Bare Root Planting Time

Repost form December 2012:

We planted over 250 trees and shrubs at our Red Bluff 5 acre ranch in Northern California. Our fruit orchard consisted of 125 trees.

In December and early January of each year, Karen and I plant bare root trees and vines.  We also plant potted plants.  We also dig up and move plants to new locations.  

This year, we are planting the following bare root trees and vines: a Splash Pluot, a Bartlett pear, a non-pariel almond tree, a neplus ultra almond tree, an Indian free peach variety, and a Moorpark apricot tree.  Among the potted plants are oleander shrubs, bay laurel trees, black oak trees, grape vines, mock oranges, bottle brush, and others.  

We started a new row in the northeast quadrant of the south field.  In the first row, from north to south, we planted: 1) Transcendent Crabapple, 2) Golden Russett Apple.  

We dig holes, plant the tree or shrub, stake trees as needed, prune excess branches to shape and reduce stress, and water.  

November Garden Planning

Every year, from 1998-2017, in November, Karen and I would talk about what fruit and nut trees, shrubs, and ornamental trees we were going to plant that winter.  We would purchase bare root tree stock in December and January, and plant in our orchard.  We would also place potted plants in the ground in the winter season.  

We purchased most of our plants at nearby Kathy Goodin's Rock Garden Nursery near Flores Road and Highway 99W.  The photograph below was taken in late winter in part of our orchard in Red Bluff, California.  We both enjoyed this creative garden work.  I miss our five acre gardening playground.