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Last Weeks for Bare Root Trees!
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Greetings!
Bare root season comes to an end as the plants start their spring growth. We'll have most of the cultivars available this week, but by next weekend perhaps half. We are currently putting the growing plants into containers for sale later this year.
Most of February has had normal or even slightly cooler than normal temperatures for this time of year. All five of my peach trees have flowers or developing fruit and all but one of my nectarines (Goldmine). I'm still waiting for better bloom on my plums and pluots (just sporadic flowers clusters currently), but all my apricots are budding or blooming well.
Established specimens of the low-chill cherry cultivars, Minnie Royal and Royal Lee, are blooming vigorously. It does appear that the minimum chill requirement (MCR) of these trees is 300 or fewer hours and that just about anywhere in Orange County you will get a good crop with just an average winter. This will be the last weekend that we'll have these available as bare root. The pair will cost $70 and are hefty specimens with trunks with larger than 1" in caliper.
With the warming weather we are offering Tomato and Pepper plants again this week (see availability below) and hoping that night temperatures stay well above freezing and that showers are brief.
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Spotlight on Fig Trees
Ten years ago figs were commonly sold as bare root specimens. Unfortunately, they don't recover as well as most bare root trees do after being plowed out of the ground. Some years (dry & windy winter) we would loose 90% of the trees. Most suppliers are also now growing them in small pots. Losses are now very close to 0%. All of our figs trees are now container grown.
Locally, figs are the easiest and most reliable producers of fruit. Fig trees will grow and produce without much help. Most will produce a few fruit the very first year. The best thing about figs is that the fruit ripens over a long period. A good size tree will produce a few fruit nearly every day over a 2-4 month period. The main crop is mid-August through October. Many will produce fruit into winter. Most cultivars can also produce a small crop of fruit in mid to late spring. This is called the breba crop. In most, the fruit of the breba crop is larger in size. The large, lobed leaves are bold and tropical in appearance. The largest cultivars can reach 40' high and wide, but are usually kept under 10' with winter pruning. Some of the smaller cultivars stay under 10'.
Figs often volunteer (grow from seeds deposited by birds) along fence lines. It takes several years for seedlings to mature enough to produce fruit. The majority of fig cultivars sold today were selected from such volunteers. In my own gardens I've tasted fruit from 3 volunteers. My score card is one mediocre fruit, one superior fruit and one inedible "goat" fig. Edible figs are fleshy female flowers. Some volunteers turn out to be male and their flowers are filled with cottony stamens. Only goats will eat these. If you do sample a volunteer, be sure to examine the fruit's interior first.
Many years ago a customer called wanting to know why the fruit from their volunteer fig tasted so "odd". I told them to bring some in and I'd take a look. The fruit were light green and looked normal. I cut one open and observed closely. I had a hunch. Admittedly the inside of any fig looks like worms standing on end. But the "worms" in this fig were wiggling! Goat figs can be the home to the worm-like larvae of capri wasps. Fortunately edible female figs don't get wasp larvae. To this day, however, I don't eat figs without breaking them open first.
Situate figs in at least 1/2 day of sun in soil with decent drainage. Fig trees will produce fruit in full shade, but the resulting fruit will have little flavor. Try to keep the soil moisture level fairly even. Allowing the soil to dry completely will cause some varieties to split upon the next irrigation.
Black Mission Medium to large size black fruit with richly flavored, firm pink flesh. Very split and crack resistant. This fig came to California with the Spanish Missions and has a "fig newton" flavor. The tree is quite vigorous and can get very large. Black Mission is the most popular fig.
Flanders Medium to large size fruit with purple/green skin and rich, extremely firm flesh. The main crop ripens late, but is of outstanding quality. Very resistant to splitting and cracking. The tree is vigorous. One of the best.
Black Jack Large fruit with purple skin and amber flesh. Juicy and sweet, typical of Brown Turkey, which it closely resembles. Small tree, usually less than 6' tall. Italian Everbearing Large fruit with purple skin and amber flesh. Juicy and sweet, typical of Brown Turkey, which it closely resembles. Excellent breba crop of huge fruit. Long bearing season. Small tree to 10' tall.
Kadota Medium size fruit with yellowish green skin and amber flesh. Rich flavor is best when grown with inland heat. Vigorous grower requires heavy pruning to keep manageable. Very popular.
