Market Farming

["Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>]

I'd like to second Chrys's recommendation. Young trees are very susceptible 
to rodent chewing. To them it's just good food. The mulch is fine but you 
must protect the trees.


Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center
www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html




> Mark,
>
> Mulch is an excellent treatment for fruit trees (and most other
> growing things).
>
> Yes, you should pull the mulch back 6 to 8 inches away from the base
> of the tree and protect the base from winter rodent knawings by
> wrapping the base of the seedling with metal window screen.
>
> Chrys
>
> At 08:42 AM 11/19/2008, you wrote:
> > A few weeks ago, I put in a small peach orchard - 22 trees.  To
> > shave off a year or so from the time before the first harvest, I
> > planted 5 gallon potted trees - yes, it did cost more, but felt it
> > was worth it this time.  Bare root will be used for further expansion.
> >
> > When planting, close attention was paid to where the ground level
> > met the base of the trees, but I'm not sure about putting mulch
> > around them.  Should I pull the mulch back away from the base of the
> > trees, or is it ok to leave it?  The mulch I'm using is wood chips
> > and is between 6 and 8 inches deep.
> >
> > Thanks for the help.
> >
> > TxBeeFarmer (Mark)
> > West Texas Zone 7b
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> >
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>
> This message originated from or was forwarded by:
> Chrys Ostrander
> Chrysalis Farm @ Tolstoy
> Organic Micro-permaculture
> 33495 Mill Canyon Rd.
> Davenport, WA 99122
> 509-725-0610
> chrys AT thefutureisorganic.net
> http://www.thefutureisorganic.net
>
> "From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs"
> Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc - "The organization of work" 1839
> Karl Marx - "Critique of the Gotha Program" 1875
>
> "The purpose of agriculture is not the production of food, but the
> perfection of human beings"
> Masanobu Fukuoka (February 2, 1913 - August 16, 2008)  - "One Straw
> Revolution" 1978
>
> "We will never have an organic future and a stable climate until we
> pull all the troops out of Iraq
> and redirect our annual $650 billion military budget to greening the
> economy and guaranteeing
> a sustainable environment and economic justice for everyone."
> Ronnie Cummins, National Director, Organic Consumers Association
> at the "Farms Not Arms" public forum and protest in Manhattan, September, 
> 2007
>
> Please consider making a contribution towards my sustainable
> agriculture organizing work.
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>
> Thank you.
>
>
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