Simple Pruning: 5 Branch Types to Prune From Your Fruit Tree This Winter

Winter presents one of the best times to prune your deciduous (all leaves drop from the tree) fruit tree(s). The deep cold temperatures lull deciduous trees into a dormant ("sleeping") phase making them less likely to experience "shock" from the cut. The sap will run slowly, if at all.

[The Homestead Barn Hop is happening now. Stop by for a spell!]

But, if you're new to pruning deciduous fruit trees, the task might feel intimidating. The last thing anyone wants to do is inflict harm on the tree(s) we've worked so hard to grow. Right? But, take heart! Giving your trees a healthy pruning is simple when you know to look for these 5 key branch conditions: (Tip: Wait until all the leaves have dropped off your tree so you can get a good look at the tree's whole structure.)

1. Prune away dead, damaged or diseased limbs.

 

2. Prune away branches that cross through the center of the canopy. (Opening up the center of the canopy enables light in and air to circulate.)

 3. Remove branches that rub against one another

4. Prune away sucker branches growing straight up or down.

5. Prune off sucker branches or sucker roots (water shoots) at the base of the trunk.

That's all I'm going to do to this tree until after the blossoms drop off in spring. Then I'll look again for any damaged limbs or thin the branches if they are crowding. In the summer, I'll prune away heavy leafy vegetation to make room for fruit. 

A gentle pruning will help your trees to thrive. They will do better with a little pruning rather than none at all. Most trees are quite resilient, so don't be afraid to tackle this task this winter.  

As always, I love hearing from you. So, please send over your questions or comments. 

Goodbye TWENTY13. Hello TWENTY14.

2014 is here. Are you like me, wondering "where did 2013 go so quickly?" It's a good thing I have this blog to help me answer that question or might I not remember all that transpired in the last 12 months. Although, this blog is only 10 months old, so February and January are blurred memories. Except at the end of February, I do remember the very hard landing I took after taking an unscheduled dismount off my Arab gelding's back. Ouch! Somewhere during my recovery I started thinking about this blog...and how much I looked forward to walking again and being out of pain.

My first post went live on March 16, 2013. I chickened out with a short post and a photo.

I enjoyed reading back over the year's post to see all we accomplished as a family. Please be my guest to look back over the year at Stable Road Homestead.

March

We showed you how to make codling moth traps for your fruit trees

April

The Fix-It Month poem brought a few laughs
You met, Yeller, our Strawberry-loving Labrador Retriever

May

Celebrated Mother's Day and remembered on Serviceman and women in the US Armed Forces.

June 

We celebrated Father's Day and our son graduated high school.

July

The harvest began for apricots, grapes, and lettuces.
During the BIG HEAT WAVE, we took off to the lake to do some fly fishing.

August

Deer hunting season...There was nothing to "write home about", if you know what I mean...

September

We tracked a bear and harvested an abundance of apples, thanks to the codling moth traps we set out at bud-break in March.
Stable Road Homestead joined in The Homestead Barn Hop, hosted by The Prairie Homestead and New Life on a Homestead.
 

October

October was a busy month:
I wrote a review (non-paid) about Twisted X All-Around boots, which I like a lot.
We harvested Icicle Radishes and planted garlic--for the first time.
We began our experiment with growing in SmartPots.
Our Yellow Labrador, Bodie, turned four.
We joined other family members for a week on the North Coast.
We introduced you to one way to remove the "pickle smell" from a great big pickle jar so it can be reused to store whatever you like.
I closed out the month with a week of jury duty service.

November

We assessed our To Do List and felt pretty happy (and a little tired) with what we accomplished in 2013.
We helped neighbors move and adopted their 4 Barred Rock hens, who graciously give us two eggs a day.
We gave thanks for His grace and provision.

December

Winter came in hard in December. The Big Snow Storm sent a tree through the top of the horse shelter. The horses were not hurt, thank God.

