🔎Looking back on November '23

A Garden Update, Growing Acorns, a Marbled Orbweaver, and more.

Taylor Myers

Dec 03, 2023

Inside

🏡 Garden Update: Onions/Garlic and Salad Greens

🌳 Acorn Update and a “How-To” on planting your own.

📷 November Views: a few pictures from our visit to the farm and more.

🏡 Garden Update

This time of the year things slow down in the garden. Sunlight diminishes and so does plant growth. But it doesn’t stop. We have had a few nights in the 20s. The last week of November we dipped down to 25 degrees. So far, everything is faring well.

Onions and Garlic

This last dip into the mid 20’s had me worried. Majority of my onion bulbs are sitting on top of the ground. I had them covered but they weren’t mulched in. I was afraid the bulbs, being a bit exposed as they were, might freeze. They didn’t! Now I will take some old straw and bury them pretty deep to protect them during this winter.

The garlic, planted right by the onions faredf really well too. I’ll much them with old straw as well. I’m feeling good about where we stand with these two crops heading into winter.

First Planting of Greens

So the greens that we first planted in early October is doing well. The part that struggled from the beginning is about to cutting size. It’s still small and growing super slow. The healthy portion is doing great and has made for a a few nice salads the past couple weeks.

Morgan cutting some greens for dinner before a frosty night.

2nd Planting - Mini Trial bed

In a different portion of the garden we planted another batch of salad greens. This time we ran a little trial. Because our last planting had some areas that did really poorly, I wanted to see if adding some admendments would make a huge difference in the next planting. I added composted sheep manure to one section and vermicompost to another. In the last section I didn’t add anything.

Germination was great, especially considering this is saved seed from 2015. So far, I can’t notice a real difference between the different sections.

🌳 Acorn Update

The acorns I planted in the middle of October have sprouted and are putting on leaves. However, I’m not so sure this is a good thing. Let me explain:

But first, let me say this: growing trees from seed is new to me. At best, some of the advice and recommendations that follow are incomplete and at worst, incorrect. I’m still learning and blundering my way through this.

In late September I stuffed my pockets with acorns while helping a friend cut down a compromised oak in his backyard. I came home and planted them just like I would a vegetable seed. I, inadvertantly, did the float test by placing the acorns in a jar of water. I figured soaking them in water would help them sprout quicker. And while doing some quick “googles” on planting acorns I found the “float test”. The ones that floated I discarded because that means they are hollow or rotten. The others I put in 10” deep, tree seedling tubes. I kept them inside and waited. It wasn’t long before these acorns were sending shoots up and putting on leaves. Big leaves. And so I put the seedlings under a light.

They were growing fast. And it became apparent that these tree seedlings were going to outgrow their tubes pretty quick. So I began researching online and talking to a buddy who caught the ‘tree planting bug’ a few years back. He too, had planted a bunch of acorns this year, but he did it differently.

He put his acorns in seed tubes as well, but he left his outside. He also wasn’t expecting any shoots to come up until spring. So… At first I thought, “man, look at how awesome of a tree grower I am, I got shoots with huge leaves really fast”. But then, as I continued to research and look for info, I realized that I can’t put these oak seedlings in the ground until April. That is 5 months from now! And that means I have to baby these seedlings inside our home, that is busting at the seams for the whole winter. Not cool. But I’m oddly attached to them and so I don’t want to throw the towel in. Twenty years from now I hope to be hanging a swing in one of these oaks for my grandkids. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage these seedlings. I’ll keep you posted.

So what should I have done? Well, as I understand it currently, this is what I should have done, and will do in the future.

How to Grow an Oak Tree from an Acorn

In the fall, when acorns drop, collect them from under the trees that you like. Do the float test by placing the acorns in a jar of water and remove any acorns that float. Take the ones that sink and place them in a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel or some damp peat moss (better option). Label the bag with Tree ID and date. Poke a hole or two in the bag and place them in the fridge humidity drawer. The cold temps in the fridge should keep the seeds dormant. In late February or early March, take the acorns out of the fridge and place in pots that are at least 10” deep. This gives the taproot room to grow. Put 2 to 3 acorns per pot. Keep pots inside and when they sprout make sure they have adequate light. A grow light or placing in a sunny area of the house should suffice. If you place outside, keep in mind two important points. 1.) Squirrels will most certainly dine on your acorns. To prevent this, plantings will need to be kept covered with some form of wire. Chicken wire is a common choice. 2.) These seedlings shouldn’t be left out during cold, freezing weather. On warmer days they can be placed outside. If you choose to do this, keep seedlings in an area that doesn’t get a lot of direct sunlight. On colder days and nights they should be brought inside. Freezing nights and frost will likely kill or at least damage your seedlings. You will plant your oak seedlings outside once the threat of frost has passed - likely in April or early May. Before planting outside, your seedlings should be left outside in a shaded for at least 2 weeks area to get acclimated to its new environment. Once planted, you will want to protect the tree. The two most common ways of doing this is by using a plastic tree tube designed to protect tree seedlings or by placing a metal wire fence around the tree at least 5’ in diameter. This will keep deer and other critters from eating your tree. If you choose to go the wire fence route, I would also place some form of protection around the base of the seedling to keep smaller animals from nibbling, eating, and digging at the tree. For this I might cut the bottom out of a plastic container like a milk jug, and firmly set it in the ground around the base of the tree seedling. Mulch around your tree. Feel free to go heavy, but avoid placing any mulch right next to the trunk of the seedling. This encourages disease and rot. If you use a tree tube or do the plastic jug method you can use those as a means of keeping the mulch away from the seedling’s trunk. As summer rolls around, keep an eye on soil moisture and water deeply and less frequently as opposed to lightly and frequently. This will encourage roots to grow deep. In 20 years hang a swing in it for you offspring and your offspring’s offspring.

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