On Growing Olive Trees – Part Two
May 25, 2011
Hello again,
friends of
Enota!
Today we will continue our discussion on growing olive trees. We will also look at the use of all the parts of the olive tree and some of the history of the olive tree. We hope you will find it informative and entertaining…
Some History on Olive Trees:
Olive trees, the fruit, and the oil, all have special meaning in the Bible. The olive tree is one of the symbols for Israel and/or her people. Olive oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The fruit is good deeds… One either bears fruit or does not… Olive oil was (and still is) used for anointing as well as for burning in Jewish and Christian ceremonies.
Very fine olive wood is often selected to be used for the spindles upon which a Kosher Torah scroll is wound.
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Every part of the olive tree is used. The wood, the leaves, and the fruit – which is classified as a drupe. The simple way to think of a drupe is that it is a “stone fruit,” meaning it has a hard pit in the middle of a fleshy, edible fruit. The stone contains the actual seed inside of that inner hard shell. Peaches and cherries are other examples of drupes. The various cultivars of olives can be described as having flavors and aromas anywhere from fragrant and fruity to buttery and meat-like. How’s that for a range of tastes?
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The olive tree an evergreen but it is nothing like a conifer or a holly. Unless you allow the tree to become greatly stressed , it’s leaves don’t turn brown and drop off. Olive trees don’t mind frost. Damage does not occur to the tender parts of the tree, such as new branch and twig growth, unless the temperature gets below 22° F and it takes several hours below 15° to do serious damage to the thicker parts of the tree. This is why it’s a good idea to keep an olive tree in a nice pot and be prepared to move it inside if you live where it gets consistently colder than those temperatures, as we do here in the North Georgia Mountains.
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An olive tree can produce a fairly decent amount of fruit in a five to eight gallon sized pot. Fruit production will depend on the species and cultivar, weather conditions and the level of care given the tree.
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Olive trees hate to have their “feet wet.” Not only do olive trees produce better and tastier olives in drier conditions, they are very susceptible to fungal disease if they are planted in very rich soil that stays moist all the time. The conditions that are great for most vegetables and other plants are totally wrong for olives. They prefer rocky, sandy, almost consistently dry earth to grow well in and produce the richest tasting olives. When the trees are just getting started they need some care and better conditions, but the older they get, and the more trials they endure, the tougher they get. ( Is there a lesson there, or what?)
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The olive leaves are now harvested because it has been discovered that they have anti-aging, immune system stimulating, and anti-biotic effects. Of course, it has been known since the Garden of Eden that olive oil is an anti-biotic and has many healing qualities. But actual clinical research has now shown that olive leaf extracts are proven to reduce blood pressure, fight fungal infections, and reduce inflammation. A fresh extract of the leaves was recently shown to have more than double the antioxidant qualities than that of green tea extract. On top of that, it had 400% of the vitamin C content.
Among natural medicine practioners, olive leaf is used to fight all kinds of viral infections, including colds and flu, yeast infections, and ailments such as Epstein-Barr, shingles, and herpes. Consumption of both the oil and the leaf extract reduce blood levels of low density lipoproteins or LDL cholesterol.
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Olives are one of the few fruits that are good to eat whether picked green or fully ripe. They can be preserved in pickling brine or in their own oil.
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The process of extracting the oil would take an entire post by itself, and perhaps the day will come when we might want to experiment in learning how to do just that. In ancient times it was done by grinding the olive flesh into paste and then crushing it between mats of palm frond or grass mats, using pits carved out of rock and using small cranes with counterbalances to load stones on top of the mats. The liquid is crushed out of the meat of the fruit and then the watery part separates from the oil. Olives that are grown for their oil have up to half of their weight in oil.
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Perhaps you are wondering about the designation “Extra-Virgin” for olive oil. How can something be “extra-virgin?” Kind of like being “extra-dead.” You either are or you aren’t… Actually, it developed as a grade and has a very specific meaning. Not only is it from the very first pressing of olives, but it has to have a certain subjective grade of aroma and taste, as well as a maximum level of fatty acid content no greater than 0.8 gram per 100 grams. The first pressing of the olive oil was what Father God commanded to be used in lighting the menorah in the Temple, and for use in formulating anointing oil. Many healthcare practitioners today recommend first-cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil as the healthiest kind to consume.
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So, grab a large flower pot, order an olive tree, and get started on growing your own ! Olive trees are ornamental and relatively easy to grow; and, after a wait of a couple years, your tree will provide your household with olives. Enjoy!
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For a personal experience with organic gardening and farming, come visit us here at Enota Mountain Retreat. Make your reservation today for a conference facility, cabin, RV site, or campsite. You can relax and enjoy the beauty of the North Georgia Mountains.
Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180, Hiawassee, GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
How Sweet It Is! Yacon!
May 20, 2011
Greetings, Enota Friends & Readers!
Today we will talk about the not-so–well-known sweetener, yacon, (pronounced, “ya-cone”, with the accent on the second syllable). Described as an “underground pear”, yacon is really in a class of its own – usable as a vegetable in a salad, or made into powder or syrup for sweetener, or just to munch on like a piece of fruit.
Fresh out of the ground yacon looks very much like a baking potato. But its flavor isn’t what what you might expect from an underground tuber – it’s like a sweet cross between early apples, watermelon and very mild celery, with a touch of pear. The tubers have that fine texture of water chestnuts.