Your Top 3 Favorite Posts

1. What I Like About Line Drying Clothing
2. Homestead barn Hop 134
3. Grateful the Horses Weren't Hurt

Your Least Favorite Posts

 ...Did I Say the Freezer is Full?
This post is a follow-on to a post about filling the chest freezer with meals, home-raised/home butchered meat. The point was...the freezer didn't stay full long enough and I need to improve the plan for next time.

Winter to Spring
A photo-only post that contrasts a cold, gloomy snowy winter day with the cold-but-sunny brilliance of spring buds on the Crepe Myrtle.

7 Projects to Complete Before Summer Strikes
I'm happy to report we made progress on this project list. The old pond is now filled with gravel and decomposed granite. The next step is to add the quartzite stones, seating and fire pit.

The carpets were cleaned in time for Thanksgiving. One day we hope to have wooden flooring again.

What Would You Like to Learn About in 2014?

Now it's time to hear from you. What is it you would like to know more about in 2014? Please let me know!

Thanks for joining us at this week's Homestead Barn Hop. Don't forget to stop in to say "hi" to Prairie Homestead and New Life on a Homestead, both of whom graciously hostess this blog hop.

Homemade Custom Paint Color

Today's the Homestead Barn Hop! We are so glad you decided to join us.

I don't exactly know how long ago I painted the blotchy squares of assorted colors on my kitchen wall; it was sometime over the summer, I think. Anyway, as I buzzed about thinking what I needed to do to get ready to host Thanksgiving dinner, my miss-matched wall colors stood up and said "Hey, remember us?"

Time to Paint the Wall ONE Color

Since I haven't fully worked out my paint-color scheme, I searched the clearance shelf at the hardware store for a color I could live with temporarily. What I found was a selection of

White. 

Off-white. 

Base tint for white. 

Gray. 

No colors except one really bright green that I knew I couldn't

Then it hit me:  I can try creating my own color using the various partial-cans of paint I have in the basement. Why not? It certainly won't cost me anything but time. And what's going to become of all that paint anyway? I might as well put it to use, right?

In the basement I found four kinds of interior paint--some interior, some exterior, a paint mixer, an old white plastic bucket.

Mix, mix, mix.
I need black. 

Back into the basement I go to locate that little can of black paint I bought last spring.

Drizzle. 

Mix. 

Drizzle. 

Mix again. 

Too light. 

Dump. 

Mix. 

Now, that looks like a color I can live with.

Next, I...

• Washed the walls with a cold water-white distilled vinegar mix. 
• Let them dry. 
• Rolled on a coat of Glidden Gripper Gray Primer. 
• Applied my new one-of-a-kind paint.

Voila! My previously multi-colored kitchen wall is now a deep shade of green.The new color brings out the warmth of the oak cabinets.

I love this color! In fact, I had enough paint to paint a wall in our mudroom, too.

I hope this post is an encouragement to you to take a chance with paint and try something new. Remember, if you don't like it you can change it any time. It's just paint ;)

Some people love to paint. Others don't. Which category do you fall into?

The Wrangler: gathering up the week's events

• My youngest son is healed from having all four wisdom teeth extracted. His surgery was quick and uncomplicated, so he was back to normal fairly quickly.
• My oldest son brought home a cold virus for all of us to share :( Most of us are feeling better. 
• I've been testing paint colors on a few of my interior walls. I haven't found one I like yet, though I haven't dedicated myself to the effort. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it occurred to me that it would be nice if the wall in the kitchen was one color. I went into the basement to see if I could mix together a color I can live with temporarily using paint on-hand. Voila! I came up with a nice green that now covers the wall behind my cooktop!
• My meteorologist neighbor said to tie down everything and get out the oil lamps because a big wind was on its way. Gusts up to 70 MPH were expected. We prepared for a big wind...that didn't come...but the power went out...during the middle of the wash cycle.
• I spent all day Thursday shopping for Thanksgiving. There will be 18 friends, family and neighbors coming here for dinner Thanksgiving afternoon.  We're looking forward to a great day of fellowship.
• The wood cabinets throughout the house are cleaned and oiled. I used Old English oil that has a touch stain already added to it. The cabinets look almost new.

