Yesterday, I became the proud mama of nine small certified organic heirloom apple trees. I feel like sending out birth announcements since I am so excited. Here is how it would read:
With much happiness and anticipation, we are pleased to announce the adoption of our 9 bundles of semi-dwarf heirloom apple trees to our family. Smokehouse, Redgold, Pumpkin Russet, Rhode Island Greening, Macoun, Northern Spy, Idared, Empire, and King of Tompkin are from strong stock and were named after their heirloom ancestry, which in some cases dates back many, many years.
They arrived on March 18 as anticipated, bare root, certified organic, in excellent health and wrapped up together to make sure their journey was safe. They were quickly whisked away to their cradles in the soil and are resting comfortably surrounded by compost and a wooden support to help them brave their toddler years against Mother Nature. They will be receiving a tree guard soon to make sure their trunks remain unharmed by our well wishing animal neighbors, Miss Rabbit, Mr. Mouse, and Ms. Doe.
Their surrogate parent, Trees of Antiquity, nourished them lovingly, made sure they were certified organic, and helped us to pick out which heirloom apples trees would help each other to flourish, not bicker, and pollinate. From the beginning, Trees of Antiquity’s gentle hands made sure the trees were grown without harmful chemicals to be a perfect fit in our organic garden family.
We look forward to future family apple picking birthdays when our bundles reach the age of three to four years old, and approximately 15 to 18 feet tall.
Our babies join their sisters, blueberries and strawberries.The whole family is bursting with joy for they are clearly the apple of our eyes.
What have I gotten myself into?
Other sources of certified organic apple and fruit trees: Organic Sam’s in Maine.
Update 11/27/2010:
All my babies are thriving after I put an 8 foot fence around them. The deer nipped at their buds and I over watered them. Once I stopped fussing about them, feed them with Dr Earth’s fruit tree fertilizer, they were happy as can be. (You can buy this amazing fertilizer in the GT Store.) I did lose one tree since I watered it to death. So, I can’t stress enough about over watering.
When I planted the new tree I did not water it but let Mother Nature take over. It did fine without my intervention since it rained in the summer. See here for planting instructions. Let me know if you own apple trees or other fruit trees and what are your secrets?
PS. I just re-read my birth announcement. There is a definite need for a gardening intervention here.
N. & J. says
March 22, 2008 at 7:22 amI’m so jealous living in an apartment the best we can do is a dwarf meyer lemon tree that will stay safe and happy in a pot but the first thing I want to buy as soon as we have a house is heirloom apple trees…
N.
http://badhuman.wordpress.com
N. & J.’s last blog post..No More Wire Hangars!!!
Green Talk says
March 23, 2008 at 3:19 pmN& J, the trees are so small but I am so excited! I told my father of my newest acquistion and he swears I am a farmer.
A drawf lemon tree? How cool is that! Anna
Baby Name says
March 23, 2008 at 9:30 pmVery nice article. One needs space though. If a person lives in a flat, then they will not be able to have trees.
Timothy says
March 24, 2008 at 1:07 pmI am so jealous. Trees,,, wow.. I live in the city in Boston. We’re lucky to have grass where I live. We plan on forcing the new construction to plant some trees as part of their deal with our condo and all the noise and disruption. They seem cool with it so far. wish us luck. Any tips on cultivating trees in the City? thanks…
Green Talk says
March 24, 2008 at 1:43 pmTake a look at this link about growing apple trees in limited space. (http://www.treesofantiquity.co.....age=page_3) I will email Neil and ask him about cultivating apple trees in the city. I am not sure if apple trees would be the best idea for the city unless someone would look after them. They need maintenance. I also want to ask Neil if you can grow a dwarf apple tree in a pot for apartment dwellers. I will get back to everyone.
I would think the best tip for choosing a tree is one that is native to the city. Are you thinking evergreen (does not lose its foliage)? Also, make sure the developer commits to providing a water system for the trees (drip). I have seen trees die from not being watered regularly their first year. Anna
Mary says
March 25, 2008 at 9:34 amwhen it comes to gardening, the plot always thickens… my all time FAV is Honey Crisp a breed out of Minnesota.
Green Talk says
March 26, 2008 at 1:53 pmMary, tell me why this apple tree is your favorite. Is it good for all around eating, baking, etc? What do the apples taste like?
