Food bearing trees.

[W.Lynn]

Not trees, but my blueberries died this year, I've already ordered one, and plan to get a few more after that.

I also salvaged 2 sprouty bits from some fresh ginger. I don't eat much plant matter lately, but it's pleasantly fragrant just to have it growing. One didn't make it, but the other seems to be in decent shape, in spite of the fact that the only potting soil in the house was some leftover cactus mix (exactly the opposite of what ginger needs for good growth.) It has leaves now, even if they're only little ones.

[W.Lynn]

Spider washed away in a storm, I miss it, but that bit of stimulation had been quite a boost. Baby avocado seedling is back to getting nibbled on, but has more leaves now.

[W.Lynn]

The taller, forearm-height, very thin avocado seedling has a resident, a tiny green spider has moved onto it to eat up things that eat leaves.

[W.Lynn]

One of the first three blueberries survived through to this spring. I got another one so it has a friend, because the ones I got last year died.

[W.Lynn]

At least small ones are easier to get under shelter when storms are rolling in.

[RD]

G tried a miniature lime and lemon tree, one is already dead and not sure the other will survive.

[W.Lynn]

I once again have about a foot-tall avocado seedling, now for the hard part, not killing it.

[0utlaw]

After cabrito several times tough old goat wasn't worth the effort, not to mention I sold them for what I bought them for so I technically got 6 years of free brush clearing...less damages of course.

[W.Lynn]

Marinade and then braise with a little vinegar or cheap booze added to the liquid, makes a big difference.

[0utlaw]

Yeah mine were seven year old Nubians they would have been the very definition of a tough old goat.

[olfart]

Why sell what can be freezer meat?

You don't put Esmerelda or Beau in the freezer. Or in my case, you don't put a $250 dairy goat in the freezer. That's all that's keeping me from shooting the culprit.

[W.Lynn]

Why sell what can be freezer meat?

[0utlaw]

Goats and the donkey worked over one of our pear trees a couple years ago, it was bad but luckily they didn't get the full 360⁰ and the tree survived although the limb next to the damage broke off this spring. I sold my goats not long after that when they decided to break out of the pasture, smash the very expensive garden fence I had just finished for the missus and then proceeded to make her flower garden look like an angry drunk with a weed eater had vented his life's frustrations on it.

[olfart]

I have been letting our goats into the garden to eat the abundant weeds and leftover bean/pea plants. That has been working fairly well until today when I caught one of the worthless caprines eating the bark off the peach tree. After putting them back in their pen I inspected the damage, and it's likely terminal. A strip more than 12" high all the way around the tree has been stripped of bark. I'm tempted to shoot the goat I caught in the act, but I'd bet her sister and granny had a part in the crime as well.

I searched for anything that might save the tree and found something called "bridge grafting". It involves cutting new growth branches about 1/4" to 3/8" diameter and a few inches longer than the damage, then shaving an angle on both ends of the branch, slitting the bark and slipping the ends of the branch into the slits above and below the girdling. A couple of hours later in the 98 degree heat, I have 3 attempted bridge grafts on the tree. Unfortunately I won't know if it worked for sure until next spring.

[W.Lynn]

I had the two little citrus starts that had gone through dying back and coming back up once already, gave one to one of my best local friends, and moved the other to better shelter as the storms can be kind of wild.