Many thanks for the July thread!
Ate the first radishes from the vegetable bed. Tasted much better than store-bought. Have also taken it into my Neanderthal pea brain to try growing an orange tree from seeds. Bought some Valencia oranges and extracted all the seeds. I’ve read that it can take several years before the tree produces fruit, but that’s OK by me. Putting them in containers will make it easier to move them inside for the winter. Alternatively, is there a way to insulate / protect them so that they can remain outside?
Doesn’t look like a Valencia will be cold tolerant, so inside it is!
What Are Some Cold-Hardy Orange Tree Varieties?
Certain orange tree varieties are known for their cold hardiness, like the ‘Trifoliate Orange,’ which can tolerate temperatures as low as 20°F (-6.7°C). The ‘Satsuma Mandarin’ can withstand temperatures down to 15°F (-9.4°C), while some ‘Kumquat’ varieties can survive temperatures as low as 10°F (-12.2°C).
These cold-hardy varieties are suitable for regions with occasional cold spells or frosts. The Washington Navel orange, in particular, has demonstrated impressive cold hardiness.
https://rocketsgarden.com/orange-tree-cold-tolerance/
Valencia orange - Hybrid sweet orange
The Valencia orange is a sweet orange cultivar named after the famed oranges in València, Spain. It was first hybridized by pioneer American agronomist and land developer William Wolfskill in the mid-19th century on his farm in Santa Ana, southern California, United States, North America. (Wikipedia)
A wise man once said, “An optimist is an 80 year old who plants a nut tree that will never bear in his lifetime.
I am an 85 year old who planted a fig tree 10 years ago, another one 3 years ago, and a short bushy one five years ago that my partner in ignorance mowed the first year. It fortunately revived and I put a short fence around it. In April they all had a few fig buds. I kept looking for blossoms, but figs don’t seem to do that. Just little round buds coming out of the joint between new main stem growth and the leaf stems. A month later the buds were gone. There had been a brief freeze, I think. In early June there were some new buds, and by the end of the month all three were developing figs for sure. I drove into the yard one night and a deer was nibbling my little fig bush. I found a 2 foot wide left over strip of metal roofing and laid it in front of the bushy fig. I don’t think the deer has bothered it again. This was in the mid Atlantic area, probably areas 7 inland, or maybe six near the ocean. Two properties 150 miles apart.
Has this happened to anyone else, also are other plants or trees similarly affected by a brief chill in spring?