Peace Signs and Pruners

No Room for a Fruit Tree?

May 11, 2024

Design, Gardening, Landscape, Plants, Pruning

Photo Gorden Starkey for Brattleboro Reformer

Much as you’d love to grow more of your own food, you say you have no room for fruit trees? I beg to differ! Let me introduce you to the ancient art of espalier. If you’ve ever visited a vineyard, or seen pictures of one, you’ve probably seen espalier in action. It is the process of growing horizontally, or flat, on trellis, fence or wall.

There is evidence of the use of espalier in Roman times. It became very popular in Medieval times, when people lived in walled castles; the possibility of sieges caused gardeners to grow as much food as possible in small spaces. Plants like roses could be grown to beautify the stone walls of small courtyards, as well as fruit trees to provide sustenance. Home gardeners started using the technique to provide for their families, even in a tiny cottage garden a fruit tree could be grown.

The science of espalier is based on the theory that less branches and leaves, the more energy to produce fruit. The plants are grown on a frame of trellising or using wires attached to rings or screws. A fan shape is common but almost any shape can be achieved. Grapes are grown on fences so that all the branches and fruit are between shoulder and knee height, making the maintenance and harvesting of fruit easily within reach.

Espaliered fruit needs to be in full sun; at least eight hours per day. They are often grown on the walls of the house or on fences, providing protection from weather as well as creating a ‘heat sink’ as the building absorbs heat during the day and releases it slowly in the evening. A young tree is planted, and then any branches or shoots growing backwards or forward are pruned out. As the plant begins to grow in Spring tender new shoots are attached to the frame. Like bonsai, the manipulation begins when the young shoots are pliable; by the end of our growing season the new branches harden and become too woody to change.

It may sound complicated, but it’s not really! The work, for us in Manitoba, will mostly be in May and June, when the tree is actively growing. You perform your pruning and tying in then; some growth will occur through the summer and the tree can be tidied up in fall. Best choices for fruit? If you are only going to try one espalier, apples are probably the easiest as they are readily pollinated by ornamental crabapples as well as other apples and you probably have a pollinator within your neighbourhood. A pollinator needs to be within a couple of city blocks and the birds and the bees will do the rest. Plums are very choosy about what will pollinate what, pears and apricots need a pollinator but you may not have one close enough in the neighbourhood. Hardy grapes can easily be two plants on the same framework, giving in-house pollination.

The framework is often o-screws or cup hooks, with sturdy fishing line or light wire strung between points. Bamboo or willow poles can be used as well. Your plant needs to be away from the wall or fence by at least six inches so that there is good air circulation around the plant. There are many detailed instructions online such as on YouTube, just search ‘espalier’. Give it a try on a sunny fence and enjoy your homegrown fruit!

This article first appeared in the magazine ‘Neighbors of 34th Street. It has been updated and revised.

3 comments on No Room for a Fruit Tree?
Too Leggy!

May 5, 2024

Gardening, Plants, Propagating

I suppose in the modeling world there is no such thing as ‘too leggy’. Starting seeds, though, there is definitely ‘too leggy’. I had decided to start an indoor tray of seeds for cut-and-come-again lettuce. We use a lot of lettuce; almost every work day in sandwiches, salads with dinner some nights. It seemed a healthy, cost-effective thing today.

I haven’t started seeds since we sold the wee farm almost seven years ago. I was no longer really set up for it with lights, heat mats even seed trays. So I re-used a plastic pastry container from the supermarket. I’ve seen lots of posts on social media of people using rotisserie chicken containers, pastry clam shells and lidded take-out containers. It worked well.

I put the seeded tray in the sunniest spot in the apartment. It’s a bright room but only gets a couple of hours of direct light this time of year. I didn’t pay much attention for about five days because I didn’t think anything would happen for about a week. Well, imagine my surprise when I found almost full germination and everything already 4 cm (1.5″) tall!

Kudos to No Coast Seeds, a new company from Saskatchewan doing open-pollinated seeds geared for the short season of Prairie Gardens. I had the ‘Immortal Mix’, a blend of loose leaf lettuce. The germination was fast and fabulous! I found the company at Brandon’s ‘Seedy Sunday’.

I didn’t react quickly enough to get the seeds under lights so they just got taller. By the time they were getting their second set of leaves, the true leaves, they were keeling over. No, I did not have damping off, the dreaded fungal disease that affects seedlings at soil level. Learn more about that here. I just had plants that were too tall and spindly.

I tried to fix this batch by digging out some of the seedlings and re-potting, planting them deeper. I also added soil to the existing seedlings. I killed them all. Such is gardening. You win a few, a lose a few. I will now sow an outdoor container, on the balcony. I think we’re warm enough. I may add some green onion seed. Fingers crossed!

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The Joys of A Microclimate

May 1, 2024

Gardening, Landscape, Plants

Went for a walk, and what a difference a week makes. Buds are coming out all over. From bare and brown to green and ripe; it’s a form of magic! A couple of days of summer-like temperatures and nights above freezing have really kick-started things.

Willows are opening fluffy catkins, the purple-leaved ornamental apple trees look like they’re glowing and perennials are peeking out. The star of this stroll though was the pictured Forsythia in full, sunny yellow glory! I did notice a few other Forsythia but they were only showing buds, and all of them only part way down the stem. What’s the secret of this one?

Microclimate! Yes, a special place that every yard has, to some extent, where plants are very happy. I simplify but a microclimate is an area where conditions are different, usually better, than the rest of your garden. A microclimate can be one or two zones warmer than your area. Here’s a great, detailed explanation here.

