Tall Clover Farm

Peach Tree Report 2009: Update on Leaf Curl Resistant Varieties

Growing Fruit

Tom

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September 6, 2009

Peach Tree Report 2009: Update on Leaf Curl Resistant Varieties

White-flesh Charlotte peach, this year’s star performer

Greetings fellow peach aficionados. Unfortunately, 2009 was not a bumper year for peaches here at tall clover farm (a pronouncement duly noted by the case of Yakima peaches resting at my feet). Our unusually hot, dry summer would have ushered in a nice crop if only spring felt obliged to share the same temperament. It doesn’t matter how hot your summer is if your spring is cold and wet. Peach blossoms played to an empty house, attended only by raindrops and windstorms. Bees were having nothing to do with it.

Four years since planting, the Charlotte tree produced its first peaches.

Other than covert night operations by raccoons, no pest problems to speak of.

Peach trees from left to right: Indian Free, Q-1-8, and Charlotte (in the shade)

In 2008, I posted the peach season’s results for my young peach orchard, and will offer up the results for 2009 below.

The following trees are peach leaf curl resistant varieties planted 3-5 years ago on Vashon Island, Zone 8, a moderate climate that ranges from 35-45 degrees daily in January to 55-75 degrees in August.

• Autumn Rose Peach
2009: Died. May it rest in peace. The tree was planted bareroot one year ago and it succumbed to peach leaf curl this spring and never recovered. I will not replant it.
2008: Planted bareroot this spring, leafed out with a bit of leaf curl, new growth moderate

• Avalon Pride Peach
2009: I love this peach and am not giving up on it. Good growth from one tree, minimal from the other. No leaf curl to report and no fruit set either. Again, this was a great backyard peach when I lived in Seattle.
2008: Steady growth, leaves good, minor leaf curl, no fruit set this year

• Charlotte Peach (white flesh)
2009: A big year for growth, stands about 12 feet high, and produced beautiful small peaches of high quality. I was surprised to see they were white peaches (a favorite of mine). I picked them a little green to thwart the raccoons, and they ripened very nicely off the tree. (Here’s the technique and best way to ripen peaches off the tree. Not sure if this is the same as Royal Charlotte peach.
2008: Slow steady growth, slow to leaf out, minor leaf curl, no fruit set

• Frost Peach (last year called Mystery peach)
2009: Finally seems happy in its transplanted place, with nice leaf and stem growth and six large and delicious golden peaches picked. It appears to be a Frost peach, the mainstay of PLC varieties and I can see why. Very nice peach.
2008: Transplanted from a garden where peaches had no place (gasp!); good growth three years later, no leaf curl, and two of my best peaches so far.

• Indian Free Peach
2009: Gorgeous healthy tree of 12 feet, a little twig die-off here and there, but seems quite healthy, but no fruit set this year, only 3-5 peaches currently hanging on. It may be a biennial producer.
2008: Vigorous growth, beautiful ornamental blossoms, no leaf curl, harvested 30 medium to small peaches Oct. 12, thick fuzzy skin almost brown in color, juicy fruit, deliciously tart when shy of ripe, when ripe bursts with flavors of blackberry, plum and peach.
2007: Vigorous growth, leafed out with minor leaf curl, nice fruit set, harvested 6 small peaches on Oct. 2, superb flavor, gorgeous burgundy flesh.

• John Muir Peach
2009: minimal growth, leaves slow to appear, no leaf curl, minor fruit set (4 peaches), then fruit dropped. Tree is still only about 4 feet tall. I may transplant it this winter.
2008: moderate growth, leaves slow to appear, minor curl, no fruit set

• Kreibich Nectarine
2009: A promising variety, very healthy, but no fruit set. Stands about 6 feet tall now and had a setback when it became the chosen entrée for some wayward deer.
2008: healthy growth, fully leafed out, very minor leaf curl, very young tree no fruit set

• Oregon Curl Free Peach
2009: minimal growth of 3-4 inches, very minor curl, and one small sweet peach produced, not as productive as last year. I just planted another last winter in a sunnier, better draining location, and it is growing like gangbusters. It’s all about location, location, location
2008: steady minor curl, nice fruit set, peaches small, taste sweet with tart edge, nice fall color growth

• Q-1-8 Peach (white flesh)
2009: Great growth, healthy tree, but still no peaches. It’s a light bloomer. I had this tree in my Seattle garden and it was a great producer of small sweet white peaches.
2008: white peach: vigorous growth, slow to leaf out, minor leaf curl, no fruit set.

