Subscriptions, Summertime & Stone Fruit

Subscriptions, Summertime & Stone Fruit

A Cornucopia of Fruit & Flowers - Subscriptions are Now Open

I am very pleased to bring back last years fruit and flower subscriptions. Several of our former subscribers told me their boxes last year were just too big, so we are trying something new for this season. This year, we are offering smaller fruit boxes, 6-8 pounds of fruit plus a bouquet, available every two or four weeks, your choice! Once again, pick up will be available on our farm or in Santa Cruz, Live Oak area. The subscription runs all the way through November this year, to include those late season figs, walnuts and pomme fruit.

Please click the links below to learn more and sign up.
Watsonville pick up every 4 weeks
Watsonville pick up every 2 weeks
Santa Cruz pick up every 4 weeks
Santa Cruz pick up every 2 weeks

Summer Time Means Stone Fruit

The hot weather we have had the past month means our stone fruits have ripened up sooner than they have in past years, and I ate my first tree-ripened peach this week, so good! If you want a mixed box of plums, apricots and peaches, I am putting the very first ones into our store for this weekend. They will sell out fast, so purchase yours here!

Endless Roses

One of the most delightful aspect of growing roses is that many varieties will rebloom all summer long, in 6-8 week flushes. Many of our plants are now going through the second flush of the year. Our you pick field is open all summer long, so make a reservation to bring home your own bucket of blooms today.

If you grow roses at home, now is a good time to give them a light summer prune. Cut off any dead blossoms, and trim branches back to a sturdy leaf node. While you are at it, give them a nice drink of liquid fertilizer to encourage more blossoms throughout the rest of the year.

You Pick Roses at Birdsong Orchards

Summer Orchard Care

July is an excellent time to give your trees a general health check up. I look for dead or diseased branches that did not leaf out from the winter, and remove them. On the flip side, I also look for new growth that is really long, over two feet let's say, and cut these new branches back by 50% to create sturdier limbs for next year.

Looking at the long hot summer to come, water management will be the key to the ongoing success of any tree. A good rule of thumb is, most fruit trees need 8-15 gallons of water a week. We have all our trees on drip irrigation that we run once or twice a week, depending on the weather. We also rely on heavy applications of tree mulch to keep the root zones wet and protected.

One last tree tip: now is the time to plant citrus and avocado trees. I am always pleased with trees from Four Winds Growers, and they ship across the country.



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