UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • January 2017 • 7 The Chilled Azure Blue Sky


Santa Rosa, CA. ~ Silvery rib- bons of clouds lace through the azure blue sky, breezes dance with the winter chill. Bright orange Persimmons soften, crew-cuts of crocus poke through the dark


earth the


branches. children’


pear buds quietly swell, dotting


The ‘root are


and Asian dormant yawning


and stretching as things begin to slowly awaken around us in the garden. January is an exciting month and the nurseries are filled with fruit trees, berry bushes and more to tempt your senses. Whether you are plant- ing a row of berry brambles or a small antique apple orchard, choic- es await.


Berries are a wonderful addition to the fruit garden. Black Satin thorn less blackberries, Canby red raspberries, Cumberland Black Cap, Ollalie blackberries, yellow raspberries, boysenberries, logan- berries, red and black currents, you decide. Look for thorn less ber- ries, not quite as sweet but much easier to handle. A good pair of protective elbow-high gloves can


be essential to your berry bramble armor. Berries require lots of sun- shine as well as a soil rich in or- ganic matter and bone meal. Add plenty of acidic peat moss to the soil mix and prepare the site be- fore planting. It is recommended to plant two or more varieties for best pollination. To ensure a long harvest season choose early, mid


roots with about two inches of soil, filling the trench slowly as they grow with more good compost- rich garden soil. Always leave the growing tips exposed and water them deeply. I recommend waiting two years before your first harvest as this will allow them to build an excellent root system. Purple Pas- sion is an exquisite asparagus and cooks to a bright green color; Apollo has thick, larger spears.


If you’re enticed by ap- ples you can plant Fuji, Honey Crisp and Gala, Gravenstien, Pippin and Jonathan. Liberty apples are a favorite for eat- ing fresh. Pink Pearl, an apple variety hybridized in England, has crimson- pink blossoms in spring slowly giving way to a lovely cream and green skinned fruit with pink


and late kinds. These shrubs not only provide an attractive addition to the garden, they will reward you with plump, tasty organic fruit rich in antioxidants.


There are asparagus roots to plant now with a dependable harvest for up to 20 years!


When preparing


the asparagus bed, dig trenches one foot wide by 10 inches deep, spacing roots five feet apart. Fill trenches with four inches of fluffy, nitrogen rich soil and plant the roots 12 inches apart. Cover the


flesh. Decide on dwarf, semi-dwarf or standard trees depending on


by Kimberly Childers • kimberlychilders@att.net


your situation and space. Try Mary Washington, Jersey gi- ant and Jersey Supreme asparagus, Imperial Star and Green Globe arti- chokes, exceptionally flavorful Au- tumn Glow and frost hardy Harcot Apricots from Canada. Chojuro, Shinseiki and Kikusui are crisp, delicious Asian Pears to grow. Nectar Babe Nectarine and Pixzee Peach are dwarf varieties perfect for smaller gardens. For some-


thing new plant Sweet Treat hybrid Pluerry, a cross between plum and sweet cherry, a delicious combina- tion. There are many varieties of blueberries to plant now, Brown Turkey figs and pomegranate trees too. Explore!


Blueberries are handsome, deco- rative bushes in the garden land- scape and after shedding their fall color, their leafless winter silhou- ... continued on page 22


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“To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.” ~ Aristotle UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • January 2017 • 7


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