How to get Trees for Free

You see the title of this post, but I should add on to it. It should be “How to get Trees for Free… with Patience”

(Also I’m sorry for the lack of posts lately. May was crazy and June has been a lot of catch up from May… I’ll try and keep up throughout the summer)

I could make this ultra simple and say, just dig ’em up and move them where you want them. But lets call that the First way to get trees for Free. The more roots you can dig up and take with the tree, AND the less amount of time the roots are exposed to the air, the better your chance of success.  This is how we have moved dotted some Spruce trees around the more landscaped areas of my parent’s place.

2nd way: Dig up (or if the ground is light and loose, you can pull up), suckers from trees. That is what I have done with these May Day trees (above). They had some decent roots on them, and I put them into some soil in 1 gallon pots. I’ll give them a few weeks to get rooted into the pots, and when they do, I’ll either pot them up into 2 gallon pots and protect them in the pots over winter, OR I’ll plant them out and let them take their chances surviving winter where they will (hopefully) live for good.

3rd way: Find tiny little trees sprouting in your flowerbeds, and gently dig them out and put them into pots similar to the second way. You’ll see the little Spruce seedlings I’ve found in the photos below. I’ve also started collecting some of the baby crab apples that have been very prolific this year, but I didn’t get any decent photos of them for this post.

4th way: grab some willow cuttings and stick them in water. They will make roots and you can put them into soil… either straight to where you want them, or into pots with potting soil. No photos for this one, but try it. Its a great way to grow something easily.

5th way: find someone removing *YOUNG* trees from their yard and offer to take them off their hands.

6th way: From seed… This is the one that needs the most patience. Different types of trees have different germination requirements. Some easy, some more intense. Just do some googling before you start. You’ll see two of the Apple trees I started from seed over the winter in the photos below.

The key to “free” trees is patience and time… and knowing that they may not all survive. I’m of the mind-set of just trying it and seeing if it lives, and you’ll probably learn something along the way.

 

Also… I will have updates on all the fruit (and other) trees I was telling you about earlier this spring coming very very soon.

in front: Apples I started from seed, and in the 6-pack tray in the back are baby spruce seedlings I dug out of my garden beds

 

This is one of the Mayday’s I potted up. 

 

Baby Spruce I dug out of my garden beds

 

 

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Update (April 30, 2019)

So its the end of April and we got a huge snow storm. Like, there was a 4 foot drift up against our back door.

That was Saturday, and the snow is still here, and there is more falling…. and there is more in the forecast.

None of my  green lettuce seeds germinated, so I definitely need to replace those seeds this year. The Kale was fine, but life got busy, so I never got them potted up into something more appropriate for them. They are currently under snow as I write this.

My tomatoes don’t realise they need to slow down their growth rate, but they are doing fantastic. I knew I would be glad I reined in my tomato starting compulsion when it got to this point. Although, when I thinned the Tiny Tim’s I put the cuttings into a shot glass and they have grown roots and are almost ready to be potted up into actual soil. More Tomato math.

The Peppers are doing well also. I’ll do some proper updates on both the peppers and the tomatoes once I have the time to get photos of them.

I sowed some spinach outside, and before the snow it was just germinating. It is protected so there isn’t 2 feet of snow on top of them, but I’m hoping the cold hasn’t affected them too much.

I have everything crossed that this will be the last bite of winter and maybe I can get the tomatoes out before June.

Also, If you are in Calgary (or will be on May 11th), Stop by the Etsy Calgary Spring Market. It is being held at the Ross Glen Hall at Mount Royal University, from 10am- 5pm.  I’ll be there with all the things I have been making. More regular garden posts will happen once that is not my main focus.  Check out my Etsy shop here.

Lettuce & Kale (2019)

We are still pretty far away from our last frost date, so while most of the channels I watch on youtube are torturing me with their ability to plant outside, I’m just here telling my little tomatoes to not grow too fast. But I was really feeling the spring fever today. So I pulled out my seeds and decided to sow some lettuce. This will let them get started in the house where it is nice and warm, and I’ll be able to put them out before the last frost. They are pretty hardy.

Most of my lettuce seeds are pretty old, so I just over-seeded the little cells. Last year I had bad luck with my lettuce, but I really didn’t take great care of them. Lettuce just isn’t as interesting as Tomatoes to me, so they fell by the wayside. But I can say how much I missed having our own lettuce in the garden for salads and using on Burgers.

I should include some little blurb about the Kale, but really, just check down below for the types I’ve chosen for this year. The only problem with growing Kale and other brassicas, is that I don’t have the room to cover them to prevent them from becoming the nursery for the cabbage white butterfly. However, I have grown Kale in containers before, getting an earlier crop and having them be finished before the butterflies start looking for a place to lay their eggs. I don’t have a hard and fast plan for the Kale or the lettuce in the garden, so we’ll just see what happens when it comes time for it to leave the safety of my kitchen window.

