a record of the blooming of my fruit trees over the years and it is a pretty regular occurance for the first peach blossoms to be out on February 20th. Will it be summertime...no way. But there are things to do in the garden for sure!!
I take the opportunity to do a little pruning around Christmas if there is a dry spell and try to get all of my pruning done by the middle of January. I have quite a few trees to prune. You can look back at my second post to see the job that I have ahead of me. I do have a good time with it though and it makes for a sense of renewal...cleaning out the old and preparing for the re-birth of spring. You say, "how do you prune?" I have a wonderful book that I found from The American Horticultural Society called quite simply "Pruning and Training". Here is a link on Amazon but you can probably find it at your local bookstore (I did). Take the time to read about your trees, fruiting or non-fruiting, and you will learn a bunch!!
Harvested over the past 3 weeks:
Day 151
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 152
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 153
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 154
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 155
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 156
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 157
1) 13 mandarins ($3.25)
Day 158
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 159
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 160
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 161
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 4 lemons ($2.00)
Day 162
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 163
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 164
1) 19 mandarins ($4.75)
Day 165
1) 15 mandarins ($3.75)
Day 166
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
2) 2 lemons ($1.00)
Day 167
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 168
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 169
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 170
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
Day 171
1) 25 mandarins ($1.25)
Two-Week harvest: $44.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $904.00
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Well, what feels like the dead of winter does not last very long around here. The Daffodils are already popping their heads up and will be in bloom within a couple of weeks. January often has a warm spell and the bees will be out in force on sunny days. I have been keeping a record of the blooming of my fruit trees over the years and it is a pretty regular occurance for the first peach blossoms to be out on February 20th. Will it be summertime...no way. But there are things to do in the garden for sure!!
I take the opportunity to do a little pruning around Christmas if there is a dry spell and try to get all of my pruning done by the middle of January. I have quite a few trees to prune. You can look back at my second post to see the job that I have ahead of me. I do have a good time with it though and it makes for a sense of renewal...cleaning out the old and preparing for the re-birth of spring. You say, "how do you prune?" I have a wonderful book that I found from The American Horticultural Society called quite simply "Pruning and Training". Here is a link on Amazon but you can probably find it at your local bookstore (I did). Take the time to read about your trees, fruiting or non-fruiting, and you will learn a bunch!!
Harvested over the past 3 weeks:
Day 151
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 152
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 153
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 154
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 155
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 156
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 157
1) 13 mandarins ($3.25)
Day 158
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 159
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 160
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 161
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 4 lemons ($2.00)
Day 162
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 163
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 164
1) 19 mandarins ($4.75)
Day 165
1) 15 mandarins ($3.75)
Day 166
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
2) 2 lemons ($1.00)
Day 167
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 168
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 169
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
Day 170
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
Day 171
1) 25 mandarins ($1.25)
Two-Week harvest: $44.00
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $904.00
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Days 137 - 150 Citrus, Citrus, Citrus!!!
Where the weeks prior had apples in the mix...we are now in the citrus-only time of the year. With 135 mandarins harvested in th epast two weeks (those that I counted...I am sure there were more!!) we are in the middle of citrus season. It is a bumper crop for the mandarin trees this year and I forsee harvesting mandarins well past Christmas...with the fruit getting sweeter along the way.
One nice thing about a variety of fruit trees is that while one tree may have a bumper crop, others will have a low year. Our orange tree and grapefruit tree are just having a normal year so having 2 - 3 months of mandarins will help us get through the winter. The size of the crop seems to really depend on what is happening during the flowering time of the year. If your trees flower during a warm spell, the bees can get out there and do their polination. If the trees flower during a rainy period the crop will be small or non-existant. Looks like my goal of daily harvests will make it through the 1/2 year target!! Need to make sure that I have something ready to harvest beyond March from the veggie garden when there is very little fruit.
Speaking of the veggie garden, the eight beds look like this:
Hot zone
1) Cover crop
2) Kale (starting to get bigger!!)
Medium-hot zone
3) Cover crop
4) Garlic (4 rows)
Medium-cool zone
5) Cover crop
6) Cover crop
Cool zone
7) Cover crop
8) Cover crop and the venerable Chard!!
We also had a frost scare this past week. Temperatures were supposed to get into the mid-20's which raises the alarms for me. I covered the trees the first night but the temperatures only droped to about 30 degrees. I left the covers off the remaining nights and I saw the temperature drop to 29 degrees. I do not worry about that. My rule of thumb is only to worry if the temps drop below 28.
Here is a link about citrus varieties and their harvest times/cold tolerance. Great list!!