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Yacon is also refreshingly juicy. “Yacon” means “water root” in the Inca language and its tubers were historically highly valued as a wild source of thirst-quenching refreshment for travellers. The liquid can also be drawn off and concentrated to produce yacon syrup. As with Jerusalem artichokes, yacon tubers are rich in an indigestible sugar – inulin – meaning that the syrup they form has all the sweetness of honey or other plant-derived sweeteners like maple syrup, but without the calories.
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Yacon also benefits the bacteria in the intestinal tract and colon that boost the immune system and aid digestion. This potential as a dietary aid and as a source of sweetness for diabetics has led to yacon being grown more widely, especially in the USA.
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Growing
Yacon is a perennial plant. It is easy to grow in most climates where there is reasonable rainfall and moderate heat. The plants do require a long season to grow – forming their tubers in autumn – but anywhere that parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes grow will suit yacon.
You can either buy plants or, if you know someone who has them, you can divide the crown including the smaller roots that grow above the main tubers.
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Yacon can be slow to get growing in spring but quickly puts on lush, leafy growth through the summer to a height of 5 or 6 feet, once established. It flowers some years towards autumn, but it’s what’s happening under the surface that’s of most interest… Nose below the surface in late autumn and you’ll see that yacon produces two sets of roots – the large edible tubers that act as the energy storage facility for the plant, and the smaller propagation roots (resembling Jerusalem artichokes) which grow just under the soil surface and are the seeds for the following year’s growth.
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When you lift your yacon plants to harvest the tubers, cut the stems back to about 4 inches long and store the crowns covered in damp compost in a cool frost-free place where they won’t dry out.
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In early spring plant the crowns into large pots and wait for shoots to start growing from each small tuber. Split the crowns into individual shoots with their tubers attached and plant into smaller pots. Yacon plants are quite sensitive to cold, so plant them out when you would tomatoes. Plant them about 3 feet apart (they will become big plants!) in a sheltered, sunny spot.
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Yacon is very rarely troubled by pests or diseases, but they are hungry plants so add compost and/or rotted manure between growing seasons or move their growing spot altogether.
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Harvesting:
Yacon tubers develop into autumn, and as the frosts approach it’s worth putting a little straw around the plant to protect the tubers. The leafy growth is withered by the cold – as soon as this happens, use a long fork to gently lift the tubers. It helps to have another person pulling on the stems of the plant at the same time to get the whole plant up.
Snap the large tubers from the crowns. They’re crunchy, tasty and refreshing immediately, but a few days in the sun can add to their sweetness.
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Yields can be variable – first year you might expect about six tubers the size of very large baking potatoes per plant, in the second year considerably more. A cool, dry shed or garage is perfect for storing yacon tubers until you’re ready to eat them. They may well sweeten a little over time, and they can last many months if stored properly.
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Eating
yacon in a salad
Yacon has a crunchy texture, slightly reminiscent of water chestnuts, and a sweet flavor, so it’s rather good simply peeled, sliced and eaten as a snack.
It’s great in salads too, though its tendency to brown means that you should add it at the last minute, once everything else is assembled and ready to be dressed, or sprinkle with a little lemon juice to prevent it discolouring as it’s peeled (and do peel it, the skin can be a little bitter).
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Yacon also has a delightful tendency to absorb sauces and dressings, which make it a fantastic vehicle for other flavors. Try it grated with carrots in a mustardy vinaigrette with a handful of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, or combine peeled, chopped yacon with chunks of pineapple, chopped papaya and mango and dress in freshly squeezed orange juice and a spritz of lemon.
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You could also use yacon instead of apples in a Waldorf salad. Just peel and dice the yacon and toss it in lemon juice to stop it from going brown, then combine it in a bowl with chopped celery, some raisins and walnuts. Serve immediately on crisp lettuce leaves.
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don’t waste an opportunity with the leaves – they make a delicious wrap, in much the same way as vine leaves or cabbage leaves do, for any number of fillings.
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As mentioned early in this post, yacon can be made into syrup or powder and used as a healthy sweetener. It also can be made into “chips” and makes a nice sweet tea. Yacon is so versatile! It is well worth it to grow yacon in your organic garden!
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Thanks for joining us today; we hope you have found this post educational and interesting. For hands-on organic farming and gardening experience, book a cabin or campsite here at Enota Mountain Retreat. Situated in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains, Enota is a nature preserve, surrounded by mountains, waterfalls, and streams.
Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180,Hiawassee,GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
Spiders – A Gardener’s Friend (mostly…)
May 19, 2011
Hello, Friends of Enota!
A week or so ago we wrote a series on garden pests. Today we will take an interesting look at a garden friend – the spider. (Yes, the spider!) Many of us have a love/hate relationship with spiders…
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We have no problem working outside and having bees buzzing around us. Honeybees especially, couldn’t care less that we are working around them, as long as we don’t make any overly aggressive moves toward them. Carpenter bees, bumblebees and most wasps don’t pay much attention to us either. A praying mantis crawling on a bare arm is no threat at all….
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But spiders seem to give us the creeps. Discovering a spider crawling on our clothing can make us dance! There are poisonous spiders, as we will note later in this post; and, perhaps that is why so many of us are “creeped out” by spiders….
