The lazy man's orchard: get more than organic fruit without tiring

[Rajqawee]

Talking about citrus is broad! We could say that it goes from sensitive to the slightest frost to the robust kumquat that does not flinch down to -18 or even -20 ° C. Afterwards, it is certain that one should not hope for a very "fatty" grapefruit in Chamonix but by concentrating on the numerous crosses with poncirus trifoliata ou Citrus ichangsis, one obtains interesting citrus fruits which hold for the most part at -10, -12 ° C.

Two examples that I was able to taste;

citrus fortunella 'Rafael', a tasty kumquat, -18 ° C, gives very good fruit.
Citrus unshiu 'Statsuma Okitsu', a very nice and productive tangerine, seedless, -12 ° C.

It is one of the fruit trees that I do not yet cultivate at home but which are on the program. A friend cultivates some of them on the side of Liège, Belgium, with success (it is at his place that I enjoy myself). There is also a Belgian nursery which produces it, Kwekerij de zoetewei. Unfortunately, it doesn't ship anything by post and only open to the public 2 days a year.

Hop hop, I'm back!

I was recently offered a peach tree and a plum tree, so that's it! The peach tree is a gift from a friend who has a nice orchard and who had suckers in rab '. The plum tree is grafted from the local nursery, a priori very good advice according to the person who offered it to us.

I am gradually learning about citrus, because I would like to try satsuma at the very least: does anyone have a good plan to have specific essences delivered? The local nursery does not have one and by their own admission, do not have varieties suitable for the open ground in our climate, I quote "Frankly, except to look pretty in pot, it does not serve much purpose. We systematically advise against them but what do you want: everyone asks us for them, so we sell them! "

I also came across the youtube peregrinations on this book: https://www.editions-ulmer.fr/editions- ... bri-cl.htm

It could be very interesting ...

[Miaos]

"Frankly, apart from looking pretty in a pot, it doesn't help much. We systematically advise against them, but what do you want: everyone asks us for them, so we sell them!"

If I believe your region of origin, except to be really on the high altitudes, this kind of speech is quite common. Most nurserymen get stuck on the catalog of 2 or 3 suppliers at most and look no further, either by choice or by parent company policy. Somewhere, I understand them, to get nuggets, each time you have to work with a small producer very specialized for each "domain" (fruit trees, cacti, orchids, etc.) who often operate in a somewhat archaic way. . It's tedious and the products are often raw, a relatively small, poorly calibrated, potted plant with a handwritten name, far from the beautiful colorful labels that catch the customer's eye. These products there, you literally have to sell them otherwise it will stay on your hands, it is not very profitable and it is only done out of passion for the profession.

You will find on this link a youtube video which already makes an interesting tour of the different possibilities for regions much colder than yours and which are for some cultivated in the Belgian Ardennes ...

[Rajqawee]

Yes, that's where I saw the book! I haven't watched the video, maybe later. But is he talking about suppliers in it?

[pi-r]

Yes, that's where I saw the book! I haven't watched the video, maybe later. But is he talking about suppliers in it?

yes they talk about it. there are even interventions from a nursery producer whose site (with others) is linked under the video.
it's not right next to St Gau. but the Albigensian region is undoubtedly playable for you ...

[Rajqawee]

Yes, that's where I saw the book! I haven't watched the video, maybe later. But is he talking about suppliers in it?

yes they talk about it. there are even interventions from a nursery producer whose site (with others) is linked under the video.
it's not right next to St Gau. but the Albigensian region is undoubtedly playable for you ...

Good memory Alright, so I'll take a closer look. I'm in no hurry, I'll do the implantation in the spring. Thank you for your answers !

[Christophe]

I put this here: ghost apples...

pomme_fantome.jpg (231.39 KiB) Consulted 2577 times

I'm a little skeptical about the explanation:

They are created when icy rainwater coats decaying apples and, as they rot and fall, they leave an empty shell of ice.
Place and date of photos: Kent County (Michigan, United States), February 2019
Credits: Andrew Sietsema

[Rajqawee]

Anyway, it's pretty