Yesterday the HH and I were out and about and so we stopped by Moose Crossing Garden Center to look around and see what was available. They opened less than two weeks ago for the season and already the place is well stocked with all sorts of annuals and perennials.
Flower Garden Therapy
Their greenhouses were nice and warm and full of everything you could possibly want. And the plants themselves were in tip top shape too.
Hmm… maybe I should plant alyssum along the brick path in the front. That would look pretty, and probably bloom all summer, don’t you think?
6 packs of veggie starts were going for $3.59. These days, you’d probably pay $3.59 for a single cabbage at the grocery store.
I have a feeling veggie starts will be selling out quicker than usual this year. 😉
Lettuce, sometimes it’s just a vehicle for all the other stuff you really want to eat.
Anyone out there ever grown hops? We spotted someone vining up a trellis in downtown Kittery a few years ago and they looked really unique. I had no idea they could get 20 feet tall though.
The real reason we stopped by the garden center though was for the fruit trees. Pear trees in particular. I had spotted some at The Home Depot last week for $49.99 but they looked pretty pitiful. The ones at the garden center, although more expensive, looked much better.
My first instinct was to put an anjou pear tree on the cart as we’ve grown that variety before. I knew we needed 2 pear trees {for pollination} so I kept on going down the row of trees to see what else I could find.
And then I spotted the red bartlett and noticed it was good for canning.
And there was this “luscious” pear variety which looked interesting too. It almost looks like the kind of nice juicy pears that come in those fruit baskets they sell online.
And then I spotted the plum trees and I was like… we need some of those too!! 🙂
Damson plums! They sounded familiar so I did a quick search on my phone and realized they are good for baking and jams {but are a little too tart for eating fresh}.
Italian plums as part of my Garden Therapy. Now those are good right off the tree.
We ended up leaving the garden center without any trees {I wanted to do some more research online first} but we did go home with a few veggie starts {broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts}.
Normally I start all our veggies from seed myself, but since I’m a little behind my normal planting schedule this year and only just planted my tomato and cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts seedlings indoors last week, I figured why not.
It will give me something to keep an eye on out in the lasagna garden until it’s time to get all the major stuff in the ground at the end of May.
It feels like I’m getting a bit of a slow start this year when it comes to gardening, but I have a feeling it will be full speed ahead once things warm up just a little more. 😉
~Mavis
P.S. Do you have any pear or plum trees in your yard? If so, what varieties are you growing? I’d love to know.
Karen says
So exciting to visit a garden center. Will you put a fence around the lasagna garden to protect the plants from any animals?
Dee Patterson says
I’ve got 3 merryweather damson plum trees, if left long enough they are quite sweet, easily as sweet as a Victoria plum.
Opal plums are much smaller and absolutely delicious , really something special.
My Merryweathers need propping up, such is the weight of plums.
Don’t forget some sort of rabbit guard or you will lose the tree quickly.
I don’t know if you have nurseries rather than garden centres but they are generally cheaper.
Katelyn says
I used to work for a brewery and we grew hops up the side – they do get very tall!! There are lots of brew pubs who create shade for their outdoor seating using hops because they’ll very happily trellis themselves and are easy to take care of. Might be fun on the side of your barn!
Kari says
I haven’t actually grown them, but Italian prune (plum) are my favorite! If I had space, I would do those in an instant.
Karen says
I espalier my miniature plum, mirabelle, and apple trees to save space. It takes lots of trimming but it works.
Mylisa says
We’ve always gotten our garden seeds from Fedco – they’re in Maine. They sell lots of fruit trees and seed potatoes too. They’re a co-op and have good quality and lots of knowledge on what they sell.
Beth B says
I have a Santa Rose Plum in my yard.
Lana says
We have a plum tree but the squirrels eat them when they are green and never get a single one.
Tamara says
My grandma’s damson pie was the BEST! And damson jelly. I have no memory of ever eating the damsons raw.
Jamie says
We are all off to a slow start. It’s been a very cold, wet, windy spring here in the midwest and difficult to do any gardening yet!
Stephanie Z says
We have a mini orchard with 15 trees, 8 are mixed apple, 2 plum, 2 pear, 3 cherry, planted 12 years ago. Last year we had at least 5000 apples and plums. I had members from our Buy Nothing and Glamorous Gardeners groups come and pick what they wanted. Plus all damaged apples went to my friends horse barn to feed the horses.
The plums are prune plums and very tasty fresh. I also made plum butter in the crockpot which was fantastic; I made jam too. The pears never produced well, and now I am dealing with a scab disease. I’ve retired, so doing my own research to prevent the scabs this year.
