Page 36 - Discover Spring 2021
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66 Years CONTINUED
Weeder’s Digest CONTINUED
for some sunshine to penetrate the central semblance of self-subsistence. Over
part of the tree. While some may be self the last year, the green industry saw an
fruiting, it is best to plant a different explosion of first time gardeners plowing
selection nearby in order to ensure a good plots and planting food crops, ostensibly
fruit set. Do not allow fruit to mature to have some assurance of control, plus
on the tree; instead, pick fruit when fully many found themselves with extra time
formed and firm, and allow them to ripen on their hands. Canning of crops enjoyed a
in a cool dark place. new resurgence, providing that you could
find the jars. People rightly recognized
If peach cobbler is your intended
reward, the good news is that you’ll only that having food on their shelves and two
closets full of toilet paper made it easier for
need one tree, as they are self pollinating.
The bad news is them to sleep at night.
that they require Although some
the most care to be of the response
successful. Fruiting might seem to be
peach trees will do an overreaction,
best if pruned to an I believe that for
open center, or vase many it was a wake
shaped regimen up call. The fragility
of food security
This is best
done from an became more
early age; the idea apparent, and as we
saw, when things
is to eliminate any central vertical lead
branches, allowing only 3 or 4 lateral go weird, they can get weirder quickly.
Most people also recognized that in order
scaffold branches tipping back for several
seasons to an outward facing bud. Ideally, to comfortably provide for their own
sustenance, a cultural decision, they need
you’ll want to keep its height under 15 feet,
with an open center, allowing for maximum to have a strong agrarian system in place.
So if you get the chance, thank a farmer, as
sunlight coverage. This pruning style also
helps when spraying for disease and insect it is a largely thankless profession. Planting
a fruit tree certainly is not going to feed
control, which is mandatory if you expect
to have viable fruit. If this is a non-starter, your family, but it its a way to create
closer bond with your land and what it can
consider another option now.
yield, as long as you know it is a long term
As we find ourselves in this continuing interactive labor of love. This will require
age of uncertainty, there is a burgeoning your oversight and patience; with more
desire to reach back to our roots of some knowledge, you can rely less on luck.
34 Discover Smith Mountain Lake SPRING 2021