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When we posted here before about beneficial insects in the garden, we barely mentioned spiders. But then, spiders are not insects. They are in another whole class by themselves. The class arachnida. (Ticks and mites are also in this class and we don’t much like them either, although they don’t seem quite as scary.) If it were not for the venom thing, gardeners could really love spiders! A knowledgeable gardener would not kill spiders outside the living quarters. That’s because spiders are so much more effective at killing the bad bugs that we don’t want in our gardens. Spiders don’t hunt humans; they don’t want to suck our blood. Nor do they want to eat any of our precious plants. All they want to do is hunt down and capture bugs, sometimes setting elaborate traps to capture them.
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If spiders are not an example of intelligent design, then such a thing does not exist. It would be amazing if all spiders only spun one kind of silk and all of them made the same kind of webs. Nothing could be further from the facts. Most people think of spider webs as the typical two-dimensional, spiral pattern screen created to catch flying insects. It should boggle the mind that a tiny creature that never had a course in engineering knows that anchoring only three points creates a flat plane of stability upon which to build such a net. Then they may place more anchor lines for added strength, but always in the proper position to maintain a flat plane.
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A spider web with droplets of dew in the tall grass looking like a diamond encrusted hair net is a beautiful sight. That web is designed with two very different kinds of silk. The radial arms are of a non-sticky kind that the spider knows are the safe lines to run along. The spiral strands are made from a very sticky formula even though they come out of the very same spinnerets. Some of the silk that the spider spins has very little to no elasticity when it needs a strong cable. But the sticky spiral strands have a chemical structure that lets them stretch quite a bit without breaking. All the better to enhance the tangling effect on the prey.
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Funnel web spiders build something entirely different. These spiders are a bit scary because they are quite venomous. It makes sense that they are, since their web is not designed to do any actual catching of prey. Like the spiral web, it serves as home, but that’s the only similarity. The funnel style is an elaborate surveillance network. The cave- like opening that is very apparent in the photo is barely visible enough to get your attention.
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The vast majority of the funnel web spider’s web stretches far beyond that opening and is very fine and delicate. The spider sits hidden inside it’s little lair reading and interpreting the signals that get sent down the line from creatures that are touching it’s amazing array of sensor wires. The spider can tell approximately how big the insect is and probably has it encoded in its DNA to be able to identify the exact species based on its movements. When the prey gets close enough to the entrance, the spider darts out and injects a lethal dose of poison, then drags the helpless insect back into the hole for dinner.
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The most common spider most gardeners will see is the wolf spider. Wolf spiders don’t seem to build webs of any kind. They crawl all over in the garden and tend to blend into their surroundings, only becoming visible when disturbed enough to move to safety. They chase down and capture their prey; they are the gardeners’ friend. Should you be bitten by a wolf spider, it is good to know that their venom is painful and irritating, but not having any long lasting effects.
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This is in great contrast to the spider that informed people fear most; the brown recluse or Loxosceles reclusa. This spider’s venom is so bad that a bite it causes necrosis in the flesh… It causes the skin, fat, and even muscle tissue to die. Should you be bitten by a brown recluse, seek medical attention immediately; this is no time for ”do-it-yourself” doctoring!
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Before you scroll down any farther, we must warn you that the pictures below are graphic. They show the results of bites from the brown recluse (also known as the fiddle head spider). If you are easily grossed out by such things, this is where you will want to exit the article or scroll past it very fast.
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The first picture shows the initial stages of blistering and decay from a bite.
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This is about a day after a Loxosceles ( Brown Recluse/fiddle head spider) bite with later stage necrotic damage.
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An example of having to have necrotic tissue removed prior to skin grafting. This damage was all from a Brown recluse spider.
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Okay, so that is why many of us don’t like spiders. But we should tolerate them and appreciate the fact that they provide a lot of good to our gardens.
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How do Spiders Eat?
Grass spider retrieving prey from her web
Spiders don’t chew their food. When they get to the bug in their web, they bite it and inject venom. The venom either paralyzes or kills the bug. Then the venom turns the bug’s insides into liquid. While the venom is working, the spider wraps the bug in silk. She may drink the liquid then, or tie the little silk bundle to her web so she can snack later.
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Why Spiders Are Our Friends:
Even though they can bite, spiders are our friends. They eat more insects than birds do, especially yellow flies, which really bite people a lot. Spiders don’t see very well. If you stay more than a foot away from them, they can’t even see you, and they certainly can’t bite you. If a spider gets on you, the only thing it wants to do is get off. Don’t squash him; just flip him off. He may well eat the bug that was going to destroy your garden or sting you tomorrow!
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Once again, we hope you have enjoyed this reading and that you have learned something new as well. For a great learning experience on organic farming and gardening, come visit us here at Enota Retreat. Book a cabin or campsite. Our facilities can handle a group varying anywhere from 1 person to 200! We hope you will visit us soon.
Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180,Hiawassee,GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
Folk Pottery Museum – Day Trip
May 18, 2011
Greetings, Enota friends!
Today we’re taking a day trip… a very short drive from Enota Retreat, you will find the delightful Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia pictured above…
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The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia is one of only a handful of museums in the world that are exclusively focused on collecting and exhibiting folk pottery. In recent years there has been a resurgence in folk pottery as collectors increasingly seek out the objects made here. Society as a whole seems to be gaining an appreciation for the authenticity and quality of folk pottery.