Good luck!
Diane Zebert says
Hi,
I would love your plum jam in a crock pot recipe, if you don’t mind sharing. Have you tried other fruit in your crock pot recipe? Many thanks.
Stephanie Z says
Diane – I did the plum butter in the crockpot (and did apple butter too).
The jam I made in a regular bowl. I use freezer jam pectin mix (4 cups crushed fruit to 1.5 cups sugar; but I usually go with 5-6 cups fruit instead). I find freezer jam to be the best – tastes fresh with minimal sweetness, even a year or 2 later.
Katrina says
We have a Santa Rosa plum and it’s one of my favorite. We also have and AnJou and not my favorite. I would rather have put a Barlette in but the garden center didn’t have any at the time so I just settled for the Anjou. I find it’s skin is too tough and too crunchy he not much flavor. I also don’t know if they are canning fruit. My husband likes it but then he likes fruit that is crunchy. I live in Southern California so I have to be careful with how many cold hours the trees require. We have more citrus that does really well here. I also have a Fuyu persimmon tree that has done good for us, it’s my favorite fall fruit.
I remember when I was younger our neighbor was selling plums so mom sent us over to buy some. They had a special that day buy three bags of plums and you got a free kitten. That’s what we brought home fruit and a kitten……….mom was a bit surprise.
HollyG says
Our place was an Italian Prune orchard in the 30’s, before they were pulled out for blackberries (jam production). Both were gone by the 60’s when our family purchased the land. All that remained over the years were the few trees left in the tangle of the hedge row – very few fruit but they were delicious.
Diana Wright says
We have over a hundred trees on our 1 1/2 acres. We grow the Santa Rosa plum which is delicious, but we also love pluots. For pears we have the Bartlett, and the Hosui Asian Pear. I really like how long you can store the asian pear, and the crisp texture. I made pear jam last year and it was perfection!
cat says
My mother in law had hops around her walled in garden. turns out, they had to rip them all out and watch for them growing back every year as she is terribly allergic to them. If anyone has allergies to pollen or seasonal things, some plants you really have to watch for. I love tomatoes but I can get rashes from the leaves.
Sandra G. says
Hi most people react to the leaves of tomatoes. What I have found is that I get a headache and tummy issues when I eat red tomatoes but no issues when I eat yellow or other colors. We are on watch for snails needing to get more iron pellets to help with this issue. We have just started strawberry season do great to eat local.
Jennifer B says
Bartlett pears are excellent canning pears. I don’t have any fruit trees in my yard now but I have very fond memories of helping my grandmother pick, clean, peel and can Bartlett’s , and eating them through the winter, Other pears don’t even taste much like pears to me in comparison.
Melissa says
Hops are fun! Easy to train around decks and up trellises. And they look beautiful in dried and fresh arrangements.
Diane says
Hi Mavis,
I have 3 fruit trees in my backyard. They are 1 pear (Bartlett), 1 cherry (pie cherry type) and 1 plum. The plum is a variety called Brooks. I think it was originally developed in Oregon and is an Italian plum type. It’s the only type of plum I eat. I eat fresh, freeze and can. Also I end up giving lots away. Totally recommend the Brooks plum.
Interesting note: My Dad originally put the trees in. He coordinated with the neighbor who put the same trees in his backyard for pollination purposes. Eventually, that neighbor moved and the new folks cut down the fruit trees in their yard.
I’m glad to report my trees still give good crops, even though their pollination buddies have been removed. If I add any more trees, I’m thinking of a tree that has multiple varieties on it.
Patty says
I plant alyssum along my front path every year. They fill in nicely, tolerate sun really well (I am in zone 5) and smell wonderful.
Linda Sand says
When I order a salad from the restaurant here I order it with no lettuce. You are right in that I only want the toppings. My stomach is small; why would I fill it up with lettuce?
Vy says
We have those little plums, they are mostly seed and honestly not optimal for cooking, okay for wine but again, heavy seed vs flesh ratio. And one thing I say to anyone planting fruit trees, never plant them near hardscaping! Your cleanup is at least 2 weeks of daily sweeping three times a year … when the blossoms fall, when the fruit falls, and when the leaves fall 🙂
Teri says
Alyssum would smell so good along your path!
Marcia says
My 9yo refers to Alyssum as weeds.
I told him people plant it on purpose. But true ’nuff, that is the stuff that grows like weeds in our sandy dusty soil. Dh is always pulling it out…because just dirt looks better? I dunno.
