[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Nothing I can do to not replant ('cause that ain't happening)? I can pull the pine straw, so is there nothing I can do fertilizer- or chemical-wise to fix?

Go the hardware and see if they can get anything to raise your soil pH. In ag (where it is required, not here) they spread gypsum. There might be some calcium type products that would help. I wouldn't put more manure down. It could be too much N and it will get hot on you and kill your stuff.

Originally Posted by Iowanian

I have about 10 mature fruit trees(apples, pears, peaches) and 4 grape vines.
I planted 15 fruit trees(from Stark Bros in MO) apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, apricot(the fruit, not the beemer).

I'm interested in people with big brains on fruit trees and the best thing I can do for the new ones, and how to address the "rust" on the leaves of a peach and adjacent apple tree.

I'm thinking pretty hard about planting 4 more grape vines, and adding a couple of blueberry and raspberry bushes.

I'm considering planting between 5-15 acres of fruit trees to start a walk in orchard, but with my work schedule I'm not sure I can put the time into them for proper pruning etc.

We have a decent sized garden, and I generally scoop a couple of tons of compost from a large pile we have scraped up from a former cattle lot, and then till that in. I've not done much with herbs, but I'd like to do at least some of the basics, garlic etc. I'd also like to start a strawberry bed, but they're a pain in the butt.

Most of the rust around here is fungal. There should be a fairly innocuous fungicide that can help. Wife had some ortho stuff she put on our tree. It's pretty close to all the same, if you could get a half gallon from a farmer buddy that is running it on his corn, you could get it done cheaper

Originally Posted by Iowanian

Deer and varmints usually clean up mine.
I've toyed with running a temp electric fence around my fruit trees and running some chickens in there when fruit is falling, and also to keep deer from pillaging the low hanging fruit.

The Amish are probably another story, I caught them twice last year. Sonnabitches.

My peaches and apples have been gangbusters 2 of 3 years.

Get ready to rebuild your fence if you put it up. We put some crappy fence around our grain bags, and you get to rebuild it 5 or 10 times before they get the picture.

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

So... if I do some container gardening with perennial herbs - large containers, like small tree planters or half oak barrels - do I need to bring them inside during the winter? The basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary have survived winter in the ground before, but I don't know about the containers. I know I won't get a crop when it's cold, but just wondering if it'd kill anything.

Seriously, folks, I've got a black thumb. Any help here is appreciated.

I don't remember where you are at now, but I probably would. A container with side exposure will make the soil temperature lower than in the ground.