As the eternal optimist, I’m looking to 2010 as a bumper year for peaches, and most assuredly county my cobblers before they’re baked. Good growing, Tom.

Nursery Sources: One Green World Nursery, Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards, Peaceful Valley Organics, Raintree Nursery

What I was blogging about a year ago: The BLT: Assembly ( and a Little Driving) Required.

Words to the Wise: Chip Away, Chip Away

Tomagrams

Tom

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August 29, 2009

11

I recoil at the thought of considering that which I love a burden or the things that feed me being a bother. But there are days, when a turn to the left or gaze to the right will add a parcel of things to my already hefty to-do list, and leave me pondering when will I get it all done?

As one friend’s frank father put it after visiting my home and hearing my plans and ideas for the place, “Tom, just how long do plan on living?” By his calculations, completion of my project list would exceed any date found on any actuary chart for any country (or planet). And this is why I never do the math.

When mentioning my dance card of to-dos to my friend and neighbor Dan, he offered up some elegantly simple advice, “Chip away Tom, just chip away.” As a man who could reroof his house, fell a couple firs, and fix a tractor before lunch, he knew of what he spoke. I embraced his words and sought to rethink my approach.

As an example of the effectiveness of Dan’s axiom, behold the wood pile. I have stared at and ignored two large (though oddly artful) stacks of log rounds in my meadow since April, knowing a day of log splitting fell somewhere on my enjoyment meter between tooth extraction and watching a PBS fund drive.

So last week, I promised myself that I would split four rounds into eighths each night after work. Because the ‘chip-away’ number was small, I would often split a few more. Ten days later, the logs are ready for the woodstove and my next chip-away task: stacking. I’d have to say doing a little something gets you farther than doing a little nothing. Yep Dan, you were right; chip away, indeed.

To bad it doesn’t stack itself

Setting the Table for Miss Olivia & Friends

Celebrations

Tom

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August 28, 2009

7

Setting the Table for Miss Olivia & Friends

Miss Olivia does not regret she’s able to lunch today, Madame.

Last Sunday, Miss Olivia came to Vashon for brunch,
Though our activities lead us to dine well past lunch.
There were gardens to explore,
Bulldogs to not ignore,
And raspberries to pick by the bunch.

Mom Leslie and Ms. Joan rounded out our party of four,
A truly welcomed sight at my door.
Laughter filled the air,
For we had stories to share
And a table of goodies galore!

Violette du Bordeaux Fig or Negronne: Two Names, Same Great Fig

Growing Fruit

Tom

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August 24, 2009

42

Violette du Bordeaux Fig

I have not quite exhausted my fig fest of love and wish to offer up one more in the August lineup: Violette du Bordeaux fig (or Negronne as it’s often called). I just picked this fig today, three days later than I picked it last year. (How’s that for consistent ripening.) If you’re thinking about growing one in cool coastal climate like the Pacific Northwest, you will likely be well-rewarded. Though only a three-year-old tree, mine has produced figs the last two years on a robust, problem-free tree.

Covering a succulent and sweet flesh, the fig’s skin is so richly dark that in some light it looks black and in others a dreamy dark violet. If I only had two fig trees to plant, I would to plant a Peter’s Honey and Violette du Bordeaux (Negronne). No matter what moniker is used, I call them all delicious.

My young Negronne Fig Tree is branching out nicely; more branches, more figs.

Dave Wilson Nursery describes Violette du Bordeaux as the following:

Small to medium size purple-black fruit with a very deep red strawberry pulp and distinctive, sweet, rich flavor. Brebas are pear-shaped with a thick, tapering neck, main crop figs are variable, often without neck. Medium eye. Excellent fresh or dried. Good for container culture or small spaces. Hardy. Self-Fruitful.

What I was blogging about a year ago (not surprisingly): Spotlight on Summer’s First Fig

Peter’s Honey Fig: My New Favorite

Growing Fruit

Tom

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August 18, 2009

45

Peter’s Honey Fig

Peter’s Honey Fig is thin-skinned and sweet as candy

Earlier in the week, I waxed on about a fig named Desert King; juicy, prolific, dependable and one of my favorites. This week I beg its pardon, and must swoon over my new best friend in the orchard: Peter’s Honey Fig. While I have no idea who Peter is, I’ll vouch for the sweet, syrupy honey-like quality of his namesake fig. And unlike the Desert King fig, which has a thicker green skin, Peter’s Honey is cloaked in a delicate gold membrane that melts in your mouth. This fig is basically one big sugar lump, but pick a day too early and you’re chewing on a cotton ball.