Harvested over the past 2 weeks:
Day 137
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 138
1) 11 mandarins ($3.75)
2) 3 lemons ($1.50)
Day 139
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 140
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 141
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 142
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
Day 143
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 144
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 145
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
2) 4 lemons ($2.00)
3) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 146
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 147
1) 17 mandarins ($4.25)
Day 148
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
Day 149
1) 27 mandarins ($6.75)
Day 150
1) 13 mandarins ($3.25)
2) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
Two-Week harvest: $43.50
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $860.00
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
One nice thing about a variety of fruit trees is that while one tree may have a bumper crop, others will have a low year. Our orange tree and grapefruit tree are just having a normal year so having 2 - 3 months of mandarins will help us get through the winter. The size of the crop seems to really depend on what is happening during the flowering time of the year. If your trees flower during a warm spell, the bees can get out there and do their polination. If the trees flower during a rainy period the crop will be small or non-existant. Looks like my goal of daily harvests will make it through the 1/2 year target!! Need to make sure that I have something ready to harvest beyond March from the veggie garden when there is very little fruit.
Speaking of the veggie garden, the eight beds look like this:
Hot zone
1) Cover crop
2) Kale (starting to get bigger!!)
Medium-hot zone
3) Cover crop
4) Garlic (4 rows)
Medium-cool zone
5) Cover crop
6) Cover crop
Cool zone
7) Cover crop
8) Cover crop and the venerable Chard!!
We also had a frost scare this past week. Temperatures were supposed to get into the mid-20's which raises the alarms for me. I covered the trees the first night but the temperatures only droped to about 30 degrees. I left the covers off the remaining nights and I saw the temperature drop to 29 degrees. I do not worry about that. My rule of thumb is only to worry if the temps drop below 28.
Here is a link about citrus varieties and their harvest times/cold tolerance. Great list!!
Harvested over the past 2 weeks:
Day 137
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 138
1) 11 mandarins ($3.75)
2) 3 lemons ($1.50)
Day 139
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 140
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 141
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 142
1) 12 mandarins ($3.00)
Day 143
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 144
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 145
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
2) 4 lemons ($2.00)
3) 1 lime ($0.25)
Day 146
1) 5 mandarins ($1.25)
Day 147
1) 17 mandarins ($4.25)
Day 148
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
Day 149
1) 27 mandarins ($6.75)
Day 150
1) 13 mandarins ($3.25)
2) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
Two-Week harvest: $43.50
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $860.00
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Days 123 - 136 The Clock Starts Ticking
I have known a colleague at work for many year now and all this time we have been talking about planting fruit trees at his house, particularly some kind of citrus. Well, it is citrus season now and he has missed the opportunity once again. If he had only planted those citrus trees when we first started talking about it, he could have been harvesting some beautiful citrus right now. This is a typical problem though...you think about it and say to yourself, "it will take so long to get any fruit if I plant a tree this year." Well, the clock starts ticking and time does pass. Three years is typical for the time between planting and first harvest and it may seem like a long time, but it really comes pretty quick. If you do not plant soon, you just delay the start of the clock. One of the first things I did when we moved into this house was to plant some citrus: an orange and two satsuma mandarins.
We have been enjoying the fruits of the two mandarin trees for over two weeks now. As I have said in past, fresh picked citrus is hard to beat and it surely cannot be replicated from store-bought citrus. Was at the local produce store yesterday and saw some organic mandarins...and you could tell that they had been harvested a while ago. The vim and vigor of the fruit had been lost...and they were still charging $3.50 per pound!! We have been harvesting between 5 - 10 mandarins a day over the past couple of weeks. Count them up. 90 mandarins and that does not include the ones that I do not know about as our kids harvest at will!!
Bees. I felt like I needed to shrink my hives down a level for winter and this was the weekend to do it. Warm weather!! Well, I took down the hives a box or two. Along with it came a harvest of about 2 gallons of honey. One of my hives is doing great, the other may not make it though the winter. Have to say that it is probably my fault because I did not set them up correctly when I picked them up this Spring. Did not have the time to spare at the time and of course when you do a poor job at something, you get poor results. Lesson learned.
Harvested over the past 2 weeks:
Day 123
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 1 apple ($0.50)
Day 124
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
2) 2 apples ($1.00)
Day 125
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
2) 3 apples ($1.50)
Day 126
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 127
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
2) 2 apples ($1.00)
Day 128
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 129
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 130
1) 11 mandarins ($2.75)
Day 131
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
2) 1 apple ($0.50)
Day 132
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
2) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
3) 1 apple ($0.50)
Day 133
1) 13 mandarins ($3.25)
Day 134
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 135
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
Day 136
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 7 quarts honey ($140.00)
Two-Week harvest: $33.00
Honey Harvested: 7 quarts ($140)
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $816.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
We have been enjoying the fruits of the two mandarin trees for over two weeks now. As I have said in past, fresh picked citrus is hard to beat and it surely cannot be replicated from store-bought citrus. Was at the local produce store yesterday and saw some organic mandarins...and you could tell that they had been harvested a while ago. The vim and vigor of the fruit had been lost...and they were still charging $3.50 per pound!! We have been harvesting between 5 - 10 mandarins a day over the past couple of weeks. Count them up. 90 mandarins and that does not include the ones that I do not know about as our kids harvest at will!!