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Pottery Making Was a Way of Life
Because of its rugged terrain, much of northeast Georgia remained relatively isolated and in a frontier-like situation into the early 20th century. Farming was essential to provide food and shelter. Nearly all residents had to engage in some farming activities to provide for their own families.
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Until electricity was available for refrigeration and glass containers and other modern conveniences came along, folk pottery was as essential for daily living as shelter. It was necessary in and around the home for preparing, preserving and storing food and drink.
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Most pottery shops employed several potters to keep up with this demand that came primarily in the fall and during the harvest season. Pottery making became a family business – needing to call on all available hands at busy times, even bringing in part-time help as apprentices.
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To attract loyal customers, potters developed special shapes, glazes and decoration to distinguish their work. These traditions have been handed down through generations to the present day and are characteristic of the potters featured in the museum.
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Visitors to the Museum will be immersed in the story of folk pottery of Northeast Georgia. The museum can be accessed by entrances on either side of the building as well as by a corridor that connects the Museum to the old schoolhouse. Once in the lobby you will see original paintings by John Kollock and Linda Anderson that depict scenes associated with North Georgia folk pottery. The middle of the lobby displays a signature work of folk pottery by Michael Crocker. Get your bearings and go explore.
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The main exhibit hall is divided into two primary areas. One side of the hall is an exhibit that allows the visitor to see folk pottery as it would have been used in daily life when pottery served as utilitarian ware for a variety of purposes. Settings such as a smokehouse, a kitchen, and moonshine still remind us that the pots were the mason jars and Tupperware of yesterday. One highlight of this area is a replica kiln with a touchscreen monitor that plays a video of the celebrated Meaders family potters at work.
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The other side of the exhibit hall provides a chronological walk through the history of folk pottery in our region. Throughout the exhibit maze you will find stories of the potter families who brought the craft to our area and the potters who continue it today. Here you will see the evolution of folk pottery, learn about the family traditions and see the creative contemporary works that combine respect for the roots of the craft with creative vision.
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It is interesting to note that even though Northeast Georgia is a hotbed for folk pottery, the craft was nearly wiped out by social and economic changes, such as the Great Depression and Prohibition, and the introduction of factory-made containers. These conditions threatened the existence of local potters and the tradition of folk pottery. If fact, many potters left the trade, but others adapted to the changing times and produced garden pottery and decorative pieces to continue their livelihood.
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We hope you will come visit us here and Enota Mountain Retreat… AND take the day trip to the Folk Pottery Museum. Book your cabin or campsite today for a lovely stay here in the north Georgia mountains! Enota features 4 waterfalls, 5 streams, organic farming and gardening, nature trails, trout fishing and more.
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Directions from
Enota to the Folk
Pottery Museum:
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1. | Start out going EAST on GA-180 towardGA-17/GA-75/UNICOI TURNPIKE. | 0.8 mi |
| 2. | Turn RIGHT onto GA-17/GA-75/UNICOI TURNPIKE. | 13.6 mi | |
| 3. | Turn LEFT onto GA-17/UNICOI TURNPIKE.
|
1.9 mi | |
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4. | Welcome to SAUTEE, GA.
|
Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180, Hiawassee,GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
The Garden Path
May 17, 2011
Hello again, Enota friends!
We often talk about some facet of organic gardening on this blog, but today we’re going to discuss something a little more unusual – ways to establish and cover the pathways in your garden.
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Pathways are the only untended space in the garden; yet, when you add up the square footage of all your pathways, they deserve some attention! You really don’t want your pathways to be grown up in weeds – the weeds will surely creep into your garden, requiring more work on your part and less productivity on the part of your vegetable plants.
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What you need is a weed-
stifling covering of
almost any kind -
preferably organic,
although
we will also list some
inorganic ideas.
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Some Organic Covering for Paths:
Rock, concrete, gravel, flagstones, tiles, builder’s sand – These will create fairly permanent walkways in the garden, so they are worth planning well and doing well!
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Heavy cardboard from boxes, bark shreds, sawdust, buckwheat hulls, bran, cornstalks or corncobs, cocoa bean hulls, chopped leaves, wood chips, grass clippings. After these pathways have been trampled down and deteriorated, you can shovel them onto the beds for the winter, then turn them under the next spring. ( Keep in mind: cornstalks used for mulch tend to get soggy; and, some of the lighter-weight materials may require stones to weigh them down and prevent them from blowing into undesired areas of the garden.)
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Sowings of alfalfa and rye, rye alone, white Dutch clover, Irish moss, veronica, thyme, or perennial chamomile make good pathways. The moss, veronica, thyme and chamomile don’t require mowing; but the others will need frequent cutting. Fortunately, these clippings can be used as organic mulch around your veggies or added to the compost pile.
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Wheat straw, oat straw or loose spoiled hay or leaves piled at least 4 inches deep make for a good weed-control path. When these materials are somewhat pulverized from garden traffic, they can be placed on the garden beds as mulch and the pathways then will need to be replenished.
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Also keep in mind when using hay that seeds in the hay might sprout, which would then require the pulling out of these sprouted plants.
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Some Inorganic Pathway Materials:
Roofing paper, corrugated tin strips, shingles, tar paper, heavy black plastic strips, linoleum, carpet strips or remnants, treated plywood, paneling, floor tiles. These items can be used to stifle pathway weeds…
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Cover them with an attractive organic mulch such as bark or wood chips and you will have weed-free pathways for years to come.
