Along with the two trees were six blueberries and one lilac. The total shipping came to $17.95, this figure includes the $10 penalty for living in the Far North.
All of these plants arrived bare-root (no soil, just the rootball wrapped in wet moss) and in excellent condition. Plus they were delivered to my door via United States Postal Service, on the date that I specified when I made the order.
We here in Homer are also graced with excellent nurseries that are now including fruit trees in their inventory.
But the really important fact is that the Lower Peninsula Fruit Growers Association exists.
The well attended meeting on Sunday is proof that there is a genuine interest in growing fruit here, and there are those in the know for pursuing that interest. Give John Bittner a call, 235-7264 to join, for a mere $5. This will entitle you to a newsletter and various programs that will enlighten us all on the sometimes tricky process of producing fruit at latitude 59. He will also share mail order sources of supply.
One of the main points is to plant the variety that suits your needs.
Parkland and Norland have been the prevailing trees here in Homer for many years. They produce somewhat reliably, given the odds.
But, to me, the Norland has always been a disappointment in the eating out of hand department. Invariably it is brown in the center and the texture is too soft. One of the members of the association shared the little known piece of information that the Norland is an excellent cider/juice apple.
Neither the Parkland nor the Norland will store well. So you will need to either process or eat them posthaste.
I am satisfied with my choice of varieties. I was looking for a small, very small tree with a red apple. Hopefully, it will snap when I bite into it. I chose to plant them in the strawberry beds, with the strawberries forming a carpet at their feet.
But I have been worried about this decision. Once again the members of the association had the answer for me: no problem. Excellent. I just may get apples in a couple of years.
With Weather closing in on us the pumpkins and acorn squash are better off harvested. The ones that are not fully mature will harden and color indoors. I like to store mine in wicker baskets in the dining room. They look festive as well as functional.
The last of the artichokes made it into the kitchen this afternoon. What we don’t eat for dinner will store nicely in the refrigerator. Really, you need to try these if you have yet to do so. You are missing a great treat, they are so very flavorful, astoundingly more so than those we purchase at our local market that have traveled ever so far to grace your table.
Think ahead. One plant will produce 10 to 12 “chokes” in varying sizes. A perennial plant, I intend on making an effort to winter over my two plants.
We are still harvesting broccoli and carrots. The lettuce has turned bitter and tough. I have been given a tip to plant lettuce on the deck in containers. The “cut and come again” theory works particularly well on the deck and the slugs are thwarted, to say the least. I just may give this a try next year. The same gardener suggested that I take tip cuttings from the tomatoes in the greenhouse and start them indoors for tomatoes all winter long.
The greenhouse is still producing cucumbers, tomatoes and really huge red bell peppers. If you are entertaining the idea of a greenhouse now is the time to act on this thought. Get it built and ready to go for the coming spring.
There are those plants that you may feel you must have that will refuse to winter over no matter how hard you try. Fuchsia, tuber begonia, dahlia and the odd rose that you felt you just could not live without.
Now is the time to bring them indoors. Do this gradually, just like you introduced them to the outdoors, so be it in reverse. Central heat is not kind to plants. Yours will probably still be blooming so let them become houseplants until they start to look shabby. At that stage, cut them back and store them in a cool, dry, dark place.
I am really fond of tuberous begonias and I make sure that I have three pink ones in the flower box on the street side (north) of the house. It makes for a welcoming sight when you walk up to the entry. But I plant them directly into the box so I will dig them out, allow them to dry, store them in a paper bag until next spring. Not much effort for the reward.
If you have yet to bring in a few herbs now is the time to do so. I have a rosemary that must be eight years old. It spends summers outside and winters on the kitchen window sill. It never gets very big, I assume that is because I use it throughout the year. It is a sure sign of fall when I welcome it back into the kitchen.
Plant all of your bulbs, they will not do you any good sitting on a shelf in the garage.
I am still weeding and fussing around the garden and I hope you are too.
Note: The Homer Garden Club meets at 2 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Cowles Council Chambers in City Hall. Cookie’s Greenhouse will present a program on spring bulbs for naturalizing and forcing bulbs for the holidays. There will be bulbs for sale.
Rosemary Fitzpatrick has been gardening with gusto in Homer for 27 years.
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