John Greenan

Everything I read about capers suggests that they will die at a temperature of about -6 C, but if I am looking at the right place, the temperature in Ladahk regularly gets as low as -15 C. Is there a different variety there, or is the conventional wrong, or am I looking at the wrong place?

I’m in Central Texas and could grow capers if -15 C is how cold they can stand, but -6 C is a low temperature we reach most years.

(another possibility is I made a mistake in converting Fahrenheit to Centigrade)

If the grapes are growing well but are just not of the quality you want, it's feasible to graft a better variety onto the rootstock. In fact, if you have at least some grapes that you do like, then you could use them as the material to graft, and your cost would be minimal. A trellis is a pretty big investment and it's not good, that I know of, for much other than grapes.

Like almost anything having to do with growing plants, it depends. Are you growing wine grapes or table grapes? What variety? Where are you located and what is your soil like? How do you plan to cultivate--what equipment do you need to run down the rows and how big is it?

In general, table grapes produce more tons of grapes per acre than wine grapes, which are usually restricted in production to improve quality. As a practical matter, you will probably need the rows at least nine or ten feet wide to drive your tractor down them, although there are specialized narrow tractors for vineyards and even tall tractors that are used to drive over the top off grape vines.

The "y" type trellises are used most commonly for table grapes or a few varieties of wine grapes that are very vigorous and best grown on a taller trellis. I grow wine grapes using a double cordon system, but I'm just a beginner. There's a lot to know.

Ulla Bisgaard wrote:Yeah, I was thinking about nuts, but we already have our neighbors pecan tree to deal with, and it’s very messy. I know that some isn’t messy, but as Jen said they do take a long time to grow large.

I like the idea of the mulberry though, we have talked about it before. I will look for the Pakistani one online, and see if I can find one. We have lots of room for more trees.

If you think pecans are messy, I'm afraid that you'll find that mulberries are many times worse. Although I'm on enough land where neither one bothers me very much.

Historically grapes were often grown on trees. In addition to difficulties in harvesting, the reason it isn't done any longer is that the grapes tend to put too much energy into growing vines and foliage and too little into growing the grapes themselves. So it isn't commercially viable, but if you are willing to use a ladder for harvest, then there isn't any reason it shouldn't work fine, at least with smaller trees.

It's not a perennial vegetable, but at least in Northern Texas purslane self-sows so readily that it might as well be. It has a lot of culinary uses and is very common in Mexican cuisine, among others.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:

Ben Zumeta wrote:I have been told by knowledgable people vegetative cloning of Pome and Stone fruits is not worth the effort, because if it works at all, the roots will be weak.

Does anyone know why the roots of vegetative cloning is said to be weaker?

I can't say that I know, but I have read somewhere that apples, at least, go through a transition from young plants to mature plants, and that once apples are mature plants, they are almost impossible to root. Further, since all commercial apple trees are grafted from mature plants, that all established varieties of apple need to be grown as grafts on seedlings. But, since I don't remember where I read this, take it for what it's worth.

Rachel Lindsay wrote:It's going to freeze in my southern-USA location for the first time tonight! Just snipped my two basil plants and brought them in.

So, now I have to process the harvest. Other than drying  it for decor I have no clue what to do to preserve basil. Any ideas?

A couple of times when I've had an abundance at the end of the year (which can be pretty late here in Texas), I make it all up into pesto and freeze it in small containers. Then when I want to use it, I just take it out of the freezer in the morning and it's ready to put on my pasta for dinner.

There's a lot of information from your friendly federal government online that's a good starting point. First, I'd find out whether any part (or all) of the land is in a flood zone. If so, flood insurance would be required to borrow any money to build (unless you have a survey done and establish that any structure are not in the flood plain). That will also provide you with a rough idea of the chances of flooding. Second, the USDA has soil maps that cover almost the entire country. That's a free way to get a rough idea of the soils you're dealing with.

After that, most land grant universities will do soil tests at a reasonable cost. Also check whether there are restrictions on wells--this varies by state but it's useful to know. Also check the tax situation and what exemptions are available. That's usually done by the county appraisal district, but states vary.  Finally, make sure you don't have any access problems. In some states easements for access isn't guaranteed and even putting a driveway in may require a permit.

I planted 29 bare-rooted blackberries in Central Texas at the beginning of April. Roughly a third are doing well, a third never leafed out, and a third leafed out and then died back or look about to. FWIW, the ones that are doing better are in the lower spots where more water collects--we water daily, given the weather.

I think they are hardy enough once established, but in this drought year, it seems to me that the blackberries need a lot of water to get established.