Monday, November 9, 2020

NICE WEEKEND AND SOME FRUIT COMING SOON


Saturday was a great day.  The weather was great and I didn't have to mow.  You can see in this picture it doesn't look any different from last week.  Definitely no more mowing this season.  

So this weekend I wanted to edge.  The grass around the raised fruit tree beds was getting out of control so that's where I focused my attention.


When I was done it looked nice as usual.  I also took care of the grass inside some of the raised beds.  I've used mulch and straw but never seem to be able to keep the grass out.  I thought about gravel over weedblock fabric but I've heard the rocks can heat up the soil and that's not healthy for the tree.


Here is another view and I edged around the galvanized ring future blueberry beds.  We like it when it's done.


And look here!  Oranges!  Almost ripe, going to leave them on one more week.  The sunlight makes them look a bit yellow but they are almost bright orange.  That's why I'm going to let them stay on another week or two and make sure they get the ripest and sweetest that they can be. 


And we have some limes ripening as well!  The only thing we didn't get this year were lemons but of course that was the tree stripped to the branches by the great goat invasion of July 2020, ha.


After a few hours doing the edging some weeding and watering it was time to leave.  Just a beautiful day (though I could have voted for slightly cooler afternoon weather) but it was nice.  Next weekend will be more edging (I didn't edge around the barn and shed).

It's getting the time of year when there isn't much to do outside at the farm.  I do take some weekend breaks here and there.  Of course we'll have to keep an eye on the weather as our average first frost is early December.  This year we might have to put our citrus protection plan into action (we had it ready last year but never needed it, go figure). Fingers crossed! 

Hope you had a great weekend!

7 comments:

  1. Seeing them oranges makes my mouth water. They really look fantastic as well as your other fruit trees. They are really coming along.

    I'm in process of getting yet another flower / tree bed made. Need to get some edging around it and then will be doing some planting; hopefully Before we get a frost. If not yet before years end, we will cover the tilled bed with a tarp and plant in early Spring.

    Enjoy your day & have a wonderful evening

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  2. PS - that weedblock fabric doesn't do squat (ask me how I know this). and look at the lovely citrus fruits! those limes would go great in my gin gimlets...

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  3. The oranges turn more orange when we have cool nights. If they hang to long they will start to dry up inside and have very little juice. My son in law has groves and he tells me these things since I have a few trees in my yard. We are having such a problem with the greening disease he has pushed out thousands of his trees and burned them.

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  4. I got a total of 5 limes from my lime tree, but I can't plant it in the yard. I will have to move it in and out all winter so it won't freeze on those few days we have below freezing.

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  5. Everything looks so neat after you trimmed it.
    Your oranges are beautiful. Yours are ahead of mine which still have some green on them.

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  6. I have to admit that I am envious of those who can grown oranges in the yard! Amazing! They really look delicious.

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  7. I wholeheartedly second Anne Marie's in Philly's comment. It works for a while, then the grass and weeds will start to take root in whatever dirt and dust blows in. And any weeds or grass that are able to poke through from the bottom, and there will be some, will be impossible to pull, so you'll be using weed killer. I still have some of this, but only use small bits to put over the drain hole in pots. Or to line some rusted buckets or wicker baskets to keep the soil in. I've been debating using it to make some grow bags - it seems to be very similar to the commercial bags. Unless you can find a super duper heavy duty version that guarantees in writing that weeds can not, will not, ever ever grow through and will come out and do the work to redo/replace, I say avoid landscape fabric as weed barrier.

    The rocks would be OK as mulch if you don't cheap out and use a shallow layer. If it's about 3-4" thick, the bottom rocks stay cool. At least they do up here in Iowa, may be different in Texas? Perhaps a bit more rock might be needed?

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