TOPIC: opening day...

Nice snow Chief...

The sun shined some here yesterday and mid day it was looking pretty good, but by 8 pm, it was very cold and snowed a little too.. no accumulation. bitter damp cold.

Still cold today but had more sunshine... that makes it look better anyway. I hate those late winter cold dark dreary days...

I got out in the field today and marked the location I want to plant my new pecan trees in... now i just need a few days with no rain and some sunshine so I can prep those holes up nicely. They have a pretty long tap root and I am expecting to need a deep hole.

TNHunter

got weather system coming through this weekend ,mostly rain they say..snow will be gone ..I hope...I got two pecan trees ..slow growers....

Chief I may get a little faster growth than you on pecans... zone 7a here.. quite a bit longer growing season.
Our last frost of the winter is normally early April, and first frost of the winter, may be late October, even into November. we did not have a real killing frost this year until Dec 3. I picked figs and raspberries until then.

The two varieties I am planting are Kanza and Amling (details at the links below).

pecanbreeding.uga.edu/cultivars/alphabetical-list/kanza.html

pecanbreeding.uga.edu/cultivars/alphabetical-list/amling.html

That data is from GA... a state south of me and they are showing Amling starting to produce in years 3-4-5, where Kanza starts in 5-6-7...
another 5-7 years to reach full production potential... but I would be pretty happy with 20 lbs of pecans in year 4 myself. I will see how they do here in TN.

There are some really cold hardy northern pecans and I think those do grow much slower, and start producing much later than some of these southern varieties.

I do realize that I might kick the bucket before I get any of these pecans... but I am ok with that. I just got to grow something, and love starting new things.... and the chance of having even more of my own food sources right here on my place.

If I get get them planted this spring, I will send a pic.

We got some nice sunshine today... love it.

TNHunter

I planted my pecans 15 years ago,they were 4 foot tall when I planted them,they might be 7 foot tall now..slow progrees on those..a arborist told me it could be up to 30 years before they produced any nuts.....

I chuckled when I read your comment TN about "kicking the bucket before getting any pecans". I often consider my life expectancy when planting or completing home improvements.

I just replaced a floor in my shop because the old lady and her dimwit son used recycled lumber 6 years ago when they had the place initially built. The floor joists were completely rotted and came out in little pieces.

I don't expect to profit from any of the ginseng on my property and possibly little to no fruit from the trees I planted last year but I enjoy planting and watching things grow. My wife and I have also dumped a bunch of money into remodeling and fixing the aforementioned owner's neglect and half-ass "repairs" on this place.

I even rerouted the creek (with a shovel) because the water line from the well was exposed and would freeze in the winter. I also fixed the gas issues (with the help of a retired gas company employee) so our heating is now pretty dependable.

I often think to myself that I'm setting up the next owner for a great place with the seng, orchard, a comfortable house, creek bridges, etc. Perhaps that's part of my legacy so to speak.

But most importantly, I'm enjoying what I'm doing and am having a great time in retirement. If I have a regret, it's that I didn't move here a decade or so sooner.

OK, Jan is finally over and time to get through Feb and on to spring. I've managed to plant a bit in between snow melts, remodeling, and pretty wet weather. It just seems to alternate between rain and snow mix and our water tables are way up. I have standing water in several places and all the drainages are flowing nicely.

C'mon spring.

Woods ive been a carpenter for a few decades,those remodel jobs can sometimes be brutal....

well after today winter gets a grip on the area here..6 nights in row with single digit lows..wind chill down to as low as minus 20.....oh boy..spring seems a long way off

chiftain,
where do you call home ? thats brutal winter

central Illinois.....40 to 50 mph wind the next 3 days

minus 4 degrees this morning ,,wind chill of minus 15...