Readers, welcome Mary of “In Women We Trust,” a terrific blog about how women hold the purse string to change the world. Mary has also written a book with the same name about marketing to women.
Sometimes, my link love plug-in does not pick up commenter’s last posts. Her latest post is “Women’s Political Blogs are Rising in Number.” Go take look.
Green Talk says
March 26, 2008 at 2:39 pmTimothy and Baby Name, according to the directions that I received you can plant a dwarf tree in a container. Before you consider this, talk to either Trees of Antiquity or whomever you buy the tree from ask for instruction on how to care for it for years to come. Anna
Steven says
March 27, 2008 at 6:23 pmAnyone who plants a tree (let alone 8!) is a friend of mine! Congrats on the new additions to your family!
Steven’s last blog post..Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapses
Green Talk says
March 27, 2008 at 6:35 pmThanks, Steven! Nice post on your blog! Anna
Larissa Tuttle says
March 29, 2008 at 6:18 amCongrats, Anna! Isn’t it amazing how much better (and healthier!) home grown fruits are?! I just spent the last couple of hours working on a strawberry bed myself. I ordered my strawberries and heirloom tomatoes from seedsofchange.com. They have a lot of certified organic offerings. I do have one apple tree but for some reason I have a hard time keeping the bugs away. (I live in California, a different climate.) Well that’s a challenge I’m still working on. Have you tried growing tangerines and grapes? They are such a treat. Enjoy your garden! – Larissa
Larissa Tuttle says
March 29, 2008 at 9:18 amBTW… Does anyone have any suggestions for organic pest control for my apple tree? I’ve only been having problems with it for the last two years. Prior to that I didn’t have any problems. I tried an orange spray that you connect to the hose, but maybe I didn’t apply it regularly enough.
Green Talk says
March 29, 2008 at 9:51 amLarissa-what kind of problems are you encountering so I can ask Neil Collins of Antiquity? Anna
Green Talk says
March 29, 2008 at 9:59 amLarissa-I thought about growing grapes too but this year I am trying to grow sweet potatoes. Alot of times I bite off more than I can chew! You can actually take a look at part of my garden on one of some of my posts. Check out the posts in the gardening category.
I don’t think I can grow tangerines in the northeast unless I pot the tree. Anyone grow tangerines in the northeast? Anna
Larissa Tuttle says
March 29, 2008 at 12:30 pmI would love to know what Neil has to say. Unfortunately, I didn’t examine the problem very closely to figure out what type of pest it is and it’s off season. Whatever the pest is, it leaves dark colored holes in the apples. (Gross!) I just ordered a different type of spray to try out. It contains thyme and clove in a base of sesame oil, soybean oil, wintergreen oil, and lecithin.
I would love to grow sweet potatoes. Sounds wonderful! Maybe I’ll try that next year. I’ll go look for pictures of your garden now. 🙂
Green Talk says
April 1, 2008 at 11:11 pmHi Larissa-this is what Neil said:
“The problem sounds like a worm burrowing into the fruit. Most common for
folks is the codling moth. The best remedy is the use of confusion lures
which disrupts the mating pattern of the moth. The lures can be purchased at
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. It’s difficult to time when to spray for the
worm. It requires measurements of spring temperatures to gauge when they’re
in flight and when larvae will begin the journey to the fruit. Confusion
lures work fairly well.
Good luck!”
Does this make sense to you? Anna
Beth says
April 4, 2008 at 1:15 pmGood for you! When I was a kid 2 of the many trees in my backyard were apple trees. Now I live in a newer house with only one sad little tree in the front yard. I need to get more trees!
Green Talk says
April 5, 2008 at 12:07 amI love trees. They are just so beautiful. I notice on your site (vat19.com) the led night light to read in bed. What a great concept! Do you have any other eco-friendly products on your site? Also, thanks for posting in various posts on the site! Come back and visit again. Anna
Larissa Tuttle says
April 5, 2008 at 11:55 pmHi, Anna! Thanks so much for checking with Neil. I checked out some pictures online and it does appear to be moths. Also, I ordered the product he suggested. The timing is perfect to use it. That was very kind of both of you to help. I added Neil’s site and the other site he suggested for the product to greenlinkcentral.com. Next time I want to order a fruit tree, I know where to go. 🙂