Bees. I felt like I needed to shrink my hives down a level for winter and this was the weekend to do it. Warm weather!! Well, I took down the hives a box or two. Along with it came a harvest of about 2 gallons of honey. One of my hives is doing great, the other may not make it though the winter. Have to say that it is probably my fault because I did not set them up correctly when I picked them up this Spring. Did not have the time to spare at the time and of course when you do a poor job at something, you get poor results. Lesson learned.
Harvested over the past 2 weeks:
Day 123
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 1 apple ($0.50)
Day 124
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
2) 2 apples ($1.00)
Day 125
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
2) 3 apples ($1.50)
Day 126
1) 8 mandarins ($2.00)
Day 127
1) 9 mandarins ($2.25)
2) 2 apples ($1.00)
Day 128
1) 7 mandarins ($1.75)
Day 129
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 130
1) 11 mandarins ($2.75)
Day 131
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
2) 1 apple ($0.50)
Day 132
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
2) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
3) 1 apple ($0.50)
Day 133
1) 13 mandarins ($3.25)
Day 134
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 135
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
Day 136
1) 6 mandarins ($1.50)
2) 7 quarts honey ($140.00)
Two-Week harvest: $33.00
Honey Harvested: 7 quarts ($140)
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $816.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $360.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Days 109 - 122 Change of Seasons
Well, late in writing this posting...skipped last week but still harvesting each day. Since last posting we have had some serious rain. The rain and cold pretty much halt the fruit from getting much sun and ripening. The figs are done after a good soaking and the grapes that are remaining have taken on some mold.
The garden continues though with Satsuma Mandarins being the current harvest. A little green on the outside but open it up and the bright orange citrus is wonderful!! If you have not grown your own citrus, you are missing out! The only problem with growing your own citrus is that once you have your own fresh citrus you will NEVER be able to eat store-bought citrus ever again. I have been spoiled because I grew up eating fresh oranges in S. California and now I have Mandarins, Oranges, Grapefruits, Lemons, and Limes all in the yard.
The garlic is in the ground and plan on planting the cover crop this week with moist soil and warm weather predicted through the middle of the week. I did buy a few supplies since last posting. Some organic fruit tree fertalizer and some chicken manure for the garlic patch.
Harvested over the past 2 weeks:
Day 109
1) 1 fig ($0.25)
2) 3/4 pounds tomatoes ($1.50)
3) 1 mandarin ($0.25)
4) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 110
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 3/4 pounds tomatoes ($1.50)
3) 8 figs ($2.00)
Day 111
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 112
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
2) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
Day 113
1) 6 figs ($1.50)
2) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 114
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
Day 115
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
2) 1/4 pound grapes ($0.50)
Day 116
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 117
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 118
1) 1 mandarin ($0.25)
2) 1 tomato ($0.50)
Day 119
1) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 120
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
2) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 121
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 122
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Two-Week harvest: $35.00
Expense: $35.00 (Fertilizer, water)
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $783.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
The garden continues though with Satsuma Mandarins being the current harvest. A little green on the outside but open it up and the bright orange citrus is wonderful!! If you have not grown your own citrus, you are missing out! The only problem with growing your own citrus is that once you have your own fresh citrus you will NEVER be able to eat store-bought citrus ever again. I have been spoiled because I grew up eating fresh oranges in S. California and now I have Mandarins, Oranges, Grapefruits, Lemons, and Limes all in the yard.
The garlic is in the ground and plan on planting the cover crop this week with moist soil and warm weather predicted through the middle of the week. I did buy a few supplies since last posting. Some organic fruit tree fertalizer and some chicken manure for the garlic patch.
Harvested over the past 2 weeks:
Day 109
1) 1 fig ($0.25)
2) 3/4 pounds tomatoes ($1.50)
3) 1 mandarin ($0.25)
4) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 110
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 3/4 pounds tomatoes ($1.50)
3) 8 figs ($2.00)
Day 111
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 112
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
2) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
Day 113
1) 6 figs ($1.50)
2) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 114
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
Day 115
1) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
2) 1/4 pound grapes ($0.50)
Day 116
1) 3/4 pound grapes ($1.50)
2) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 117
1) 1/2 pound tomatoes ($1.00)
Day 118
1) 1 mandarin ($0.25)
2) 1 tomato ($0.50)
Day 119
1) 1/2 pound grapes ($1.00)
Day 120
1) Two bunches chard ($6.00)
2) 3 mandarins ($0.75)
Day 121
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Day 122
1) 4 mandarins ($1.00)
Two-Week harvest: $35.00
Expense: $35.00 (Fertilizer, water)
Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $783.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $105.00
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