Here are the varieties I chose:

• Little Gem
  • Burpee Seed from 2014
  • Its a Romaine type, but when I’ve grown it before, I would say it is closer to a mix between a basic leaf lettuce and a Romaine. I was all out of the Cos Romaine seed that I had (or at least I couldn’t find the pack of seed in my stash), so this was the next best thing. (For a photo of my Romaine, check the end of this post)
  • 45 Days to Maturity

• Red Salad Bowl
  • McKenzie Seed… I didn’t write the year on the pack like I usually do, so I’m not sure on it’s age.
  • Description reads: “For a different and attractive salad, consider this burgundy-red variety. With deeply cut leaves and large rosette plants, this variety is slow to bolt. Has a mild, non-bitter taste. Great for containers.
  • 50 Days to Maturity
• Grand Rapids
  • Mr. Fothergill’s Seed from 2014
  • Description from the seed pack: “Very Popular variety known for it’s crispness. The light green, frilled leaves make a perfect salad. Easy to grow. Slow to bolt”
  • I don’t have a photo of this one
  • 45 Days to Maturity

• Marvel of Four Seasons
  • Mr. Fothergill’s Seed from 2015
  • This is one of my favourite lettuces I’ve grown. It is honestly,  probably a tie with the Cos Romaine. Description from the Seed Packet: “Heirloom, butterhead type with 8-12″ heads. Light-green, with reddish tip on outer leaves. Popular long season type.”
  • 65 Days

• Dwarf Green Curled Kale
  • Mr. Fothergill’s Seed from 2013
  • This is my favourite Kale to grow, It seems to be the least likely to become infested with the cabbage worms.
  • 70 Days to Maturity

 

• “Dinosaur” / Lacinato Kale
  • Cornucopia Seed from 2015
  • Description from the seed packet: “Handsome heirloom known for its blue-green crinkled leaves, tender texture & sweet flavor. Delicious in salads, for sauteed greens, soups or braised with garlic and olive oil. Kale’s flavor is best in cool weather; mature plants handle frost well for extended harvesting.”
  • This packet doesn’t list any days to maturity.
  • One last note. This is my favourite kale to make Kale Chips with.

 

Do you have any favourite lettuces or greens for me to keep in mind for when I re-establish my seed stash (since most packets are getting quite old)? If you do, share them in the comments below. (Also I’ll be sowing spinach and swiss chard directly in a few weeks)

Below is the best Romaine I ever grew.. I think this was from either 2015 or 2016. 

 

 

Currants (2019)

This is going to be a quick post, but I want a record of the currants that we planted last year.

In addition to the one ‘Red Lake’ Red Currant I have from a whim purchase a few years ago, I rescued a bunch of them from a burn pit. It is hit or miss on whether they will live or not. I hope they do, but either way, I do have some established to get some Red Currants.

I also rescued a few White Currants. I’m not 100% on their variety name. They have little nursery tags on them, but they are still buried in snow, so I’m unable to check… I have one in my backyard and one out at my parent’s place. They are both more mature than the rescued red ones mentioned above, and I think they will have a better chance of survival.

Black Currants – We have 2 varieties. I believe they were ‘Consort’ and ‘Crandall’. There is a possibility I have that wrong, but to the best of my memory that is what they were. I’m also not sure how many of each we planted. They were also rescues, so we’ll wait and see how they survived this winter.

Why currants? Why not? They are an early fruit, and not something you find in the store. I’m looking forward to making some jam or jelly from them if I can get a decent harvest. This may be a few years down the road, but I am hopeful.

If you have any Currant tips, please share them down in the comments below.

The pictures in this post are from my original Red Lake Currant a couple years ago. I didn’t want to have yet another photo-less post.

 

 

‘Spring Snow’ Crabapple

Like the Bur Oak, this one was a big rescue. The main leader was snapped off. Ultimately, the shape of the tree might be better because of it, it will just be a few years of waiting for it to develop its new shape.

While this is a crabapple and I love edibles… This is purely ornamental because it is sterile. It won’t produce any fruit. This makes it a great option for people who want the beautiful white apple blossoms in the spring, but don’t want any of the mess that can come with the fruit.

We planted this one in view of the kitchen window. It should be a great view in the Spring.

• Latin Name: Malus x ‘Spring Snow’
• Height: 20-30′
• Spread: 10-20′
• Zone: 3

 

I’ll try and get photos of this one while it is blooming, Or get my mom out there to take photos of it incase I can’t get back home with the right timing.