A fig that stands on it own and deserves no adulteration

Peter’s Honey fig is perfectly ripe when the skin is golden on the top half, translucent and very soft and showing a few wrinkles.

[Tip: learn other ways to tell when a fig is ripe]

Update: More Figs to Love in the Pacific Northwest

This post received some wonderful and enlightening comments, ones that share some juicy-like-a-fig insight to better varieties for growing in our maritime Northwest. Check out the comments from David and Ram below, and in the meantime let me share the links, photos and fig choices opined by David. Great info and cool pics!

Resource: Gene Hosey’s figs

Thanks David, for the delicious info and pics!

How to Know When a Fig Is Ripe and Ready to Pick

Tom

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August 14, 2009

156

How to Know When a Fig Is Ripe and Ready to Pick

Knowing when a fig is ripe

fig is ripe: negronne and dessert king — These figs are both ripe; skin color matters little in determining if a fig is ripe.

There’s nothing like a fresh ripe fig and there’s nothing like a fresh unripe fig. Ripe delivers a juicy, succulent and melting gem to fawn over. Unripe tastes like a wasted opportunity: dry, starchy and flavorless. It’s good to know the difference.

Here’s my photo guide to knowing when to pick your homegrown figs. Figs can be green, brown, golden, striped or purple. Ripeness has less to do with color and more with how they’re hanging. (Behave.) Varieties above are Negronne (a.k.a. Violette du Bordeaux) and Dessert King and photos below show Peter’s Honey Fig.

How-To: Knowing the Right Time to Pick a Fig

Fig 1. (above) Not ripe: the fig is too firm and still perpendicular to the stem.

Figs 2. Getting riper: the fig gives a bit with touch, skin becomes more translucent, fruit starts to bend and plump up.

Fig 3. Not ready yet, but a heavier softer fruit moves closer to the stem, skin shows wrinkling

Fig 4. Gravity wins and the fig is ripe and ready, no longer able to support its weight. Note the dewy skin and slight tear in the fruit; it can barely hold its sugary contents at this point. (Time to grab the snips and go crazy!)

Fig 5. (Update) I spoke to too soon; this perfectly ripe fig cannot hold its nectar. If you don’t pick it now, the birds will not offer you a second chance.

Here’s my favorite fig recipe.

Tom’s Video: How to Tell If a Fig is Ripe and Ready to Pick

Desert King Fig: At Home in the Pacific Northwest

Growing Fruit

Tom

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August 12, 2009

55

Desert King Fig: At Home in the Pacific Northwest

Desert King Fig: It’s big, green, sweet and easy to grow.

There’s nothing like a fresh fig, especially if perfectly ripe and dripping with nectar (see blossom end of above photo). And of all the figs you can grow in the Pacific Northwest, Desert King (a name that belies its happy habit in a cool climate) is one of the earliest and least fussy varieties I know of. It ripens about the first week of August, but you have to act quickly as they all seem to ripen en masse within a week to ten days. If you wait too long to pick them, the birds will make an easy breakfast, lunch and dinner of them.

Desert King figs before their brief encounter with sweet cream and shortbread cookies

It’s most entertaining to feed a fresh fig to an unfamiliar diner. It’s a texture, consistency, and wallop of sweetness not duplicated in any fruit. Most fresh fig neophytes take pause before making some odd faces. One of my favorite recipes for fresh figs is the cheesy fig bomb. (What’s not to like: figs stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in bacon and broiled. Was that an angel I heard singing?) Whether you enlist these juicy gems for sweet, savory or fresh eating, the Desert King fig is a reliable choice for the home orchard. Saveur.com has some nice fig recipes, too, but chances are you’ll never look at fig newton the same way again.

Boz the Bulldog: Fine Art’s New Poster Boy

Tom

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August 10, 2009

8

Bullish on art, Boz strikes a pose for Rondi: pensive, yet playful

Vashon has a host of galleries and fine spaces to show art, and each first Friday of the month island artists and galleries host Gallery Cruise, an island-wide art opening to launch new shows and new artists. Last Friday, my friend Rondi Lightmark had a showing of her pooch-inspired photography at the Sound Food building. Boz held a prominent position on the front wall (and in the hearts of the insightful viewers).