What I Like About Line Drying Clothing

Hot summer sun = fast dry time;
as fast as 10 minutes

Everything smells so good

No wrinkles = no ironing

Clothing lasts longer

No laundry lint = low dryer-fire risk

The dryer will enjoy a longer life

3 loads dry at once

Less $$ to the power company = more $$
for fun stuff!

The view!

It's Monday! Come to the Homestead Barn Hop

White Icicle Radishes

Also known as Lady Finger, these White Icicle Radishes are fresh out of the garden.

White Icicle Radishes grow a slim 4"-6" root taper to a point and have a very slender taproot. The flesh is "crisp", mild (in case you don't like the "sharp" taste of some varieties) and, yep, you guessed it--white. The green "tops" are good to eat, so don't toss them to your chickens just yet. Add them to your salad, saute them, or toss them in a soup or stew.

Give Growing Radishes A Try

Radishes prefer well-drained soil with plenty of added organic matter. They have low nutrient requirements (one of the attributes that makes them easy to grow). But, they don't like a lot of nitrogen.

Cool weather is their favorite kind of weather. Start by sowing seeds directly wherever there is extra space in the garden. Some gardeners like to use radishes as row markers for slower germinating crops like carrots. I like this idea!

You can harvest the White Icicle Radish whenever it's large enough to use. Store them in cool, moist conditions. Ours usually go straight into the salad.

Radishes of all kinds are quick, reliable growers; a rewarding crop to grow for new  gardeners!

Apples

Pick

Peel

Cook

Can

Slice

Freeze

Pies

Summer Harvest

Camera Ready

My mother is an expert photographer. Well, maybe not an expert, but she's certainly accomplished. Of course, it helps that we lived next door to Peter Stackpole, who is well known for his LIFE Magazine photos of the Golden Gate Bridge and the building of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. He taught my mother quite a lot about photography over the 15 years or so we were neighbors. The home we lived in was one he built. It had a darkroom inside. Mom would go in there around 7:00 in the morning and emerge around 7:00 at night. I think making black and white prints was her favorite part of photography.

I never liked being photograph. (Ironically, neither does she.) So I didn't really develop the habit of having a camera around. I wish I had now that I have so many amazing photographic opportunities about me daily. As I make my way around the property doing my "morning rounds" to feed the dogs, horses, and chickens, I all-too-often hear myself think out loud: "Oh, I wish I thought to grab the camera."

Mornings are beautiful here. Some days in the spring and fall I see fog squeeze up through the canyons as it rises off the river. It's usually so white and billowy looking, I wish I could bottle it for the next day. I love how the fluffy whiteness contrasts with the deep evergreen silhouettes of the hills behind it.

The deer like to sleep in the "foyer" of "Chick-mo Hen-itentiary" (the chicken coop). I remember the afternoon I came across a spotted fawn curled up in the wood shavings. It didn't spook when I entered, which made me wonder if it was okay. If I had my camera, I probably could have captured it's sweet little face on film.

The turkeys right now are everywhere. The Toms are quite large and battling it out for who gets to be the Big Tom on Campus. I'd like to snap a few photos of that too, if only I would remember to grab the camera on the way out.

There's a woodpecker right outside our kitchen window that drilled a hole in the trunk of the tree large enough for he and his companion to fly in and out of. He (or she) spent months making this "tree cave". I don't own a video camera. But, if I did, that would be something the capture of film.

I'm trying to learn to be camera-ready. It's a new habit I need to form so I can  share with you the everyday beauty God puts in front of me each day. Now, whether or not the photos are any good is up to you. Remember, Peter Stackpole taught my mom about photography. Not me.

Keep your eyes open to the everyday beauty God put in front of you.

Here's something more about Life photographer, Peter Stackpole.

Fix-It Month Poem

April came right after the snow.

Then "the things" started to go.

But, April is Fix-It Month, you know.

Now the Nissan stops

And the Jeep goes.

The string trimmer cuts

And the high wheel mows.

The light comes on

And the toilet flows.

The spa heats up.

The dryer quietly tumbles clothes.

I love the springtime...

When everything goes.