How To Have Better Home-Grown Fruit

Every spring we rush around the garden so much, I was wondering if I could do any planting this fall? I would like to put in some fruits.

Generally speaking, if the winters are mild in your particular area, there is no reason why you can’t plant fruits this fall. Raspberries, peaches and grapes, for instance, can be fall-planted where winters are not too severe. It might be necessary to protect grapes with a light winter mulch, however. If you are uncertain whether your winters are severe or mild, you can certainly prepare the soil this fall and plant as early as possible in the spring.

Prepare a good deep hole for fruits. Dig it larger than the size of the root ball or root spread. The soil that has been removed should be mixed with compost, manure or peatmoss. It is also a good time to add plant food.

Set your plant so the roots are not cramped… if they are, dig the hole larger immediately.

Don’t plant the tree any deeper than it was in the nursery. Dwarf fruits should never be planted with the bud union or graft buried.

Water the plant well to settle the soil around the roots, and stake the plant, if necessary, so that it will be protected against winter storms.

If you are not going to plant this fall, go through the same procedure without actually setting the plant. Refill the hole and leave the surface rough so that frost action can condition the soil further.

I have been gardening for several years and it is amazing that only now I have become aware of the obvious. Most trees looked pretty much alike before, but now I see interesting pat-terns in the bark. Could you tell me some trees with unusual bark that I might plant this fall?

The familiar birches are hard to beat for unusual bark. However, there is a variety of European birch, Betula pendula purpurea, which in addition to having purple foliage has an unusual combination of bark colors. The smaller upper branches are jet-black and shiny while the trunk and larger branches are the traditional white. The red-bark cherry, Prunus serrulata, has a most unusual bark. Both the trunk and the branches are covered with a shiny, metallic red of fire-engine brilliance.

This spring I planted some zoysia. I know that it will soon turn brown, but should I fertilize it heavily in the fall at the same time I fertilize my cool-season grasses? Also, is September too late to plant some more zoysia?

The fertilizing programs for zoysia and cool-season grasses are slightly dif-ferent. Cool-season grasses – such as bluegrass, fescues and bents – should be fed quite heavily in the fall when they put on a spurt of new growth. Zoysia in the fall is starting to diminish growth. Zoysia should be fed quite heavily in the summer months when the grass is growing fast. As long as zoysia is growing, however, it can be fed. If the growing season extends into mid or late October – and we have had some rather warm weather at this season – zoysia can be fed.

No, it is not too late to plant more zoysia in September. Again it depends on the growing season. When the grass is growing vigorously it can be planted. Plugs would be recommended for fall planting, either those cut from existing sod or pot-grown.

I am going to experiment with strawberries. I plan to plant half the crop this fall and the rest next spring. What I am trying to find out is which ones will give the best production. Maybe you can give me a hint?

In all probability, you will find that the strawberries planted this fall will outbear those set out next spring. Although it is sometimes difficult to obtain strawberries in the fall – but some specialists do sell them – it is the ideal time to plant home-garden strawberries.

Related Articles Of Interest:

• Flowering Plum the Free Growing Ornamental Tree
• Lavender Star Flower Survives any Climate
• Persimmons In The Home Landscape
• Plant Some Strawberries This Fall