Crop Management

If you prune all the new growth off these trees in the late winter, no fruit will be produced. This will make mowing around the tree a lot easier. Use clean, sharp equipment. There is only one layer of scaffold branches that make the bowl.

While limiting water causes the vines to eventually shrivel, the fruit still ripens with superior flavor. Also, choose faster-maturing crops: Due to the time reduction between planting and harvesting, short-season varieties use less water than their late-blooming...

Imagine only having to plant it once and then harvesting from it for the next 25 years. Compared to annual agriculture's routine of harvesting entire plants, prepping soil, rotating crops and replanting each year, a little annual trimming seems like a...

Grow Sunchokes Also known as Jerusalem artichokes, sunchokes are, despite their name, a well-suited crop for forest production. Goats can be great in a woodland situation and can even clear out briars, but they will also kill trees by eating the bark...

The American elm is highly susceptible, though other elm species, including winged elm, September elm, slippery elm, rock elm and cedar elm can also be infected. Be on the lookout for these issues and know how to treat them.

Materials 2x4s (Untreated) rolls of screen (36-inch preferred) L-shaped braces wood screws (3-inch preferred) 1/4-inch staples Tools tape measure square and level power screwdriver staple gun table saw chop saw utility knife extension ladder Step 1: Plan...

Conversely, you should also be sure to consider underground utilities, including septic tanks and gas lines, before planting any trees. And because a tree will always want to grow to its genetically determined height, a topped tree will often form a new...

For example … Birds adore mulberries, so planting mulberry trees can distract them from eating your other fruit crops–a win-win solution for everybody. Start lower on the poison chain with soap spray or baking soda compounds you can make yourself...

Create a barrier to wind around your home and farm, decreasing its destruction and making a more desirable living environment. Capable of growing very tall—heights of 100 feet or more are possible—they grow in a conical shape with branches that often...

Carefully examine your trees for these signs then use a straightened paperclip inserted into the hole to crush the borer inside. Sign up for it as soon as you can because this tends to be a hot topic among gardeners.

The management of trees on the farm can serve as another cash crop, but it takes a lot longer to harvest. A well-managed forest can yield valuable timber income for generations. Wind Trees can be used to obstruct, deflect or filter wind from your home.

Keeping fields clear of invasive plants is a challenge many farmers face, and those shrubby bushes invading your fields actually might be apple trees. As a result, the trees become deformed early in life, unable to grow tall and instead producing an abundance...

Sure, a farm always has more than enough problems you can fix, but take opportunities to enjoy when things go right. I forget to laugh at the piglets when they leap and tumble over one another, making that silly little squeaking noise that only baby pigs...

Hatching larvae (maggots) tunnel through the fruit, causing significant damage that may lead to rot. The spheres lure and trap the adult flies, which think they're ripe apples and land to lay their eggs.

They are also encouraged to visit, tour and help out on the organization's research farms in Meadowview, Va., and have access to expert advice on growing chestnuts. With the help of those dedicated to bringing the American chestnut to its former glory,...

Ames and Gold estimate that Americans ingest about 5,000 to 10,000 different natural pesticides and their breakdown products. However, most plants also produce some range of pesticides to protect themselves—a trait plant breeders and seed savers often...

With lots of open spaces, you can grow a wide variety of native or ornamental trees around your farm without concern about planting them too close to buildings or power lines. Red Maple Trees This is another tree that you should be very, very cautious...

Getting clean planting material is the first step in the fight against nematodes. In the soil, a white fungal mycelium develops and then produces a number of round black sclerotia, the size of pinheads.

For me, the long history of recorded data in biodynamics satisfies my intellectual understanding. Instead, I find that when I garden by the moon, it allows me to be very grounded. Even though I now use the biodynamic planting calendar, I was still buying...

While some wild blackberry species are listed on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's noxious plants list and others can be just plain annoying, they can still be quite useful–even if you'd rather they not be there.

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Worth noting, though, are sales of smaller tractors (below 40 hp), as well as two-wheeled walk-behind tractors, which are actually on the rise by as much as 20 percent over the last few years.

“It will lose some quality over the winter, but research has shown that the protein content will remain at 10 percent, even into February.” The only time stockpiling fescue doesn't work is during periods of limited rainfall.

All you need are a few digging tools, such as a spade or digging shovel and perhaps a digging bar for tougher ground. Although we all eagerly anticipate the arrival of spring each year, we know that the transition from snow to dry ground comes with a...

The continual foot stamping of your hooved animals results in cracks and chips that often require farrier attention. Your supplier's customer-support representatives can help you determine what type and how many you need.

In all cases, wild farm plans should account for the myriad topographic features of their site, and if they can't be utilized without being altered, then they shouldn't be included in the farmscaping plan.

It has a dark green-gray color and very little aroma. Leyland Cypress: A tree meant for alkaline soils. It isn't in the pine tree or fir tree family, so it doesn't produce sap. If possible, buy a live, balled and burlapped tree to plant outside when you're...