Remember – weedless pathways will mean weedless gardening. And, weedless gardening will make for happy plants. And, happy plants will make for a happy you! So, start working on your garden paths today!
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For a really great organic gardening experience, come visit us at Enota Mountain Retreat/Campground/Eco-Village. We have hands-on gardening and farming experiences that you can actively participate in and learn from. Book a cabin or campsite… you won’t regret it.
Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180,Hiawassee,GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
Garden Trivia on a Monday Afternoon!
May 16, 2011
Greetings, Enota friends!
Today we are doing something a little bit different; we have a little garden trivia question-and-answer session. We hope you will enjoy it!
Questions:
1. What would a gardener do with a dibber or dibble?
2. Charles Darwin described this carnivorous plant ” the most wonderful plant in the world”. What plant was he referring to?
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3. The love apple is the original name for what?
4. The Death Cap is the most poisonous variety of what?
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5. A Kumquat is a small Japanese variety of what sort of fruit?
6. Why is reindeer Moss so called?
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7. What is the name of the 3 leafed clover associated with St Patrick?s day?
8. Which part of a tree can be used to make cork?
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9. What is the largest and tallest tree in the world?
10. What general term is given to those trees whose leaves fall in autumn (fall)?
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11. Which cereal must be grown in water?
12. Which grain is used to make semolina?
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13. Which part of a flowering plant is often used to make oil?
14. What is the name given to the technique of clipping trees and hedges into ornamental shapes?
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15. What flower is named after the Botanist Dr Leonard Fuchs?
16. What do Yew; Laburnum Seeds & Mistletoe berries have in common?
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17. What is the popular name for the Antirrhinum?
18. What is the sacred flower of the Buddhist religion?
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19. Which plant takes it’s name from the Italian phrase for Beautiful women?
20. Which liquid does a flower, to attract insects, produce?
21. How can you tell the age of a tree?
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Answers:
1. Transplant seedlings and small plants
2. Venus Flytrap
3. Tomato
4. Mushroom
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5. Orange
6. Staple winter food for Reindeer?s
7. Shamrock
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8. Bark
9. California Redwood
10. Deciduous
11. Rice
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12. Wheat
13. Seed
14. Topiary
15. Fuchsia
16. They are poisonous
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17. Snapdragon
18 Lotus
19. Belladonna
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20. Nectar
21. Number of rings
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We hope you have enjoyed our Monday afternoon gardening trivia, and that you have learned at least one new thing! Gardening should never be boring, and we can never learn too much about it!
For a hands-on organic gardening experience, visit us here at Enota . Book a cabin or a campsite. There is a lot to see and do up here in the North Georgia Mountains.
Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180,Hiawassee GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
Organic Portable Orchard!
May 14, 2011
Hello, again, Enota Friends!
Today we will talk about growing organic fruit – in movable containers – for a portable orchard all your own.
Dwarf fruit trees make spectacular container plantings which can be moved around for landscape accents while simultaneously encouraging pollinating insects. Citrus trees are the most common container trees since they can be moved indoors and made to yield in climates when they otherwise might not.
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Reasons to ” Go Dwarf ” :
Dwarf fruit trees do well in containers and make care of fruit trees easy.
Growing dwarf fruit trees in containers makes them easier to prune and harvest.
Younger trees bear fruit faster.
You can find dwarf varieties of almost any common fruit tree.
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Containers for Your Portable Orchard:
Containers for growing dwarf fruit trees may include those made from plastic, metal, clay, ceramic, or wood, as long as there is adequate drainage provided.
A general rule of thumb, however, is to start with a container approximately six inches wider than that from which the tree is initially placed in at the nursery.
The miniature fruit tree enjoys well-drained sandy soil of moderate fertility.
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Care of Fruit Trees in containers:
Care of fruit trees begins with suitable light conditions. Most miniature fruit trees grow best in full sunlight, but some may also do well in partial shade, depending on the type of dwarf fruit tree you have. Generally, container grown fruit trees should be placed where they will receive maximum sunlight.
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Regular pruning is sometimes necessary for proper care of fruit trees to maintain the shape of your miniature fruit tree. Most pruning is performed during dormancy, just before active growth begins in spring. However, summer pruning may be done to remove undesirable growth and maintain smaller tree size.
Your potted miniature fruit tree should be moved indoors during cold spells and placed away from drafts.
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Do not over-water! How much to water depends on the species of fruit tree, the type and size of its container, and its surroundings. For most dwarf fruit trees, the soil surface should be allowed to dry out some before watering.
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Fertilizing should be done about once a month during the growing season.
When growing dwarf fruit trees, you should repot them one size up about every two years.
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All container-grown trees – even including winter-hardy species like dwarf apples, cherries, and pears – must be given some additional protection during cold weather. This is because in containers their roots are more easily chilled than those of trees grown in the ground. Trees can be moved indoors, into a shed, or kept in the garden in a two-foot-deep trench lined with hardware cloth and filled with soil and sawdust. Indoor storage has the advantage of allowing you to evade late frost damage in the spring by artificially delaying blossom time.
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6 Steps to Planting Your Portable Orchard:
1: Select the type of dwarf fruit trees you’d like to grow. Some fruit trees need to have companion fruit trees to help with pollination. Peaches, blueberries and lemons are self pollinating fruit trees, meaning you only need one tree to produce fruit. Cross pollinating fruit trees like apple trees must have two different varieties of the same species planted in close proximity to produce fruit. Knowing whether or not your dwarf fruit tree needs a companion will make the difference in whether or not your tree will bear fruit.
