It's getting late in the planting season but we have finally taken delivery of more trees and after several days of planting have them all safely in the ground. Let the growing begin.
This weekend I planted a number of crop trees. For the most part it was seedling walnuts collected from under my grandmothers tree but also included 5 grafted fruit trees I purchased.
I am passionate about trees and their numerous benefits so I frequently encounter this commonly held misconception when I try and encourage grass growers to consider incorporating trees on their farms. The argument goes something like this: "I can't plant trees in or around my pasture because they compete with grass for light, water and minerals, grass production would suffer".
This photo, taken a few hundred meters from my home on a conventional sheep and beef farm during the worst drought in decades is evidence that certain tree species can actually improve the performance of grass. If only people were as observant as they are quick to dismiss the value of trees in the landscape.
Details We enjoyed a hot and sunny afternoon touring 11 people from the North Canterbury Tree Crops group. I think our alternative and rather unorthodox approach and philosophies were quite an eye opener for most of them...
While I have a detailed planting map in the computer, it is useful to be able to identify trees out in the real world so I made these metal name tags using sheet aluminium. The names are stamped out using individual letter stamp / punches.
Details Fast growing, drought resistant nitrogen fixer (legume). This small tree has white flowers which are loved by bees, bumblebees and native pigeon. Grown as a nurse or support tree during the establishment of more long term tree plantings. Useful as a quick canopy / umbrella over citrus, avocados etc. or used as physical scaffold for climbers such as grape, kiwifruit etc. Good firewood from mature trees.
Pour hot water over the seeds and soak for 24 hours before planting into course sand.
Details Seed collected from largest fruit that have been under the tree over winter. This is the only type of hawthorn we grow and there are no wild ones in close proximity (that I am aware of) so seed should be pure.
Winter is a time to purchase and plant trees. This year we have put in 110 new trees which has basically filled up the remaining available space. Going forward it will mostly be shrubs or replanting specimens that don't survive.
Details Yellow pea-flowers in pendulous leafless racemes 10–40 cm (4–15.5 in) long in spring, which makes them very popular garden trees.
All parts of the plant are poisonous, although mortality is very rare. Symptoms of laburnum poisoning may include intense sleepiness, vomiting, convulsive movements, coma, slight frothing at the mouth and unequally dilated pupils.
Details Yellow pea-flowers in pendulous leafless racemes 10–40 cm (4–15.5 in) long in spring, which makes them very popular garden trees.
All parts of the plant are poisonous, although mortality is very rare. Symptoms of laburnum poisoning may include intense sleepiness, vomiting, convulsive movements, coma, slight frothing at the mouth and unequally dilated pupils.
Browse our selection of organically grown vegetable, flower and tree seeds. Hand harvested in Autumn from healthy plants growing in the blockhill forest garden.
Our collection sometimes includes imported seeds from popular permaculture shrubs and trees that are difficult to source locally.
Grafting is the process of adding part of a known, desirable tree onto existing, growing roots of a similar species. This can be done for a number of reasons such as having many types of fruit to one tree or influencing the characteristics of the tree such as size, soil requirements and disease resistance.
I grow a lot of plants and trees from seeds. One space saving way that I have come up with is to use the vertical wall space at the back of the house where my nursery is located. Adding these metal 'gutters' as plant growing shelves has given plenty more growing area situated at perfect working height.
By now it should be obvious that we need more trees in our landscapes, however inconvenient that may seem. The benefits are numerous. Using trees for supplementary animal feed is a smart strategy in drought prone areas. This includes:
Fresh leaves / foliage
Fruits and berries
Nuts and seeds
Once established, trees are long lived with a deep root system capable of funding moisture in dry times. Large volumes of edible material can be produced, along with all the other benefits provided by appropriate species of trees.
Grow your knowledge of fruit tree cloning through the ancient art of grafting. Learn by seeing and doing with hands on examples and one on one tuition and explanation. We will cover:
Collecting and storing grafting (scion) wood from desired trees
Understanding and propagating rootstocks
Grafting tools and techniques
View many examples of grafted trees of various types, complexity and age
Details 6 years of growth from 2014 - 2020 As part of our water wise landshaping, we spent considerable effort creating a number of hand dug terraces as well as having a mini digger create an access track on a sloping amphitheater. Terraces allow for improved rainwater infiltration, reducing runoff and erosion while also making it easier to work and harvest from the trees. This particular area is a nice sun trap and has excellent cold air drainage. The biggest challenge is the dry and, in some places, the blackberry. Here we grow a number of fruit tree types with a focus on apricot.
Common name glandular senna, downy senna, buttercup bush
Botanical name Senna multiglandulosa
Details A fast growing evergreen shrub which become treelike. The leaves are each made up of several pairs of thick, hairy, oval-shaped leaflets each measuring up to about 4 centimeters long. The leaves are studded with visible resin glands between the leaflets.