Island art critics stewed over Boz’s enigmatic smile and natural pose, befuddled that such posture and presence could be both effortless and powerful at the same time. Boz was unavailable for comment, said to be at home guarding the sofas, chairs and ottomans from would-be interlopers and making sure dog hair was present on all surfaces. Camera-shy Gracie shared his mission, but not the spotlight.

With the state liquor board putting the kibosh on free wine at public art showings, attendance was down this week. (Apparently there’s a law about that.) The mood was not surprisingly somber and sober, but all the better to enjoy fine dog art with fine friends (as long a loophole is found by next month).

photo credit: Rondi Lightmark

What I was blogging about a year ago: Build a Wattle for Your Pole Beans.

Horse Manure: Crappy Soil Amendment for Your Garden?

Gardening

Tom

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August 5, 2009

26

Horse Manure: Crappy Soil Amendment for Your Garden?

UPDATE:
I wrote this post after an afternoon of major weeding. I would like to correct something. Horse, Cow and Chicken manures are awesome soil amendments, but should be properly composted to kill weed seeds and ready it for garden use.

Check out these links for the inside scoop and composting poop:

(original post below)

Horse Manure and Weeds Seeds Can Go Hand in Hand

Spring weeds found in my raspberry patch, courtesy of my friend Flicka

On the daily bus/ferry commute my friend Rud contends that someone will bring up the subject of manure well before we reach the West Seattle Fauntleroy dock. On an island where gardening trumps TV and horses outnumber bicycles, Rud is right; all roads lead to that which lines a stable. So when the subject arises (and it always does), Rud remains stoic, takes a side glance at his watch and simply states the time, “seven twenty-two.” We then laugh and he returns to his paper, book or conversation—a conversation which doesn’t include talking about you know what.

This year I had an epiphany; unless a stallion jumped my deer fence, horse manure had no place in my garden. After spending years adding horse manure as a soil amendment to my upper vegetable garden and raspberry patches, a simple observation showed me the error of my ways. Horse manure comes with millions of weed seeds.

I created a large vegetable garden on the sunny frontage of my property, a place once ruled by scotch broom, blackberry brambles and weeds—lots of weeds. After bushwhacking and mowing back the brush, I took the tractor to the area and tilled it several times over a period of a couple spring months.

It’s now August and the weeds are minimal, except one area, the spot where I added one load of ‘composted’ horse manure. Within a month, that corner of the garden was a consumed by weeds, just like the upper gardens and patches. The common denominator: horse manure.From that point on, compost became my soil amendment of choice. I have the pictures to prove it.

Weeds to the left, sunflowers to right

No horse manure added and thus; no weeds, or very few

Clean rows in the cornfield makes Tom happy

What I was blogging about a year ago: How to Build a Better Berry Basket (or Bucket)

Seattle: Just How Hot Was It?

Seasons

Tom

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July 31, 2009

9

Seattle Reaches Its Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded

A day when candles and people shared the same posture.

The leaves on my Kiwi vines were as dry as Doritos

Yesterday a record toppled; Seattle’s temperature reached 103 degrees – the hottest daytime temperature ever recorded in the Emerald City (this year a moniker better suited for October thru June). The rest of the nation may say what’s the big deal, but you really need to put this record in context to what’s normal.

The Pacific Northwest’s weather is one of gentle fluctuations. In the winter, the night and day temperatures vary by less than ten degrees, usually between 38 and 48 degrees. In the summers 80 is a rarity and we’ve seen summers where the Puget Sound region never experienced a day temperature over 90 degrees. In most summers, I won’t even pick a ripe tomato until early September.

So I thought I’d share some photos of just how hot it was.

It was so hot…high ceilings, open windows and doors and an infantry of fans could not keep this old house from becoming an oven. (Residential air conditioners are as rare as weak coffee and cheap parking in Seattle.)

It was so hot…my sun-loving pumpkin vines succumbed to the vapors.

It was so hot…Scotch broom seed pods cracked open like popcorn popping. The entire pasture was crackling with mini-explosions, producing sounds eerily similar to when kids pop bubble wrap.

It was so hot… neither man nor beast could work, play or sleep comfortably, but some were willing to exhaust all avenues for relief (Boz and myself included, though I’ll spare you any photos of me in the kiddie pool).

What I was blogging about a year ago: Love Set Sail for Vashon (Anna & Ryan’s Wedding)