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2: Select the planter based on the age of the fruit tree. You’ll need a 6 to 9-inch container for trees up to two years old and a larger 10 to 14-inch container for full grown dwarf fruit trees.
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3: Add a layer of gravel to the bottom of your planter to help with drainage. Stir a few handfuls of compost in with the potting soil and fill the planter about half full.
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4: Place the root ball of the fruit tree on top of the potting soil. Spread the roots and cover them with more potting soil. Some fruit trees need more soil on top of the roots than others; follow the planting instructions for your particular species. Water the tree immediately after transplanting.
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5: Make sure your fruit tree gets at least one inch of water every week, more or less, depending on the type of fruit you are growing and the humidity levels on your patio or in your home. Apply fertilizer formulated for fruit trees every 4-6 weeks during the spring and summer.
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6: Protect your fruit trees from frost and winds, give it appropriate water and sun and you can expect to harvest fruit when the tree is between two and three years old.
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So, there you have it… organic fruit grown outdoors and indoors in
pots – even if you live in an apartment
And, for a hands-on experience in organic farming, book your cabin or campsite at Enota Mountain Retreat. Located in Hiawassee GA, we are only a couple hours northeast of Atlanta. Make plans now to enjoy the beauty and peaceful living of the North Georgia Mountains.
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Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180, Hiawassee, GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
All About Tomato Gardening
May 13, 2011
Greetings, Enota Friends!
Today we will do some tomato talkin’! Where did they come from? What are they? AND, most importantly, how can we grow them in our own organic gardens?
Tomato plants are not difficult to grow at all and are well worth what little effort they do require from you. The difference between a store bought tomato and a home-grown tomato is so great that it is almost like they are not even the same fruit! Just plan ahead some and follow a few guidelines…
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History of Tomatoes:
The tomato originates from South America and Mexico. The Spanish explorer Cortez took the seeds to Europe after discovering the tomato being grown in Mexico in Aztec gardens. Italians were the first to eat the golden apple (early tomatoes were yellow not red) in the 1500’s but it still took more than 100 years for Italians to fully accept tomatoes and integrate them into their food. Can you imagine Italian cuisine without tomatoes?
Because of a Supreme Court ruling in 1893, the tomato is legally classified as a vegetable; this was because vegetables were subject to import taxes! However, technically a tomato is a fruit and part of the berry family. This vegetable/fruit is actually a perennial if left to continuously grow in a warm climate, but most areas do not stay warm enough to do so. Thus, it is treated as an annual that has to be replanted every year. (No matter where you live, though, if you have little tomato plants come up in your garden on their own – what we call “volunteers” – nurture them! They will be good, hardy plants!)
There are basically 4 categories of tomatoes: the slicing tomatoes which are the standard globe, round and Beefsteaks; small salad tomatoes like the grape and cherry varieties; the Roma or plum which is mainly used for sauces; and specialty or heirloom tomatoes.
Tomatoes are also available in a variety of colors; reds, oranges, yellows and more varied colors like purples and striped varieties (these are the heirloom tomatoes.) If you are planning to incorporate the tomatoes into your landscaping you can create visual interest by planting several different colors and sizes of tomatoes.
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Ten Tips for Growing Terrific Tomatoes:
1. Don’t Crowd Seedlings: If you are starting tomatoes from seed, be sure to give the seedlings room to branch out. Close conditions inhibit their growth, so transplant them as soon as they get their first true leaves and move them into 4″ pots about 2 weeks after that.
2. Provide lots of light: Tomato seedlings will need either strong, direct sunlight or 14-18 hours per day under grow lights. Place the young plants only a couple of inches from florescent grow lights. Plant your tomatoes outside in the sunniest part of your vegetable plot.
3. Put a fan on your seedlings! It seems tomato plants need to move and sway in the breeze to develop strong stems. Provide a breeze by turning a fan on them for 5-10 minutes twice a day.
4. Preheat the soil in your garden: Tomatoes love heat. Cover the planting area with black or red plastic a couple of weeks before you intend to plant. Those extra degrees of warmth will translate into happier plants and earlier tomatoes.
5. Bury them. Bury tomato plants deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to a few top leaves. Tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems. You can either dig a deeper hole or simply dig a shallow tunnel and lay the plant sideways. It will straighten up and grow toward the sun. Be careful not to drive your pole or cage into the stem.
6. Mulch Later. Mulch after the ground has had a chance to warm up. Mulching does conserve water and prevents the soil and soil born diseases from splashing up on the plants, but if you put it down too early it will also shade and therefore cool the soil. Try using plastic mulch for heat lovers like tomatoes and peppers.
7. Remove the Bottom Leaves. Once the tomato plants are about 3′ tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1′ of stem. These are usually the first leaves to develop fungus problems. They get the least amount of sun and soil born pathogens can be unintentionally splashed up onto them. Spraying weekly with compost tea also seems to be effective at warding off fungus diseases.
8. Pinch & Prune for More Tomatoes: Pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches. They won’t bear fruit and will take energy away from the rest of the plant. But go easy on pruning the rest of the plant. You can thin leaves to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit, but it’s the leaves that are photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that give flavor to your tomatoes.
