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Strawberry fields forevvvver

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CelticRambler
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Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:19 pm
Location: Central France

Strawberry fields forevvvver

#1

Post by CelticRambler »

Well, strawberry beds at least. Spent this morning (trans)planting just over 100 plants into their new bed. All of one variety (June-cropping Gariguette) for the time being - I have three others to be dug up and moved in the coming weeks ... but will probably sub-contract that to SonNo.1 while I go off a-wandering again. Only half of the next bed is ready; it's steeply banked (finished that part of the job yesterday) so needs a little while to settle.

The old strawberry bed is now providing hospice services to a trio of scrawny pear trees (moved this afternoon) that haven't done at all well in their previous location, two Williams and a Conference. If they respond well to the move - and aggressive pruning - then they can stay there, ideally in espalier form; if not, I'll replace them with something else.

Last year, with perfect weather conditions for berries, I picked over 20kg of strawberries in June and July, and then stopped counting; will be hoping for something similar this year.
765489

Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#2

Post by 765489 »

I bought 8 pear trees when I was getting my apple trees CR. I've them planted along a pathway and was out with the pruner today but didn't go near them. I was thinking these would actually look nice in espalier form all the way down the pathway.. 😀
CelticRambler
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Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:19 pm
Location: Central France

Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#3

Post by CelticRambler »

These were bought years ago to be stand-alone trees in what was then the new orchard, so I don't know if they can be trained. I have various other varieties that have all done well (some a bit too well - damnably difficult to get to the pears at the top! :x ) so I'm not entirely sure what the problem has been.

But in this new location, an espalier form would be much better - easier to pick, and much more in keeping with their position along the edge of the lawn. I'll give them a few months to produce some new growth, then look into techniques for getting new buds to sprout in the right place (maybe that "nicking" technique that you described for your apples ...? )
765489

Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#4

Post by 765489 »

The nick needs to be above a dormant bud so if there are any where you want them to be it might work. Not sure with older wood thought CR. Or you could do what I did and just get rid of them and get some new ones. I didn't look after the ones I had, but the trees were getting so tall and unmanageable i gave up on them. So don't want that happening again.

It's too dark out but I can get you the variety names of the ones I got. The man in English's nurseries in Wexford is a very knowledgeable man. I gave him some pear varieties I was looking at and he went down through them all and said yeah that's good, no that's a unreliable variety etc. I think one of the unreliable varieties was Beth. But will find out tomorrow what I have.

He did the same with the apple trees. Went down through the list.. golden delicious, he said don't get that they don't ripen in Ireland, or said a couple were very prone to scab etc So the list I gave in the apple orchard thread was nearly completely changed after talking to him!
490808
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Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:10 pm

Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#5

Post by 490808 »

Scale is all wrong in the pic and you probably want taller ones but three legged orchard ladders are the business when you have to pick fruit from high branches. Because they come to a point they are really easy to push up through the branches. Three legs makes them very stable.

Image
CelticRambler
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Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#6

Post by CelticRambler »

Ah, one of these days, I'll get an answer out of a suitably qualified hydraulic engineer and get my cherry picker into action! Sure, it'd be a bit heretical to pick pears with it, but I don't like cherries! :lol:
Ncdjd2 wrote: Sun Feb 13, 2022 6:31 pm The nick needs to be above a dormant bud so if there are any where you want them to be it might work. Not sure with older wood thought CR. Or you could do what I did and just get rid of them and get some new ones.
I'm resigned to getting rid of them if they don't perform - but I particularly like Williams pears for eating and Conference for cooking, so I'd only end up replacing them with the same. At this stage, I have other priorities for what I want to add and change in the fruit garden. The two Williams were disrupting a new "line of sight" that's come about since my landscaping last year, so they had to be dug up anyway; this is really just a last chance for them to perform while I think about how well a vertical partition works in that part of the garden.
marhay70
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Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#7

Post by marhay70 »

I mustn't have been paying attention. When did they start growing strawberries on trees? :?
765489

Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#8

Post by 765489 »

I take full responsibility for derailing this thread. :mrgreen:

I don't particularly like strawberries but CR has inadvertently helped me find a new home for three 10 foot creosote post strainers I've lying around and using up some more of the high tensile steel wire I bought in bulk a few years ago.:)
CelticRambler
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Posts: 2577
Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:19 pm
Location: Central France

Re: Strawberry fields forevvvver

#9

Post by CelticRambler »

Glad to be of service, especially if it means something you've been keeping for years has finally come in useful! :lol:

But how can you not like in-season locally-grown strawberries, picked at the height of the afternoon sun? 8-)
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