Cindy says
Alyssum has a lovely smell, last all summer long and 3 colors to pick from. I think it’s easy to grow from seed too. A bite to cold to start planting vegs outside in Eastern Washington, I will start mini greenhouse using Costco muffins containers, paper towels and toilet cardboard rolls and I bought damage bags of garden soil with small tape packs on bag for 1/2 off at Home Depot. Trying to make it a game on spending less for flowers and garden items. I still will buy tomatoe plants and cucumbers. Not much room to grow vegs so all be creative.
A few days about oven in kitchen. We bought a Crisinart mini oven, toast, bake and air fry we love it. It cooks tater toots great just spray with vegetable oil to get the crunchy effect. I hope this helps. We have a kitchen/oven also. It doesn’t heat up the house in the summer time too.
Sandra G. says
Here you go guides for fruit trees in Maine
https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/varieties/
https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/growing-fruit-trees-in-maine/
Jenny says
I had alyssum, white, lacy, fragrant, that lived through winters all over by the house, and/or self-seeded farther out in garden beds- so pretty and looked like living on a cloud; then we hired a guy who pulled them all out!
I had various fruit trees, but not enough land, and they were so labor-intensive with pretty minimal nutrition that we didn’t replace when they died. Only one Cherry is left far in the back, and I let the wildlife have it, maybe making one pie and eating some fresh. I hope honeybees will find you, but careful what you spray. Do you have millions of yellow-jackets in August & September in Maine? How many acres?
Cathy says
Damson blue is the newest color on high end Breville small kitchen appliances at Crate and Barrel. You are on trend. Love hearing about your garden and hooking adventures!
Sue says
In a house in my past, I put up a trellis a few feet away from a west-facing window and trained hops up it each summer to shade the house. Also smelled nice and attracted pollinators, plus I harvested some to give to a friend who brews beer — turned out tasty! Hops dies back each fall and I would cut the vines down and remove the trellis for the winter (I had it just hanging on hooks).
Also, I have to tell you, Mavis — just a few moments ago I was listening to an audiobook and several characters were chatting, speculating what they would do if they came into money. One of them said — I’d get an Aga stove!
Katy says
Hops are cool but be careful. They are toxic to dogs. We had to plant ours in the front yard because our dogs kept trying to get them.
Laura says
Mavis, I planted 2 apple, 2 peach, 2 pear and and apricot tree. Bought them from Fastgrowingtrees.com. Have had really good luck with their trees. You should check them out.
Connie L says
Go for that Italian Prune Plum. Once established, it’s very prolific! I have 23 fruit trees and this variety never disappoints.
Gigi says
Here is what I’m planning on for next spring and the variety types that are hardy to zone 5b (hopefully)
– [ ] Medlar (needs frosts to be bletted) pretty flower
– [ ] Pear (Warren, Toka, Asian)
– [ ] Plum trees (Santa Rosa, prunus maritima)
– [ ] Cherry (Lapis’s cherry)
– [ ] Cornelian Cherry. Not affected by frost (Cricket Hill Garden nursery)
– [ ] Fig tree (Brown Turkey zones 5-10) or chicago hardy or Marsailles Black
– [ ] Persimmon (hybrid variety, Nikita’s gift is ornamental)
– [ ] Quince
Kristy says
I grow the Tiny Tim alyssum from Botanical Interests from seed. It does really well for me in my zone 8a garden in northeastern Georgia. I sowed the seeds in late August or early September and it even survived the winter.
Diana says
Since I’m in GA, zone 8a, my trees may not grow in Maine. But, I have Santa Rosa and Methley plums and they’re both delicious right off the tree. I’m not a big fan of pears, so I’m not much help there, lol.
Check out the Willis Orchard website. I’ve bought several trees from them and have been happy with their products and service.
https://www.willisorchards.com/
Fifitr says
I was gobsmacked by the cost of fruit trees in the US. In the UK you’d expect to pay £20 from a fancy nursery or, in my case, £5-8 from a local plant auction. Merryweather damsons are very reliable so long as the early blossom isn’t hit by frost. Some years we had thousands, others none at all. I’ve grown Victoria and Greengage plums, very prone to worm infestation in my neck of the woods, but lovely to cook with, and Conference and Bartlett pears. Conference can be a bit scabby but so long as you’re bottling I think they have the best taste (and I don’t mind the scabs!). Other fun things to grow: medlars and quince, particularly if you like preserving, also crab apples make a lovely clear jelly.