North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Raby, Brian {20-4~Indianapolis}" <BRIAN.RABY@ROCHE.COM>]

Chris,
 
I think gardening is like marriage... you got to keep working at it.  I've
got two degrees in horticulture and yet I'm still bewildered by stuff that
goes on in the garden.  Despite my best effort to keep the bugs  out of the
vine crops, I cannot grow a decent sized pumpkin.  My grapes look like crap
from the japanese beetle, and other ailments.  
 
Believe me, you are not rowing this boat alone.
 
Brian in Indiana
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Mauchline [mailto:mauch1@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2001 2:19 PM
To: nafex@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [nafex] The summer of my discontent (some things off topic)


Since it's almost the end of summer I'm going to express frustration 
with gardening in general and fruit growing in particular.  Years ago 
I worked for a company that had internal chat groups, one of which 
was called net.whine.  This would have belonged there.

First the things that were good about this year:  
Got a nice first crop from 1/2 of my blueberries.
Did get enough raspberries and blackberries to enjoy.
My just now 2 year-old boys loved the "bewies" and "betties" as well 
as helping pick the cherry "maties" (tomatoes).
The birth of my youngest son this May.
Many of the plants that my father accidentally sprayed w/ Roundup 
seem that they may survive.
Did manage to get one apricot.

The whine (not necessarily in chronological or frustration order):
1) The spraying of blackberries, honeyberry, and redbud tree with the 
forementioned Roundup
2) My attempt to graft Northern Spy failed yet again. (Does anybody 
else out there have a similar problem grafting one variety where 
others work well for them?
3) Previously, I had grafted PawPaw with 100% success.  This year I 
had only 3/7 takes (two strong and one weak take). The takes were 
broken off (although the weak take may have expired before being 
broken off), so I ended up being 0 for 7.  My source for most of my 
wood is elderly, so I may not be able to get scion wood when my 
rootstock is ready for grafting again.  Plus I believe one of my 4 
rootstocks (that I had raised from seed) did not survive the grafting 
process.
4) Kaki Persimmon grafting was a bust (0 for 4 attempts).
5) Cherry trees planted out were first stripped (including small 
branches) by deer.  Then the insects destroyed the leaves that came 
out.  The 3 trees are still alive, but I have concerns about their 
winter survival.
6) Stanley plum that I had transplanted from my old place 2 years 
ago, flowered, started to fruit, and then died.
7) The deer are keeping my Razor Russet from regrowing
8) Even though I got it well mulched, it looks like I again lost the 
nursery bed to weeds.
9) 6 ft weeds in the front gardens.
10) 4 birds killed by netting on blueberries.  
11) Stewartia that I paid a significant price for has lost all but 
its outermost leaves.
12) Yet again did not get the kiwis transplanted out.


There's probably more, but that's an even dozen.

Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6



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