Panache (Tiger) Medium size fruit with yellow skin striped green and brilliant strawberry red flesh. Rich flesh has a cherry-fig flavor. Ripens late. Small, slow-growing tree. Very different and quite outstanding. Violette de Bordeaux Small fruit with black skin and deep red flesh. Rich flesh has a raspberry jam flavor. Small, slow-growing tree. From France. Many consider this to be the best tasting of all. I haven't grown this yet. Gary's Strawberry Medium to large fruit with olive green skin with purplish veins and deep red flesh. The rich flesh has a berry flavor. Resists cracking and splitting. Vigorous grower requires heavy pruning. Unique foliage is very deeply cut. This is my outstanding volunteer that is probably a seedling of Panache. I have grown and eaten about 20 cultivars of fig and this is my favorite. Few plants now, next crop before summer. |
AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Potting Soil
Laguna Hills Nursery ACID MIX Potting Soil 1 cubic foot $10 Bare Root Plants
Apple Fuji $24 Apple Gala $24 Apple Granny Smith $24 Apple Jonagold $24 Apple Pink Lady $24 Apricot Goldkist $26 Apricot Katy $25 Apricot Tropic Gold $24 Cherry Minnie Royal & Royal Lee $70 pair Jujube Li $34 Jujube Ga 866 $34 Mulberry Black Beauty $24 Mulberry Pakistan $34 Mulberry Teas Weeping $48 Nectaplum Spice Zee $24 Nectarine Arctic Star $26 Nectarine Double Delight $26 Nectarine Panamint $24 Peach Babcock $22 Peach Long Beach $24 Peach Red Baron $24 Peach Tropic Snow $24 Persimmon Fuyu Imoto $40 Persimmon Fuyu Izu $42 Persimmon Hachiya $42 Plum Burgundy $24 Plum Catalina $26 Plum Santa Rosa $22 Plum Satsuma $24 Plum Weeping Santa Rosa $22 Pluot Flavor King $29 Pluot Splash $26 Pomegranate Ambrosia $22 Pomegranate Angel Red $22 Pomegranate Wonderful bush $22 Pomegranate Wonderful tree $34 Almond All-In-One $24 Pecan Western Schley $45 Grape Blueberry Seedless $7 Grape Himrod Seedless $7 Grape Lakemont Seedless $7 Grape Thomcord Seedless $7 Raspberry Rosanna (prepotted) $7 Boysenberry Thornless (prepotted) $7 In 1-gallon
Fig Black Jack $20 Fig Black Mission $22 Fig Flanders $22 Fig Italian Everbearing $20 Fig Kadota $22 Fig Panache $22 Fig Violette de Bordeaux $22 Pineapple Guava $10 Pomegranate Desertnyi $20 Tropical Guava (Malaysian Red, Tropic Pink, Tropic White) $11 Herb-Rosemary Tuscan Blue $8 Herb-Sweet Bay $10 In Quarts $3
Herbs Arugala, Basil (protect from cold nights), Chamomile, Chervil, Cat Mint, Catnip, Cilantro, Dill, Epazote, Fennel, Garlic, Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Lemon Grass, Lovage, Marjoram, Mint (7 varieties), Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Stevia, Thyme (6 types)
Peppers mild California wonder, Islander Purple, Red Knight, Roumainia Rainbow, Shishito, The Big EarlyPeppers hot Chile de Arbol, Holy Mole, Jalapeno, Serrano Strawberries SeascapeTomatoes Better Boy, Big Beef, Black Cherry, Black Krim, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherry, Early Girl, Eva Purple, Grape, Lemon Boy, Momotaro, San Marzano, Sugary, Sun Gold, Super Sweet 100. Artichoke Green Globe (best near coast0 In 6-Packs $3
Beets Detroit Red Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Red Lettuce Freckles Lettuce Red Sails Onions Purple Sprouting Broccoli Swiss Chard |
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Please visit us at our farmers market locations.
EVERY FRIDAY 9am-1pm
Mission Viejo Farmers Market
Mission Viejo Library
200 Civic Center Drive, Mission Viejo
Exit 5 at La Paz going east, turn right onto Marguerite, right onto Civic Center
EVERY SATURDAY 9am-1pm
Old Towne Orange Farmers & Artisans Market
Historic Villa Park Orchards Packing House at Chapman College
304 N. Cypress, Orange
3 blocks north and 4 blocks west of the traffic circle (Glassell & Chapman) in Orange
EVERY SUNDAY 10am-2pm
The Great Park Farmers Market
The Great Park in Irvine
Exit 5 at Sand Canyon, turn south on Marine Way (parallels east side of 5) follow the signs
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26285 Verona Place
Mission Viejo, California 92692
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