Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

2009 – just weeks before the impending future… 2010. As the cool morning air settles, the PVFS staff dons their yellow rain slickers and prepares to receive a massive truck packed full of bare root trees.

Only the “powers-that-be” know how many happy people will set their teeth into a piece of luscious fruit produced from one of these fantastic fruit trees within the coming years.

You have probably sat around on many occasions and wondered “what does it look like to pack 8,000 bare root trees into a cargo truck?” The truck is full of bare root fruit trees and bare root nut trees.  Well question no longer:

The general process for receiving these trees requires us to unload them, bundle them to their corresponding bin, count them, “heel them in” and then begin to fill orders. With a full crew down in the warehouse just unloading and “heeling-in” these bare roots will take the entire day – perhaps the first half of the following day.

We have already taken orders for about a quarter of these trees, they are selling fast. Place your order now to receive the varieties that meet your zone and chill hour requirements!

If you would like more information about Bare Root Trees see our literature here.

To Compare the beautiful weather we are having this year compared to unloading these trees last year click here.

Read our article below to help you with planting your bare root trees:

How to plant a bare root tree

A set of  PVFS Customer Emails with Staff Responses.

Question:

I received my fall 2009 catalog and see you carry Redhaven peach trees. I would like to know if they come on Citation rootstock or, if not, what rootstock do they come on?

Answer:

Yes, the Redhaven Peach trees come on Citation rootstock. The bare root trees are available for order now, but will not begin shipping until December. Please feel free to contact me directly with any further questions.

Thank you for your interest and happy Fall!

Question:

I have a few more questions.  I live in The Scott Valley In the Siskiyous, Sunset zone 1.  We get about 90 days between 3 day freezes. I would like to know if my selections will be alright.  1) Harcot on Citation, 2) Chinese on Citation, 3) Italian/Europ Plum on Citation, 4) Craig’s Crimson Cherry?   Also will Harcot or Chinese polinate Tomcot?

Answer:

Sunset zone 1 indicates that you are in a very northern hard freeze area?  I’m afraid I am unable to determine where you live?  The Harcot & Chinese recommends within zones 4-9.  The Tomcot is recommended in zones 7-9.  This would suggest that these trees would not survive the winters.  Do you have a local Master Gardener’s Cooperative in your county?  They could probably help with the local particulars.

Please write back with high and low average temps and your location so I can better serve you.

Question:

Thanks again for your help.

I live in Etna CA. US zone 7, sunset zone 1, but I buy all my trees for zone 4. We have vary short season so it can get pretty cold early in september. I already have a Tomcot apricot and need to know if Harcot or Chineese will polinate Tomcot? and will Italian/Europ Plum do alright here?

Answer:

Looks like the Italian/Euro Plum will do fine in your area, it’s recommendation is for zones 4-9, it blooms late (this is good), and does well in colder regions.

The Tomcot is semi self fruitful but will yield more fruit with any other Apricots in the area.  So you should see more fruit with either the Chinese or Harcot nearby.

The Cherry tree you inquired about may have some challenges with the freezing, if you can put it on a south side close to a building it may do alright, it is zoned for areas 5-10.  The Montmorency and the Van are the only Cherries zoned 4-9.  The Montmorency is self-fruitful, the Van needs pollination by any other sweet cherry.

See our Bare Root Planting Guide here.

Me too! I bought ten fruit trees, read up on amending the soil, using gopher baskets to protect young roots, and even painting the bark to protect from sun scald (you can read my planting guide here).

But when it came to pruning my new trees, I stopped in my tracks! I’ve referenced multiple websites, four books, and of course consulted our staff. What did I find? I learned that there are as many different opinions on how to prune a fruit tree as there are resources!

There were some commonalities when it came to pruning second year, dormant, bare root stock (what you’ll get from Peaceful Valley) which I’ll share:

• Don’t prune your trees when they are wet. This makes them more susceptible to disease.
• Select about four limbs which are well spaced (not right next to each other or all on one side of the tree for example). Cut these limbs back by two-thirds, leaving the bottom third of the branch. When you make the cut, prune the branch such that a bud is near the end and is pointing in the general direction you want the branch to grow.
• Remove the remaining limbs by clipping them off, flush with the trunk.

Now wait and watch ‘em grow!

When planning to plant your single tree or home orchard, there are a few bare necessities:

	1. Select a fruit tree. We carry over 120 varieties of fruit & nut trees from Dave Wilson’s nursery. They provide us with trees of the highest quality! Buy 10 trees and get a 10% quantity discount and pay only $3/tree in shipping!
	2. Dig a hole that’s about 1 foot deep and 1.5 feet wide. If you don’t have a shovel, our employee pick is Fiskars Digging Shovel.
	3. Good drainage is essential to the health of your fruit trees. Fill the hole to the top with water. It should drain within 3 to 4 hours. Then fill it AGAIN. If the hole does not drain within 3 to 4 hours either time, then you need to find another location or modify your current location by making a raised bed or a French drain. Need a hose to get the job done? We’ve got ‘em.
	4. Protect the roots from gophers with a 15 gallon, tree size gopher basket. Until young trees are well established, gophers can do significant damage and kill your tree.
	5. Soil amendments such as Soft Rock Phosphate or our Foothill Fertilizer Mix should be added to the soil before planting along with some compost, especially if you have clay-like soil. The roots will spread out so be sure to amend the soil around your planting location as well.
	6. Plant your tree and be sure not to plant the tree any deeper than the soil line on the bare root tree. Water thoroughly and watch for settling. You may want to soak the roots overnight in a 5 gallon bucket before planting.
	7. Protect the young trunk from mechanical damage, pests, and sunburns with a tree guard. Another option to prevent sun scald is to paint the trunk with interior white latex paint diluted with an equal part of water.
	8. Prune your dormant tree. Dave Wilson recommends pruning your tree at knee height as this will produce a great flush of growth in the Spring. Questions? Ask your local nursery or master gardener. We have a wide variety of pruners to help you get the job done. Our staff pick is the Felco Pruner No. 8.
	8. Windy?If high winds will be a factor in your planting location, then the tree should be tilted slightly towards the wind’s prevailing direction. Do not overdo it, a slight tilt will suffice. Supports may be used, but try not to over do it; you want your tree’s trunk to become strong, not dependent on supports.

For further information, read Peaceful Valley Bare Root Tree Growing Guide here.

Enjoy planting!!

The day the bare root trees arrived was spectacular! Seeing a truck loaded, front to back, top to bottom with bare root trees was impressionable.

Our Peaceful Valley team unloaded the trees, sorted the dormant “sticks” into their varieties, and healed their roots into sawdust, pre-dampened by the rain, snow, and sleat.

The weather, while it was snowing, added a festive look to the dormant trees.

But as the weather turned to rain, sleat, and hail… well it left much to be desired for those unloading…

Bare root fruit and nut trees are here and they’re flying out our door! Hurry and order your bare root trees and you’ll be enjoying their fruits this summer.