North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

I'm also trying to grow some pears, but rootstocks are a problem.  Have 
tried bush cherries & apricots, but they didn't seem worth the fuss here; 
might try again.  Red currants grow like weeds; tried Jostaberry but deer 
devoured it.  Amelanchiers don't want to grow-- probably a soil pH/nutrient 
fault.  (Deer also like these.)  Wild black cherries, wild grapes, 
elderberries, plums grow freely all over, tho plums seem to be declining.  
Wild blackberries fruit massively in road ditches which have good soil, 
plenty of sun, and deep snow drifts in winter.  This was a great year for 
black raspberries.  The biggest fruit problem this year was rain-- it 
watered down the flavors.

Vole & rabbit foil:  I try to find the wide (18" ?) foil, heavy-duty, and 
one layer is enough.  Need to crimp the wrapped edges, or the wind gradually 
peals the foil off.  If I see a lot of vole activity, I might use 2-3 layers 
of regular foil.  If the winter is bad, and voles many, and the trunk had 
injury on it, the voles will find it and nibble thru the foil.  If voles are 
this desperate, you might see damage in Sept already.  This is why other 
people use wire window screen.  Be sure to get the edge of foil/screen down 
into the soil as far as practical.


----Original Message Follows----
From: Rondi Anderson
To: nafex
Subject: [NAFEX] Re: nafex Digest, Vol 21, Issue 69
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 21:47:18 -0500

I am considering the mulching to increase the health of my soil. I'm a Ruth 
Stout girl at heart. :-D The more mulch the merrier. I'm too impatient and 
lazy for compost.

Are you growing only apples in your orchard?

Regarding the foil, how wide of a strip are you using and how many times to 
do wrap it around?

Thanks,

Rondi

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