Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

Here at Peaceful Valley, we are in the throes of bare-root sales. However, the terms and restrictions for what can and cannot be planted can be confusing, especially for the first time grower.

The first thing to consider is your growing zone. This is a general description of how warm or cold your temperatures get year round. Where people tend to get confused, even experienced growers, is that in the US, there are two different forms of zone charting: The USDA and Sunset Magazine, possibly more. For simplicity, Peaceful Valley employs the USDA chart exclusively.

How, then, can you find, with any certainty, what USDA zone are you in? You can find zone maps in many locations, but even those cannot be as specific as you need. Fortunately, the good folks at the National Gardening Association have put together a searchable zone chart! Simply go here, and enter your zip code. You will get not only your USDA zone, but links to articles pertaining to growing conditions in YOUR area!

Another question many people have is “How many chill hours do I have? What is a chill hour, anyway?” According to Dave Wilson (the company that has supplied the majority of our bare-root trees for nearly a decade, and services many other nurseries around the nation) a chill hour is defined as one hour under 45 degrees Fahrenheit. However, its not always that simple. For every hour over 60 degrees, you have to subtract one hour. There are other, more specific rules (search for Utah Model Chill), but this is a good general guide.

Now, most people don’t sit out with a clipboard and a thermometer every day, calculating chill data. So, to get your approximate number of chill hours, you would go to your local Ag department — they usually have that data. If you are lucky enough to live in California, our wonderful UC system actually has monitoring up and down the state, with not only recent data, but in some cases, going back 5 years — you get a great picture of trends. The website, broken down by county, can be found here.

As always, we are here to help. Our catalog features many different icons to give you an idea of what grows well in warm climates (ideal for areas like Los Angeles), and what grows well in frigid areas, like Nebraska. But remember, we cannot hold shipments until it gets warm enough for you to plant. There is a method called “heeling in”, which allows you to care for your bare root plants until you are able to plant them in their permanent home. The literature we send out with our plants includes that information, but it can be viewed by downloading the .pdf file on the description page of all our bare-root stock.

Good luck, and Happy Planting!

None of my pecan trees and one Pedro walnut, various ages from 2 years to 6 years, leafed out this spring.  Instead, some of them produced suckers from the rootstock.  I have a horrible gopher problem this year and think they were what happened to the trees.   Almonds don’t appear to be damaged, nor do fruit trees. 

Question is:  What kind of tree do I get if I leave the suckers growing?

Hi, My name is Katie and I’m addicted to Peaceful Valley.  (One only has to check out past posts on my blog for evidence).

I’ve been a customer of Peaceful Valley for just about a year now (I’ve only been gardening for a few years), and am very excited to see that they have started this blog.  Even in it’s infancy it’s very informative, and like you, I’m excited to see it grow, pun intended.

The folks at Peaceful Valley have been gracious enough to allow me to hop on here and share a little about gardening, my experiences, and other related topics.  You can call me “Collegiate Suburban Gardener” if you wish, because although I feel although I’m not a “freshman” to the organic gardening scene, gardening continues to prove me a perpetual student.  (Freshman Farmer blog here).

In thinking about what I would want to share with folks (which is pretty daunting, given how many folks have been doing this for far longer than I have), my advice boils down to four words:

Right tree, right place.

We’ve all seen them and cringed: Coastal redwoods used in a foundation planting, large trees like Sycamores planted at 6′ intervals in grass-filled medians, and small trees planted far to close to one another to be productive or interesting, requiring lots of time and effort to prune. 

Trees are such beautiful creatures if we allow them the space and conditions necessary for their wonder to unfurl before our very eyes.

So the next time you think about planting a tree, remember a few things:

What is the final height and spread of this tree?

Is this the right tree for this location?

Is this the right location for this tree?

Local tree companies, landscape designers, experienced community gardeners, Peaceful Valley’s expert staff, and your local extension office can arm you with the knowledge necessary to pick the right tree…and plant it in the right place.

We have such a great selection of bare roots this year and our customers have appreciated it!  We’ve sold over 5,000 and only have 800 left, so hurry and get your bare roots while there is time to get them in the ground! 

In Winter, once leaves have dropped, fruit trees should be sprayed three times with dormant oil and fungicide (lime sulfur or copper sulfate) to control fungal diseases and insect infestation.This week marks with Valentine’s Day when the third and last spray should ideally happen (first is around Thanksgiving, second around Christmas).

This is really important for peaches and nectarines which are very susceptible to Peach Leaf Curl, especially in a wet winter.

Remember that apricots can’t be sprayed with lime sulfur (use copper sulfate instead).

Also, sprays should be allowed to dry on the bark, so don’t spray if rain is expected shortly thereafter.

Soon, it will be too late as you shouldn’t spray your trees once their swollen buds have bloomed.

I just sprayed my 50 trees and I will be glad I did this coming Spring!