Well, I just put together a little package of scion to send to a new orchard friend in California. He is going to do the same for me. This certainly gives a bit of cheery activity for an otherwise bleakish time of year. The mind can always conjure up pleasant thoughts of spring activities. There are a few garden/orchard activities that can spice up the winter months: Planning the garden, scheming your grafting, buying garden seeds.
Let's not miss the joys of today wishing for tomorrow.
Anticipation is more than half the pleasure.
Ted

I planted four trees in my greenhouse: Sweet Bagel donut peach, Sauzee King donut nectarine, Snow Queen nectarine, and Emerald Beaut plum. These replaced a Flavor Supreme pluot that I dug out first.

Also planted a Sherwood jujube outside. Have 5 more jujube varieties due any day.

The pluot are swelling buds in the greenhouse but I'm holding them back because my warm season is too long. If I let them go too soon the fruit buds that form in summer, for fruit next year, tend to go bad before it cools off in fall. At least that's my operating theory at present.

I also have blueberries turning blue in the sunroom. In a month or so I'll know if they are going to taste like sawdust or blueberries.

Things have slowed down a bit but tomatoes, greens, oranges, strawberries and lemons have been coming in steady. Next up will be to plant another avocado, some Feijoa, and pot upgrades for the blueberries.

I have just finishing up plans and orders for some re-do's this upcoming growing season. I am replacing all my fall bearing raspberries with summer types this coming season.
The bugs get into them so badly in the Fall here, that spraying isn't even an option. Unless you don't mind consuming the residues like gravy. So killed these rasp types all out last Fall. Besides, the frost usually gets what the bugs don't anyway. Anne was one of those eliminated. In order to leave them on long enuff to sweeten up like I like them, the bugs pretty much had their way with them. I'll leave it up to the Apples for late season fruit.

Took out my three Blackberries at the same time. This space will now be part of the Rasp patch. These always Winter killed down to the ground, even though rated for zone 4. Which made for to late to ripen fruit before the killing frosts. Plus were thorny types, so won't miss that part either. Never tasted one berry on these in 4 fruiting years that was even close to palatable. Types were Prime Jim, Prime Jan, and Darrow.

Have also recently finished up my fruit tree orders as well. As for plums - will be adding 2 Underwood plum in the hopes to fill in the harvest void between the Black Ice early type, and then all my other varieties(5) which are later ripeners for me here in my Zone 4. Will also add an additional Vermont Plum from St Lawrence Nursery for more supply of a yellow colored fruit option. Also ordered a Geraldine variety of P americana for help in pollination issues. My future plans for this one include grafting single branches onto my other pre-existing types once proper scion wood becomes available.

Have ordered a Harrow Sweet pear to put next to my 4X1 FB resistant pear that I planted last season. This one is also Semi-D on OHxF 333 just like my 4X1, and will be coming from Grandpa's Orchard. Thanks Harvest Man for helping to confirm my own early opinion on the prospects of this variety. I hope to also graft additional varieties onto this new tree in the future as well.

I figure this is enuff to keep me hopping this coming Spring along with all of my other normal tree management chores. Which this year for the first time will include some grafting. I may be posting up some inquiries regarding some of this in the very near future.

I planted 3 peach trees yesterday, a UF Gold and 3 UF beauty as well as two plums Gulf Beauty and Gulf Rose. Also installing a watering system to all the trees. I still have a UFO peach and UF 2000 peaches to plant once they are available for sale.

Adding 2 Tupi Black Berries to my collection tomarrow. I currently have 6 Kiowa and 1 Brazos.

Just recieved 2 more Sweetcrips (that makes 5) 1 Austin Rabbiteye, 1 Alapaha Rabbiteye and 1 Windsor for the Blueberry collection to plant tomarrow.

Also getting a Navel N-33 from the fruit tree sale tomarrow to add to my Mr. Mac Satsuma, Rio Red Grapefruit, Improved Meyer Lemon and Mexican Lime.

Probably going to get a couple grape vines as well. Muscadine varieties.

Of course some vegetables too. Thinking about growing some potatoes and corn this season. I always grow bellpeppers, onion, okra, tomatoe, strawberries and purple hull peas.

Exciting times around my house man!!!!!!!

I have a bunch of stonefruit seedlings growing in the kitchen, more are sprouting in the fridge. I just got over being sick, which last almost 2 weeks (horrible). Other then that, we got 6 inches of snow yesterday and it looks like winter is finally starting. I won't see buds swelling until March or even early April.

Back to ordering more European plums, particularly Mirabelles, and pear trees. Am adding a new 'Caroline' red raspberry patch, and yet another strawberry patch. Just when I think I've ordered my last tree, I find room somewhere for yet another. Anyone try Pink Mott apple? I would love a 'pink' apple, just don't know which one will be best for my zone. All ready have three other apples (mid-season pollinators) and three flowering crabs. Plenty of 'fairy dust'. I agree, winter is a little boring, but with all of the hard work just around the corner, I'm enjoying the rest.

just put together a 53 tree order for this spring; some more apples and cherry and a few add'l pear plus my 1st peach trees. holes all dug last fall so planting should be easy. incredibly warm weather (51 degrees in January in MN!) has allowed a jump start on some early spring activity.

I also do motorcycle touring and trackdays so winter is planning time for those activities as well. Bought a new (to me )track bike for the coming year that I need to get ready and started route planning for summer motorcycle road trip to visit Marine daughter stationed at USMC Camp LeJuene in N.C.

winter sucks.

