Jeff Rice

We are having another average water year this year, at least here at the nursery. By my rain tracking, we are at 26.10″. That’s four decent rainfall years in a row so that’s some good news, locally at least. Looking at the forecasts, looks like we are in for some nice spring weather after this latest storm. Been a little cool the past couple of days but really nice spring weather coming our way for the next couple of weeks as far as my long range forecast shows. We have a large selection of vegetable starts, and bringing more out of our greenhouse as fast as we can, so we have a good selection of vegetables for the planting season. I preach to wait until the nighttime temperatures are consistently 50 degrees, or close to it and the ground needs to be warm to get good results from your vegetables. It looks like it’s there with the warm March we have had but then again, it’s 42 degrees this morning as I write this on April 2nd. Get your gardens prepped if you haven’t done that yet so you can plant your vegetable starts when the weather is right. No, …

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Bare root season continues through February. The selection of bare root fruit trees is still good. I did a count yesterday and we have more than 300 bare root fruit trees still available. The cool nights and not too warm days are ideal for the bare root trees, and now is the time to plant them. Looks like more moisture coming over the next few days so it adds to this being ideal time to plant bare root trees. THREE WEEKS LEFT TO GET BARE ROOT FRUIT TREES. At the end of the season we pot up what has not been sold bare root and then the price goes up. Take advantage of bare root prices and selection and get your fruit trees in now. Final Dormant Spraying is Due This Month The third and final dormant spraying to prevent leaf curl is due this month. Don’t delay. The final spray should be done before you see color in the flower buds. Usually mid February is a good time but watch your trees closely. Depending on weather, they may start budding to bloom early in the month. Get the spraying done before the buds open. Use copper and horticultural oil …

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BARE ROOT FRUIT TREES ARE ARRIVING MONDAY JANUARY 5TH. We will begin the sorting and preparing them for sale as soon as they arrive. Hopefully we will have many ready to go on Tuesday the 7th, (yes, we will be here Tuesday the 7th) and all ready on Wednesday the 8th. Roses came in a couple of weeks ago. Blueberries, cane berries, figs, and pomegranates in pots are in. Complete price list for bare root fruit trees is available on our website, at the nursery, or via email by request. Bare root season goes through the end of February. We have a large selection of fruit trees during bare root season, but don’t wait till the end of the season to shop. Once a variety is sold out, it is gone until next year’s bare root season. At the end of February, the trees that are left, which should be few, are potted up and sold later in the year and the price is higher after we pot them. Bare root roses are now available as well. We have a nice selection of roses to choose from. We sell them bare root until the end of February and after that …

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Lots of things going on in December here at the nursery. WE ARE OPEN YEAR ROUND RAIN OR SHINE. REMEMBER, WE SELL GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR HOLIDAY GIVING. BARE ROOT ROSES Our bare root roses usually ship the second week of December. Once they arrive we will get them ready for sale. So hopefully they will be ready to go by the 14th or 15th. All pending shipping schedule. I will send out an email as soon as they are in and ready. If you would like a list of the roses for 2026, it is available on our website, or you can send me a request via email, and I can email one to you. BARE ROOT FRUIT TREES The bare root fruit trees will be in late in the month. Hopefully we will get them right before Christmas which has historically been when they come in. We will begin working them as soon as they arrive. Again I will let everyone know. I will send out emails as soon as things are in and ready to go. Complete lists of fruit trees and roses are available at the nursery, on our website, www.baldmountainnursery.com, or request one and I can …

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Fall feels like it is getting here. The nights are nice and cool and the days very comfortable. We’ve had a couple of decent rain events so far. A little over 2″ of rain on the season here at the nursery. More rain due this coming Wednesday. Forecasts say maybe an inch. Hope so.  It is the best planting time of all the seasons. I know I sound like a broken record but I can’t emphasize enough that fall is the ideal time for planting trees and shrubs. The diagram above shows very well why. The diagram shows a tree but the same logic applies to shrubs.  FALL IS THE BEST TIME FOR PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS. Take advantage of the beautiful weather we are having and do fall planting. Your fall installed plants will do much better next summer than those planted in the spring. Plant wildflower seeds this month as well. Sow them right before a rain and they will take hold and next spring will be beautiful blooms. Dormant Spray on Fruit Trees This month you will need to be thinking about spraying your first dormant spray on your fruit trees to prevent leaf curl. Use liquid copper …

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The weather so far this fall has been pretty nice. The 10 day forecast shows perfect fall weather. Some slight chances of rain the next couple of days and temperatures in the mid 70’s to low 80’s. Farmers almanac forecast I saw calls for a mild and average to wet winter for our area. Other long range forecasts I’ve seen say similar, so sounds like at least an average winter to come. La Nina they say so a 50/50 chance. Pretty easy to forecast a 50/50 chance I think. Regardless of the forecasts, FALL IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS. Now is the best month for planting fall/winter vegetables. We have a great selection of organic winter vegetable starts in now. We also have a large stock of onion and garlic for fall planting. Tulip and daffodil bulbs are also in now and fall is the time for planting them. Fall fertilizing should be done as soon as the weather cools down. I would say you want to get it done over the next couple of weeks before the plants start showing lots of fall color. This fertilizing is important because it gives plants a …

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Well, it’s been a very cool July this year. August looks to be seasonal from the forecast I see. My current long range shows highs in the 90’s for now. Maybe a little warmer towards the end of the 10 day forecast. But days are getting shorter so even the warm part of the day doesn’t last as long. Fall will be here before you know it. Start planning for your fall planting and maybe even get a jump on that fall planting now. The temperatures are going to start trending down as the month goes on. Mornings will be cooler and the cool mornings are a great time for gardening. Remember that fall is the best time for planting trees and shrubs. Especially trees. The ground is a bit hard after the summer but if you start a hole and soak it, and then dig a little more and soak it, pretty soon the hole you need for the tree or shrub is done and it is a fairly painless way to dig a hole. It’s worth the effort to get things planted in the fall. Note the diagram describing the advantages of fall planting. After the heat of …

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