Jeff Rice

  February and March have been pretty wet this year to say the least. according to my rain gauge, we have had 37.75″ of rain to date here at the nursery. Our average annual rainfall is 22″-24″ here. And looks like a bit more on the way. The late season moisture is keeping things green and the ground soft (although at times kind of muddy) and making for excellent gardening weather as soon as the rain stops. My long range forecast for the next 15 days shows the warmest day to be 72 and mostly in the 60″s. Perfect weather for planting and enjoying, especially when the sun does come out. Deciduous trees and shrubs are starting to leaf out. A bit late this year. The cool weather is nice. Looks like the rain will be scattered after this week. Not deluges. Many things are needing to be done in the landscape during April. Rhododendrons should have the flower trusses that are spent snapped off at the base as soon as they fade. Don’t wait until all the flowers have finished blooming to remove them because the plant will expend energy making seeds that would be better used to add …

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Organic Vegetable Gardening Classes. This Saturday and Sunday, March 30th and 31st. Both days @ 10 AM. We will cover how to prep your vegetable beds with organic fertilizers and mulch to be ready for planting your vegetables. We will also discuss organic insect controls and watering techniques. We will have a large assortment of tomatoes and other vegetables for planting if you are ready to start now. Spring vegetable season is just beginning. We will have large selections of tomatoes and other summer vegetables starting now and through the season.

WE ARE EXTENDING BARE ROOT SEASON FOR TWO MORE WEEKS. WE STILL HAVE A REASONABLE SELECTION OF FRUIT TREES AVAILABLE BARE ROOT. DON’T WAIT TILL TOO LATE TO BUY BARE ROOT FRUIT TREES. THE COOLER WEATHER IS KEEPING THEM DORMANT SO WE CAN EXTEND THE SEASON A LITTLE LONGER. ONCE WE POT THEM UP, THE PRICE GOES UP. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EXTENDED SEASON AND GET BARE ROOT FRUIT TREES NOW. February has been a bit wet this year and March is starting off a bit wet as well. Winter is hanging on, but since the first day of spring is not till the 20th, I guess it’s not unreasonable. Lots of rain to start off the month. My rain total for the winter up through the end of February is 32.5″ so far since October here at the nursery. Last year at this point we were at 25 inches for the same period, and the prior year was 38″. It is now time to get ready to start fertilizing soon. As soon as deciduous trees and shrubs have their full set of leaves, you should give them their first fertilizing of the year. A balanced fertilizer works well for …

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THE FIRST OF FOUR FRUIT TREE PRUNING CLINICS WILL BE THIS SATURDAY JANUARY 19TH AT 10 AM IN THE NURSERY ORCHARD. LOOKS LIKE NO RAIN SATURDAY. SECOND ONE IS SUNDAY THE 20TH AT 10 AM. IF IT IS RAINING, WE WILL RESCHEDULE. ALSO NEXT SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THE 26TH AND 27TH AT 10 AM EACH DAY. FOUR CHANCES TO ATTEND THE PRUNING CLINICS. SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK INTO ALL SCHEDULES. CLINICS ARE ALL THE SAME, SO PICK ONE THAT FITS YOUR SCHEDULE, OR ATTEND MORE THAN ONE. LEARN HOW TO PRUNE YOUR FRUIT TREES. WE WILL COVER PEACHES, NECTARINES, PEARS, PLUOTS, APPLES, PLUMS, APRICOTS, CHERRIES. WE WILL HOLD THE CLASSES IN OUR ORCHARD HERE AT THE NURSERY SO PLEASE DRESS ACCORDINGLY. DRESS FOR DAMP GROUND AND COOL WEATHER. NO REGISTRATION NECESSARY. FREE COFFEE, TEA, AND HOT CHOCOLATE DURING THE CLINICS AND THROUGHOUT BARE ROOT SEASON. We will also cover rose pruning, dormant spraying, and planting bare root trees and answer any questions you may have. Bare Root season continues through the end of February. Great selection of bare root fruit trees and roses and shade trees. Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, all available now as well and onion starter plants. And …

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Bare root season is now in full swing. We have our fruit trees in stock now and are selling briskly. Bare root shade trees will be in within a couple of weeks and a few more miscellaneous fruit trees. Blueberries, cane berries, figs, and pomegranates in pots are in as well. We have free coffee or hot chocolate or tea during bare root season. Most standard sized fruit trees are $22.00 and most semi-dwarf fruit trees are $25.00. There are exceptions. Complete price lists for bare root fruit trees and bare root shade trees are available at the nursery or via email by request. Bare root season goes now through the end of February. The selection of fruit trees is very large, 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. We also still have our full regular inventory for whatever you might need. Bare root roses are now available as …

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