Now that the holiday are over , there are garden - associate things that I should be doing . I could , for deterrent example , go out to the unheated service department and sharpen the blades of my lawnmower . Or , since I care to remain warm , I could simply go down into the cellar and clean out my plant way so that everything will be in rescript for seed starting next month .
But as much as I ask sharp lawn lawn mower blades and a goodly plant area , I need inspiration a sight more . Therefore , I am about to regulate a peach tree .
I am , for the most part , a grower of ornamentals . In the past times , I have raised my share of tomatoes , some mutual herbaceous plant , strawberries , raspberries , and , of course , lavender . But I have never had a full - fledgedvegetable garden , and do not spend my nights woolgather of a stylish Gallic potager .
But something strange has amount over me in the last few age , and I ca n’t really report for it . Last saltation I was seized by the urge to grow my own blueberries , and now , if I look out my office windowpane , I can see the modest branches of a dwarfblueberry bushrising up from the icy tundra that is my back garden . With any luck , this year I will glean my first two or three blueberries . If I succeed in getting three , I will deplete one on the spot , give the 2nd one aside to a horticulture friend , and freeze the third one to eat next winter .
Now I must have a peach tree . My family loves stunner , and I buy large quantities of them when they total into season in the summertime . The trouble is that the time of year is short , and sometimes even the good local purveyor has beauty that are mushy from improper memory , or bruise from the rigour of transit , or are otherwise less than optimal . I can avoid all these disappointment if I grow peaches in my own backyard .
Having decided on a curative for my peach problem , last night I snuggled up with the Miller Nursery catalog . Miller ’s is based in Canandaigua , New York , not far from our summer cottage , and they have soldfruit treesof all variety for as long as I can commend . The picture of luscious yield that pop up on every Thomas Nelson Page of the catalogue are enough to make you drool , specially at a time of year when the only decent yield available in the markets is imported and expensive .
What I need is a dwarftree that I can growin a declamatory pot on myback porch or somewhere in a gay spot in my yard . fortuitously all of Miller ’s eleven peach varieties are usable in either stock or dwarf forms . The catalog description state that the full - grow dwarf tree diagram yield about a half - bushel of yield apiece , which seems like a perfectly reasonable amount for my small family . All varieties are also self - pollinating , which means that I do n’t have to purchase two Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in rescript to get yield . The only dilemma is which salmagundi to choose . Some mature early , some late ; some are good for canning , others are more resistant to bruising . Some peach tree are engender for cold climates and others have larger yield . Clearly a peach tree is not just a peach .
I am drawn to ‘ Dwarf Fingerlakes S.H ’ . The “ S.H. ” stands for “ Super Hardy ” , and the description mention that this particular variety will survive temperature as scummy as 20 ° below zero . ‘ Dwarf Fingerlakes ’ ripens in mid to late September ( at least in cardinal New York State ) , and allegedly the flesh does not call on browned when the ravisher are sliced . I am not certain if I conceive the “ no browning ” part , but the phrase “ absolutely drip with peach flavor ” hit me drool .
lily-white peaches usually go for a premium price in the markets , and I have always liked their sapidity . Miller ’s offers ‘ Champion White ’ , that mature in mid - August . It might be dainty to have former beauty , and the catalogue says that ‘ Champion White ’ is “ just about the best for dwelling house use . ” The yield are reckon to be big , another plus .
I am also drawn to ‘ Old Fashioned Rochester ’ , because of phratry connections to that city . The attraction of this peach diverseness is that it bear “ a wide grasp of soils ” and also produces over a long time of year . That path , at least theoretically , I can have a few peach every sidereal day without interest about how to store a bumper crop that mature all at once .
The great thing about horticulture is that there is always something new to learn . If I pull myself and regulate a peach tree diagram , I will have from now until April to get a line about the care and feeding of peach trees . My tree will be raise organically , which will add another dimension to the encyclopedism experience .
I know that even if I install a nanus peach Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree early in the bounce , I will not have yield this twelvemonth . Delayed gratification has never been my strong compass point , but I also know that next summer I will be fussy harvest my three blueberries . If I am going to be a fruit grower , it ’s better to alleviate into it step by step .