9. Water the Tomato Plants Regularly. Water deeply and regularly while the plants are developing. Irregular watering, (missing a week and trying to make up for it), leads to blossom end rot and cracking. Once the fruit begins to ripen, lessening the water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars. Don’t withhold water so much that the plants wilt and become stressed or they will drop their blossoms and possibly their fruit.
10. Support them: Tomato plants can be staked, caged, or allowed to grow up a trellis. The purpose of supporting tomato plants is three-fold: one, the support system helps prevent the plant from breaking due to the weight of the fruit; two: supporting the plants helps keep the fruit off the ground, where it can develop fungus, rot, or insect infestation; and, three: giving tomatoes support provides better air circulation.
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How To Plant a Tomato Plant!
The key to growing great tomatoes involves a little advance planning, good soil preparation, proper planting techniques and then regular maintenance of the plants as you wait for those beautiful red ripe tomatoes.
ADVANCE PLANNING: Over the winter, save banana peels and egg shells. Keep a gallon sized freezer bag or other container in the freezer and just keep adding banana peels until you have 2 or 3 peels per the number of tomato plants you think you’ll want to grow .Rinse the egg shells, let them air dry, then crush them and store them in an airtight container. You’ll want a couple handfuls per tomato plant.
SOIL PREPARATION: Cultivate your garden soil and work a couple of inches of compost into the top 4 to 6-inches. Dig holes to the depth and distance appropriate for the varieties of tomato plants you have chosen. Dig the hole about the same depth as the plant is tall. Add more compost and some builders sand to the pile of dirt you have just removed (soil should be loose and rich). Lay a couple of banana peels in the bottom of the hole. Cover with about 4″ soil. Sprinkle on a couple of handfuls of crushed egg shells.
PLANTING: Remove the tomato plant from its container. Gently loosen the roots and soil where it has become compacted in the container. Pinch off all of the growth along the bottom 50 to 75% of the plant. The plant will grow new roots from the nodes where the leaves and stems were previously attached, and you will be rewarded with a much stronger and more vigorous plant! Center your plant in the hole with 50 to 75% of the plant below ground level. Backfill the hole with the soil you removed earlier and amended. Firm but don’t pack the soil around the tomato plant.
Repeat until you have planted all the tomato plants and then stand back and admire your accomplishment while you give them their first drink of water!
We hope you have enjoyed our lesson today on tomatoes, and that you have learned at least one new thing about tomato gardening. For a hands-on experience with organic gardening, visit us here at Enota Retreat/Eco-Village. We have organic gardens as well as farm animals, all waiting for you to see, touch, and enjoy. Reserve a cabin or campsite – the summer season is almost here! We can’t wait to see you!
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Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180,Hiawassee,GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: http://www.enota.com
Air Fresheners From Your Own Gardens
May 8, 2011
Greeting, Enota Friends!
Today we will talk about homemade-from-your-garden- air fresheners… Potpourri, simmering potpurri, air freshener spray and other room fresheners…
Okay; a home that smells fresh is a nice place to be, but you don’t need to buy commercial air freshener. Instead, make it – from your own herb and flower gardens. Homemade herbal solutions are less expensive, smell wonderful, and look much prettier than store-bought. And, obviously, they also don’t rely on possibly harmful chemicals. Homemade air fresheners neutralize odors rather than simply masking them.
History of Potpourri:
The word potpourri literally means “rotten pot” – not a very pretty name for something that smells so nice! As far back as the twelfth century, sweetly perfumed flowers and herbs were salted and left to ferment or rot into potent perfumed mixtures. These were subsequently placed in bowls or other containers and used to disguise household odors. Nowadays potpourri is easier to make than it was centuries ago, but it still has the heavenly aroma that people have enjoyed all these centuries.
Recipes:
Lavender and Rose Potpourri:
1 Cup dried Rose Petals/and/or Rosebuds
1 Cup dried Lavender Flowers
1 Cup dried Rose Geranium leaves
Peel of one Orange. Cut into thin strips before drying
2 Tablespoons Whole Cloves, lightly crushed
1 Tablespoon Whole Allspice, lightly crushed
5 Cinnamon Sticks, broken into pieces
2 Tablespoons Orris Root Powder
6 to 10 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
1/2 teaspoon rose Geranium Essential Oil
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Put into a sealed container and leave for a few weeks to mature.
To use, transfer to open bowls, stirring gently to release the scent.
Lemony Potpourri:
1 Cup dried Calendula Flowers
1 Cup dried Chamomile Flowers
1/2 Cup dried Lemon Balm
1/2 Cup dried Lemon Verbena
1/2 Cup dried Lemon Thyme
1/2 Cup dried Basil
1/2 Cup finely diced dried Lemon Peel
2 Tablespoons Orris Root Powder
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Verbena Essential Oil
6 drops Chamomile Essential Oil
Mix and use in the same manner as the Lavender and Rose recipe above.
Simmering Potpourri Deodorizer:
1/4 Cup dried Lemon Peel
1/2 Cup dried orange peel
1 Cup whole Cloves, lightly crushed
1 Cup whole Allspice, lightly crushed
1 Cup Coriander Seeds, crushed
Handful of dried Bay Leaves, roughly crushed
5 Cinnamon Sticks, roughly broken
1 Cup Boiling Water
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. Simmer in a small saucepan of water on the stove, adding small amounts of water, as needed.