So what’s so special about the corner where this Forsythia is? First, it is directly south-facing, lots of sun during the growing season with the heat retaining abilities of the masonry wall. It will warm up sooner in Spring and cool down slower in Fall. In the winter, when days are short and the sun is farther south, the house beside will block rays for part of the day, preventing the plant from artificially warming up even though the temperature is well below freezing. This will prevent water loss from the dormant plant.

Secondly, it is very protected from wind. Our prevailing winds are from the NW, with occasional storms coming from the NE. It is more rare to have winds coming from the south. Wind can be very drying; we see it more in evergreens which tend to brown on the windy and sunny side. This often shows in Forsythia (and other plants) only leafing out to where the snow was, the branches sticking out of the snow are dried out. Snow is our best insulator again winter damage.

Third, the plant is right beside a downspout. Anytime we are not frozen, the plant should be able to make use of any excess moisture directed through the spout and be a little healthier than something left to rely on rain alone. The area under an overhang can be an extremely dry spot. At first look, I might have though this shrub planted a little close to the house; but the downspout takes away that worry.

As a plant geek, I would certainly take advantage of this area and try all sorts of shrubs and perennials not of Zone 3. You could probably over-winter Zone 4 and perhaps even Zone 5 plants. I appreciate that the homeowners are not plant geeks and have a very pretty cover for the storage of their garbage and recycling containers.

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April is Hard

April 25, 2024

Environment, Gardening, Plants

Photo by Lena Khrupina on Pexels.com

If you’re a Prairie gardener, April is the hardest month of the gardening year. My social media feeds, for months, have been filled with blossoms and buds. I follow blogs and creators from around the globe so I’ve been forced to endure lovely witch hazel blooms since just after the New Year. Then it has been the cherry blossoms, now the magnolias and rhododendrons.

Meanwhile, on the Canadian Prairies March was still winter. Then, in April we started to see some warming trends. The snow pack started to recede, then it snowed and got cold again. It would get above freezing during the day, then freeze at night making for icy, dangerous roads and sidewalks. Then it snowed a bit again, about the time of the Eclipse. The last two days the weather has been like summer, highs in the low 20’s Celsuis (68^o F.) By Saturday night we’re going to be below freezing again!

As the snow recedes, what is revealed is not pretty. Brown grass, sometimes with a white scurf known as snow mould. Barren shrubs, desiccated foliage of perennials, masses of slimy, wet leaves. And on many driveways and parking lots huge mounds of snow from the removal crews that are gray from the road sand and full of garbage. Not very attractive.

These unpredictable temperatures are one of the reasons it is really hard to harvest apricots in Zone 3. We can grow the trees but it is hard to get fruit. Anything that blooms early in the season, meaning most fruit, made the flower buds last fall. They’ve been sitting, well protected, waiting for conditions to be right. The apricot, unfortunately, is just a little too enthusiastic and may have started to open buds. They may got frosted off Saturday night when freezing temperatures return. Hence, no fruit.

The other thing that is so difficult for me is the pictures of all the plants I love but can no longer grow. We came from the West Coast, Zone 8/9. We find ourselves in Zone 3. I adore witch hazel with those spikey, funky flowers and light fragrance. Hmmm, and magnolias, with those large waxy flowers! The Kousa dogwoods, Japanese cherries, magnificent rhododendrons, hellebores, even delightful snowdrops are hard to over-winter here.

Ah, but soon…the weather will stabilize and forsythias will go off. Well, usually branches under the snow pack will bloom. The tops sticking out of the snow may be too dessicated. You see? It’s hard to be a Prairie gardener!

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Going To Seedy Sunday?

February 4, 2024

Environment, Gardening, Plants, Propagating

Or Seedy Saturday? Or Seedy Tuesday Night, whenever the event is occurring in your area. It’s the start of the gardening season for me, and I love the event. So glad it’s back in full force after the pandemic shut down. It’s an opportunity for home gardeners to share or swap seeds they have saved. It’s a gathering of like-minded individuals who can trade information and knowledge.

What is Seedy Saturday? It’s a totally Canadian thing, first founded in 1990 by a Sharon Rempel, a member of Van Dusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. She was looking for heritage seeds for a project and eventually turned to her community to find sources. She was kind enough to put the name into the public domain, so anyone can use it. Seeds of Diversity Canada has taken on the role of keeping the country informed of events. Check out the link for info on organizing an event, some pointers on what to take and do. It’s a February/March thing, which is when we want seeds that need to be started indoors.

What’s so fantastic? The events are totally local. Local gardeners swapping seeds. The seeds are appropriate for your area, you can get information from the grower. Many events host local businesses, including seed sellers but there may also be soapmakers, people who can or bake, small nurseries, potters…who knows? There is quite often presentations on gardening or environmental issues like composting or conserving rainwater. It’s a great day!

The event in my community is being held on Sunday, February 11th, 2024. It’s being organized by the Assiniboine Food Forest, which deserves a blog post all its’ own. The events listed across the Canada can be found here. If your city or town isn’t listed, check the Facebook page of your local garden club or event listings. Britain is now doing Seedy days, America tends to call them Seed Swaps.

If you saved seeds and have a lot of something, this is a great way to acquire some other plants. You should have your seeds divided into small groups, five to ten seeds, in individual small envelopes or tiny plastic re-sealable bags. Don’t be trying to divvy seeds at the event. Make sure they are clean and dry, no mold. You should name the seed, hopefully by the common name and Latin name. Some people may want to know harvest date. Events will vary, but some organizations give you a receipt for what you brought that you can trade.

Even if you don’t have seeds to share, it’s a wonderful event where you will be able to purchase seeds…and other goodies. Enjoy!

1 comment on Going To Seedy Sunday?

No Room for a Fruit Tree?

Too Leggy!

The Joys of A Microclimate

April is Hard

Going To Seedy Sunday?