Step - Over Fruit Trees

 

 

Hello Friends, today I am sharing the last article I wrote for the Cameron Chronicle.. "The Little Paper with Personality." I started writing for our village paper June 2021. I shared garden tips and tricks. I also shared gift ideas for gardeners. 

In March of this year, Marty the owner of the paper shared that she was having trouble finding affordable printing. She has decided to retire the Cameron Chronicle.

My April article and last article for the Cameron Chronicle  was posted on the Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page.

Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page 

 

The Garden is Living, it should be changing...

 

Just as the garden is changing our lives change as well. I will miss writing for our village paper and I will miss reading our village paper. It was a fun paper with personality.

 

And now for my last article... enjoy.

 

♥

Carla

Step-Over Fruit Trees

By Carla TePaske of Cameron WI ~ The Little Garden That Could

What are step-overs? A step-over is an extremely dwarf apple or pear tree that is grown typically as a fruitful hedge or border to an ornamental vegetable garden or a potager garden. Their success is totally dependent on growing them on an extremely dwarfing rootstock. If this tree is left to grow to it’s full size it may reach to your chest of even shoulder, however it was never intended to be grown as a 'tree' but rather as a step-over.

To grow a step-over fruit tree, you learn the art of espalier. The art of espalier is all about selectively pruning and training to a desired shape.

Fun Facts about the Origins of Espalier

Espalier is the ancient horticultural art of pruning and training a tree or shrub to grow flat against a support, creating a living sculpture. According to American Garden History, espalier was originally used to create outdoor "walls" in Europe during the Middle Ages and was also planted in interior courtyard walls to prevent late frost bud-kill.

Other records show this technique dates back to ancient Egypt, where hieroglyphs of espaliered fig trees have been found in tombs dating back to 1400 B.C.

The French word "espalier" (ess-PAL-yay) was originally a noun that referred to the trellis or support upon which the tree was grown; today, it refers to the technique itself.

You can use the same technique to train your tree as a step-over.

A step-over is a trained tree 20 inches from the ground, creating a T shape. The name derives from the fact that you can “step over” the low branches. They are ideal for planting along the edge of a path or lawn or for creating sections in a vegetable garden.

Until next time, happy gardening!

Rhubarb

 

Hello Friends,

Today I will be sharing the article I wrote for our local newspaper, Cameron Chronicle, "The Little Paper with Personality."

I started writing for the Cameron Chronicle June 2021. This may be the last article published in print form. Marty the owner of the paper informed me the March issue may be  the last printed issue of the Cameron Chronicle. She is having trouble locating affordable printing. 

There will be NO printed April issue of the Cameron Chronicle. Marty will share my April article on the Cameron Chronicle Facebook Page

in the meantime, here is the article I wrote for March.

 

Rhubarb

By Carla TePaske of Cameron, WI ~ The Little Garden That Could

Rhubarb is an early bird surprise for us gardeners. It is cut and come again. We use it in sweet and savory dishes. Rhubarb is incredibly long lived. Once established, it grows happily in the same spot year after year.

Rhubarb is good for us. It is particularly high in vitamin C and fiber.

The best way to plant rhubarb is to plant rhubarb crowns. Rhubarb is greedy, work mulch into the soil and around the planting. Wait two or three years for the plant to get established before harvesting.

If you spot a towering flower plume, pick it, the plume may reduce your crop.

The best way to harvest rhubarb is to run your finger down the groove of the stem until you reach the root. Give a gentle tug and it will come off in your hands, leaving any buds forming just below your mature stem to develop into the next crop. For the plants sake, do not over pick, leave some of the stems. A general rule is pick ⅔ of the stems, leaving ⅓.

Until next time, happy gardening!

Writing for the Cameron Chronicle in 2024

 

Hello Friends, 

I will be writing garden articles  for our local village newspaper again in 2024. 

Cameron Chronicle "The Little Paper with Personality."

I am sharing the article I wrote for the January 2024 issue.

  

Roses

By Carla TePaske of Cameron, WI ~ The Little Garden That Could

Happy New Year to you all. As we jump into a new gardening year I plan to pick certain plants and flowers to discuss and give tips for success.

Roses are a favorite of mine, but lately I have been having pest and black spot problems. We will start talking pests. Rose aphids are the pest that I have been having the most trouble with. We garden organically. I will be sharing organic ways of managing pests. It may sound gross, but it works, use finger and thumb to squash aphid colonies on your plants. Encourage aphid predators in your garden, ladybugs, wasps and earwigs all like to eat aphids.

Black spot is the next problem I have with our roses. It is caused by a fungus, Diplocarpon rosae, which infects the leaves and greatly reduces plant vigor.

Underplanting with salvia has been proven to help the health of roses.

The sulphur in the salvia’s scent profile means that when they warm up, they release a natural fungicide. This helps keep the roses strong, healthy, mildew and black spot free.

Underplanting with salvias is a great organic gardening method, which allows you to forgo pesticides and chemicals. If you spot the signs of black spot, clear anyway any dead leaves which might work as a natural host for harmful spores.

I planted a salvia under one of my roses in late summer. I am in hopes it helps with black spot and other pests. I will keep you updated.

Until next time, happy gardening!