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Ebbie
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# Posted: 9 Nov 2021 04:22pm
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Hi Everyone,
I was wondering - if you had success with growing any fruit trees, fruits, veggies, nuts etc... on your property?
I have been thinking about adding some fruit trees and strawberry / raspberry bushes - but then I start to worry about the different small and large critters doing this might encourage... yeah, my property is located in bear country, and the deer are also plentiful.
And if you have fruit trees / vegetable gardens etc on your property, I'd love to see a picture 
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2021 08:03am
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I do have an actual timber farm and tried planting western white oaks, but PH was wrong and I would of always had to treat the soil around them. As for fruit trees, I would consider apple trees, need to see what PH they like. I'm full of pines and fir trees, so soil will be acidic. Check PH requirement and get a PH meter, measure your soil. Cheap on amazon etc. I know the deer will clean the trees off to the nubbins in the spring, you will have to protect them till they are large enough. But do it away form cabin, bring in critters like no ones biz, including mice, rats and of course, deer and bear.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2021 08:37am - Edited by: Nobadays
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We garden, vegetables and flowers. We are at high elevation with a very short growing season so built a 10x10 greenhouse where we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and beans. We also have 3 cold frames approx 2x5 feet.
We fight rodents continually. The solution for the cold frames was building frames with 1/8" rabbit wire to cover the tops when the glass lids are lifted. We grow lettuce, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, Swiss chard and spinach in the cold frames, these are all cold tolerant vegetables.
Sealing the greenhouse has been a challenge. The framework is set on railroad ties but across the front, bottom just a treated 2x6. The ground squirrels and mice have successfully tunneled under that 2x6 the last two years. We think we have it sealed and go down the next morning to see seedlings chewed off to the ground. We finally were successful this summer sealing it off but not before they had destroyed our beans.
We have not planted fruit or nut trees, the elevation would make it unlikely that they would grow and the fight with the deer would not be worth the effort.
We will start the fight again come spring.... the fresh vegetables are worth it!
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2021 08:58am
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Quoting: Nobadays The ground squirrels and mice have successfully tunneled under that 2x6 the last two years.
Perhaps try 1/4" hardware cloth in the heaviest gauge galvanized wire you can find and place in the ground around the perimeter. You are probably saying "we've done that".
We have done this with a twist. Our hardware cloth is secured to the perimeter timbers. It goes down vertically about 7-8 inches and then spreads out horizontally about 28-29 inches. The material was a 36" wide roll. The corners are filled in so there is a complete layer of hardware cloth horizontal, in the earth for almost 30 inches out from the timber framing.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2021 09:37am
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ICC.... no we haven't done that! Definitely on my mind but the ground is so rocky that to dig down into it and around the greenhouse would be a major undertaking. BTW... it is 1/4" Wire mesh we are using not 1/8" . There is only one area that the rodents have been able to tunnel through under the 2x6. I folded up 1/4" Wire mesh and filled the gap with it. Then rolled up a piece and forced it into the hole they were emerging from. Took me days to figure out at first where they were coming in. Had them stopped most of the summer then in mid August they tunneled around the wire and chewed the beans to the ground... they were just flowering good and I was anticipating at least one good batch of green beans!
I think it would be wise to really dig out that one corner and line it with mesh as you suggest. Thanks!
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Alaskajohn
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2021 09:58am
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We certainly have very productive gardens for veggies and potatoes. Raspberries, blueberries, etc grow wild and we have incorporated them into our gardens. These do attract bears, and the veggies attract moose. Fencing will keep the moose out of the veggies. The blueberries and raspberries are outside of the fencing, so we just need to be careful when the berries are in season.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2021 10:10am
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Here in south-central Wisconsin a lot of people, country and urban, have to put up TALL fencing to keep the white-tailed deer out. Can they Jump!
Then there are the rabbits....and racoons, etc.
Ive watched people engage in the constant fight and most finally give up. But Not All.
In the famous words of Chief Dan George (in movie Josey Wales):"Endeavor to Persevere"!
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 13 Nov 2021 08:41am
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Due to animal concerns I build my wife a floating garden out of some dead pines we had at the cottage.
Seemed to be perfect until the turtles and muskrats found it. Amazing how much lettuce they can eat in a night.
Seems wildlife can be a fight no matter what you do
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Aklogcabin
Member
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# Posted: 13 Nov 2021 09:04am
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We have these huge pests around all winter. I put a 5' fence up for our Chesapeake but the moose will go right over the top.
If we want ornamental trees we put concrete reinforcement with around them.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 13 Nov 2021 10:24am
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Here are pictures 0f our gardens...
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Ebbie
Member
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2021 09:30am
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Hi Everyone,
Thank you for sharing so many photos! It looks like animals can definitely be a deterrent, and I am finding that out the hard way as well :P
One of my apple trees has been badly damaged. I planted it about a month ago - and it was planted in the city :P Some sort of animal helped itself, and ate the main branch, leaves etc... an inch or two above the graft :P Now, just a stick is left.
I have no idea if it will be able to survive. Just got to wait and see... and I will be purchasing more dwarf apple trees next fall.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2021 11:42am
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Deer and elk will eat almost anything. That is one of the biggest challenges to forest gardening. Even here in town the deer and elk walk through, eat what they want, as if they owned the place. 
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Ebbie
Member
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2021 08:01pm
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I'm thinking it was either a very ambitious squirrel, skunk or raccoon. The apple trees were planted in Toronto (Canada). I'm hoping it will pull through... fingers crossed!
And to think I thought I'd have better success with growing these apple trees in the city, rather than up north LOL. So much for that idea!
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