Isn't that the truth, I hate winter. My yard is solid white with frost, there will be no gardening of any kind for quite awhile yet in my part of the country. Sigh.

RM

I've been pruning the soft fruit this week - black and red currants, gooseberries and raspberries.

Winter may be boring...but for us, it kills off the 'bad' bugs, bring in lots of snow, so we don't have a drought in the summer, and gives us a well deserved rest! LOL

For me, it's moving the blueberries (again) and maybe adding some red raspberries. Eventually, I'm going to find a place, where the deer won't nibble on the blueberries. Hopefully, this will be the right place, mixed in with some deer resistant perennials and with a fence along the back :)

Lavender lass,
I have yet to find a place the deer won't nibble. Your best bet is a fence or chicken wire cages around the bushes, which looks ugly, but works. Northwoodswis

Well, winter has finally come to Wisconsin.

I promised myself I wouldn't order any fruit trees for this season. So far, I'm holding strong, but thinking that some brambles wouldn't count as a fruit tree, right??

The next thing that I'll do is probably prune the apple trees and grape vines. But I'll probably hold off on that until early March.

I enjoy all the seasons. I'm always ready for a break by the time cold weather arrives. Winter finds me cutting wood, clearing brush, and doing lots of planning, taking inventory, and ordering seeds/stock for the new year. It's a great time to get all the equipment in shape and tools cleaned and sharpened. I also like to ice fish, but that's a rare event anymore. By now, I'm also a little tired of deer hunting. I even enjoy really bad days when I can hide out in the garage and do some gourdwork.

Started the tomatoes and peppers Monday, spring comes early here with a March 1 plant out date. Here in Florida now is when we grow our cool season crops like lettuce, broccoli ect. The new blueberry plants are just now breaking dormancy. Running irrigation lines to all the new trees, not my favorite job in the world.

Winter is boring, but for me that means there is more time to plan what to plan where :)

I am spending the winter plotting out planting locations and digging when it is above freezing . . . and researching pruning/fertilization techniques when is cold outside.

Winter is the only season when I can work in the garden and not get stung by fire ants or yellow jackets. The ants can be active on warm days so I only work at ground level on the really cold days. I always tend to move things around so I do a lot of digging and weeding this time of year.

Great to see so many people active at this time of year.

When I wrote the original post, my mind was stuck in my little part of the world. I had forgot that there are places in the world that are not 5 degrees with horizontally blowing snow! All of you zone 7 - 10 folks make me sick! LOL just kidding!

I hope everyone enjoys their winter. I did get to sit with my family this weekend drooling over the Seed catalogs.

Deamon
It is 2:00 and just warmed up to 10 here. Just enough snow so I will have to shovel off the farm pond for the grand kids to skate. I just got a letter from a summer customer at the boat business, who stopped at the house last summer. When he stopped I had peaches pears ,apples and black berries all ripe at once. The letter said I will have my grounds keeper clear space for 35 trees pick them out and order them.
harvestman
It is z4, he is a 75 year old dr., his crew would have to be trained, he is only here from May 15 th till oct 10 th. What would you put on the list from ANC with a blank check?

Started my onion seeds and ordered a Honey Crisp tree from Maple Valley Orchards.

"Orchard" would be too pretentious a word for my small collection of backyard fruit, but over the past few days I have worked on getting the ground ready to plant another grape and a blackberry. Also planted a bed of "June bearing" strawberries, which will actually probably start producing in April here. Trying to decide whether to prune a peach and apricot now - they never dropped their leaves this winter, but I suppose this is as close to winter-dormant as they will get this year.

Also planted some onion sets yesterday.

Winter is fine by me...I have time to get into my catalogs
and make plans for relocating some of my plants. I have
a few fruit trees that I'm quite fond of...especially my
Asian pears and old fashion plums. My plans are to perhaps
take out three over grown apple trees, which I don't like
so much and put in more Asian pears. More red cherries
would be nice if I can keep the birdies away from them. I
always wanted a small cherry orchard.

Margaret

I planted 5 Cherries, 5 Apples, and 5 Pears last weekend in Julian, CA. Irrigation and mulch will be installed this weekend.

The early blooming trees in San Diego are just getting started. My second year Eva's Pride peach tree is almost in full bloom.

{{gwi:59527}}

Well daemon2525 I sure do know what you mean by winter, although it's been a nice one here in S. Wis this year. I have tulips that are coming up! I love to spend time looking at catalogs and web pages trying to deside what I have room to add to my already too large selection of trees and flowers. But I have ordered a TruGold peach tree (3rd year ordering it, keep getting the order canceled) Now I've found another winter hardy peach (Flamin Furry hardy) and I'm trying to figure out where I'd plant it. Have had really good luck with my Contender peach in this zone. Now that we finally have some snow and winter weather, I'm getting ready to prune my trees. My least favorite part of having orchard trees. But I have to do it. Anyone tried the Bonnie Best apple? I had a few on my young tree last year, enough to make a pie, sure was a great apple.

I swore up and down that I wasn't going to be bit by the bug... but here I am... Bit by the bug.

This year - I have a long list of "Wants"... But... I can't get them all... Top on my priority list is Pecans, Jujubes, and Filberts.

Next on the list is another good plum... I am looking at Coe's golden drop.... and maybe a Winblo peach and a Tomcot apricot... and a couple other things... Not real sure at this point..

Thanks