Alternatively, place 2 Tablespoons of the potpourri mixture in a heatproof container. Cover with boiling water, and leave the container in the room that needs deodorizing until the spicy fragrance replaces the unpleasant smell…
Air Freshener Spray:
1 & 1/2 ounces Vodka
1/4 teaspoon Bergamot Essential Oil
8 drops Clove Essential Oil
5 drops Lemon Essential Oil
6 ounces Distilled Water
Put the vodka and oils in a spray bottle and shake to disperse the oils. Add distilled water and shake again to thoroughly combine. Leave for a few days to mature; then, spray briefly to refresh a room.
Room Freshening Hints:
Hang sachets of potpourri in sunny windows or from cabinet handles in the kitchen.
Push spice sachets down the sides and backs of chair cushions.
Place a covered container of potpourri in the room of your choice; when you spend time in the room, remove the lid and stir the potpourri.
Keep a small porous pottery bottle filled with your favorite essential oil near a sunny window so that the heat will cause the oils to evaporate.
Dab a little essential oil on a light bulb before turning it on.
Put a couple drops of spicy essential oil on a cotton ball; wipe this over your heater in the wintertime for a wonderful aroma.
So, there you have it! Several ideas for homemade potpourri with
almost all the ingredients coming from your organic herb and flower
gardens. We hope you have enjoyed these ideas and that you will try
them!
And, remember… for a really nice hands-on experience in organic gardening, visit us here at Enota Retreat & Campground. We have organic vegetable gardens, herb gardens, and organic farm animals. Book your reservation now for a cabin or a campsite. Here at Enota there is something for everyone. We look forward to seeing you.
Enota Mountain Retreat
1000 Hwy 180, Hiawassee, GA 30546
(706) 896-9966
email: enota@enota.com
official website: www.enota.com
Hello, again, Enota Friends!
Continuing our discussion on pest control,
today we
will discuss
organic measures…
There is no joy like walking out to your garden, picking some big green leaves of Romaine or Butter crunch, or some of the lower leaves of the head lettuce and knowing that they only need a little bit of rinsing to get some soil off the bottom of the stems and then you can munch away on them. No need to worry if you’re ingesting some sort of dangerous chemical into your body. Such is the way of organic gardening.
Sometimes chemicals are necessary. But, indiscriminate use of chemicals is wrong. Wisdom involves knowing what, when, and how to use things properly.
Not long ago, a single cut worm (that’s all we could find) destroyed five out of six of our Swiss Chard plants. (We found him and fed hin to the chickens!) Cut worms can really make you angry because they don’t eat the whole plant; they cruise along just below the surface of the soil, and when they get to a juicy vegetable plant, they eat just the part that’s convenient. The next day you come out to find that the plant that was standing in beauty is now lying dead.
The plants could still be in danger from all sorts of other pests, but we’ve learned a wonderful thing… except for a Biblical- scale, wiping-everything-out plague, most infestations are minor and can be dealt with without panicking. Nature often solves its own problems… The following are some of the problem-solving creatures we are aware of:
Praying Mantis:
Praying mantids are indiscriminate predators. They will kill and eat any and all other insects, including their own species if they are hungry and the opportunity is there. This might sound bad, but the praying mantis is generally the gardener’s friend, killing and eating MANY of the insects that can destroy the organic garden.
Ladybugs
Ladybugs ( Coccinella septempunctata) eat only the bad bugs, such as aphids. The North Georgia Mountains must be the “Mecca” of the ladybug world… when they first come out, you can see thousands of them in a square yard. Ladybugs have a penchant for crawling into warm homes in order to winter over and then come out in a vengeance when the weather starts to warm up a little bit. It is an interesting, if bizarre, thing to see. Even in the larval stage, when they don’t look anything like adult ladybugs, they are eating crop-destroyer bugs.
Green Lacewing Flies:
Green lacewing larvae are great predators of plant- harming insects. The adult lacewing flies are harmless to plants, only eating pollen and nectar. Since they are so small, they probably pollinate plants that bees are too big to get into.
Ground Beetle:
Ground beetles will kill the darned cutworms that we mentioned at the beginning of this post!
Hummingbirds:
hummingbirds get all their protein from eating small insects, such as mosquitoes and other pests. They don’t just suck nectar from flowers or the sugar water from feeders.
Dragonflies:
The other great mosquito controllers are dragonflies, which can eat up to fifty times their weight in mosquitoes a day. You primarily see dragonflies where there are bodies of standing water, since that’s what’s required for mosquitoes to breed.
Other Ways to Control Garden Pests:
Once the harvest is done, pull all annual crops out of the garden. Insect pests are just as happy cozying up under your spent squash vines as they are sheltering in the weeds. Any plant material that is diseased or pest-infested has got to go, and the sooner.
Give garden beds a good tilling. Some of the nastiest insect pests burrow into the garden soil in the fall, and stay buried beneath the surface until spring. Get out the rototiller and give your garden a nice, deep tilling. Your goal is to push those pests so deep into the ground they can’t make their way to the surface next year. You’ll also bring some to the surface, where it’s too cold for them to survive. And as an added bonus, you’ll turn any remaining plant material under, adding organic matter to the soil.
Healthy soil means healthy plants, and healthy plants are far less susceptible to pest problems. If you haven’t done one in a while, take a soil sample and have it tested at your local extension service. Adjust the pH as recommended, and add any amendments required. Consider planting a nitrogen-rich cover crop that can be turned under in the spring.
