Any Cedar City locals?

16 years ago

My husband and I live in the Cedar City area and are in the process of buying our first home in Enoch. I have a seed catalog in hand and am practically drooling over the possibilities. I am just wondering what kind of luck any one in the area has had with fruit trees and small fruit bushes/vines. I want to plant a few fruit trees as well as some blackberry/raspberry and possibly grapes and blueberry plants along our new fenceline. Is this a possibility? If so what varities and types are best? Any pointers from anyone would be fabulous as well (how/when to fertilize, where to buy (seed catalogs ok?), etc.)!

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jan_barber61_yahoo_com

12 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Iv'e noticed that know one has anything to say from the locals in cedar city since 08,about there gardening!Its great to read about the areas you live in.to get pointers etc ,I live in enoch for many years,but was born in calif,where everything grows all year around.we had clay soil there to,like here but a different kind it was very rich soil.But i have a big garden,with just about everything growing in it,i'm a organic gardener.but this year iv'e had bugs in my plum tree for the first time,no fruit this year,what can i do ? Please if anyone can help me out i would so greatful thank you, Jan

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Comments (11)

pawsitive_gw
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Just up the road from you in Parowan. Blueberries don't grow here, the soil isn't acid enough. I have had great luck with blackberries, and just planted grapes here last year, waiting for them to come out. I have apricot, peach, pear, apple, plum and cherry trees planted in my mini-orchard. I recently planted an almond tree. Contact me at texas @ netutah. com (no spaces) and maybe we can get together. There is a local nursery not far from you that has an excellent supply of trees and plants. The best thing I can tell you to do for our soil is COMPOST, COMPOST, COMPOST!!!! You cannot have too much compost for this area. Our planting season runs generally from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There is a good chance for killing frost in June, so be prepared to watch the weather and cover thing up. If you are starting seeds, start them now. If not, there is a decent variety of bedding plants available. You can put peas, chard, beets, onions, lettuce, and carrots in now.
angiez
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My husband and I will be moving to Enoch the end of May. Coming from California, the climate and growing season is different. I can't wait to start my garden and I have an abundance of questions too. Thank you pawsitive for answering some of my same questions as kimba217 had. I've already visited the local nursery and found them knowledgeable.
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dee333
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I am reading these message w/ great interest as I am a calif. native [lived in las vegas for a yr and hated it]and trying to learn all I can about gardening in cedar city. Paw read all your great advise. I do live in arental house w/ no landscaping and having no luck to get the owner to pay for anything. I am in a lease for a yr so I am willing to pay alittle to feed my garden addiction. That being said I will probably grow as much as I can in pots. Paws you mentioned a local nursery, could I possibliy get the name from you> I have been to wal-mart, home depot, Ace and Ladybugs, but always looking for more sources.
Thanks so much
dee
psittacine
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
kimba217,
I've lived in Enoch just a bit over 11 years. Fruits I have planted include: Almond, APPLE, apricot, blackberry, Cherry (BUSH & Tree), RED & WHITE CURRANT, JOSTABERRY (which is a black currant/gooseberry hybrid), grapes, nectarine, peach, Pear, PLUM. (I have gotten some fruit from the type capitalized...the most productive ones so far are _fully_ capitalized... no fruit from the others). Most failures here were due to late spring frosts, though some were also due to infestations of grasshoppers a few years in a row. Both problems can completely take out a plants new spring growth, killing the ones that don't have energy for a second start up. The first few years we lived here we tried several varieties of raspberries, but had no luck with them even making it out of dormancy. Sure would love to grow some, and may try again. The currant jam I make is wonderful, and raspberry might be even better!

The very easiest grapes to grow is the concord types - they dislike alkaline soil a bit less than most others. I have Himrod growing ok...finally!!.. no grasshoppers and my scattered brain finally remembered to protect them from the early frosts! I was informed that American cultivars do best in our alkaline soil. I'm ready to try another variety but have to figure out where to put it first!

I am basically an organic gardener and don't have allot of time to 'baby' most plantings but do have compost piles. As pawsitive said, compost is one of the best things you can do for your soil - no matter where you live. I compost everything that I have that is compostable and get horse manure from a couple of different sources... thankfully, many available around here.

When we first moved here, our new home was on a blank, horrendously shimmery-HOT 1/2 acre! And, being an age that HOT was already a miserable internal-infernal thing, I needed trees immediately! We bought some fast growing willows and Souxland (sp) poplars. These have been very valuable to us to chip up branches to use as mulch! As other trees are growing up, some of the fast growing 'trash' trees have been eliminated, but some will always remain to add to the mulch.

As for nurseries: The two local nurseries are Ladybug Nursery and Garden Park Nursery. Big Trees Nursery is a bit down south, in Kanarraville.

Be aware that at least one nursery here carries a good variety of plants/trees/shrubs/etc. that do NOT tend to do well in our soil/altitude/winters/and/or winds. When I confronted them on why they carry plants that will have a tough time growing well here, the reply was "That's what some people moving in from out-of-state, or from different areas of the state, want. If they don't get them here, they'll just mail order them in." Many of the box stores also carry plants marked as 'perennial' which ARE perennial....in zone 7 or 8 or ... you get it... just not our zone. Use caution. If you don't want to waste your money, you still have to study the habit of whatever plant you are interested in, unless you want to use some as annuals.

Yikes... too long a ramble! I apologize!! Hope this will be of use.
gingerflower
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I live in Enoch and have been here for about 9 months. It's been fun to have our first garden, and we've learned a lot. Jostaberry? Did you find that locally? If it grows--I want it! We have planted a peach and apple tree, as well as grapes. I get the drift from a lot of people that this is a tough area to grow in. :(

Nice to know there are some people close by! In fact, this whole forum feels close by to me compared to most of the others!
psittacine
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

One of the things I like about living in this area is that we are a good stopping point for friends traveling to/from SLC/Las Vegas/California. Keeps me busy sometimes. Kids in CA will be here weekend after next. Untill then, I have a few minutes! LOL

gingerflower, it seems I very rarely can find what I am looking for locally, so get much of my plant material by mail order: High Country Gardens, Bluestone Perennials, Forestfarm and a couple of others.

"tough area to grow in" is a matter of perspective.... compared to the likes of SLC, California, Oregon etc - yes ...compared to most of Wyoming - no. LOL

What cultivars of peach and apple did you plant? When I moved here, I realized that probably the most important things to look for in growing fruit trees was late bloomers and frost tolerance. With most types of tree fruit, a large number of cultivars will _grow_ here, but unless you get lucky in planting placement, an extremely rare good-weather pattern, have a protected area or live in one of the areas that have excellent cold air drainage, only a comparatively few have a chance to actually produce fruit most years. As an example, last year I checked up on an apple that seemed perfect for us to grow, only to discover that the fruit wouldn't ripen until November. Bah! Another bloomed quite a bit earlier, but was reputed to have excellent frost tolerance. However, it needed another cultivar as a pollinator. I'd have to get lucky with 2 of 'em. Not much of a chance there! Then there is our high soil/water pH to contend with....

I actually just recently dug up 2 of my jostaberry plants. They had several suckers that I potted up and I would be happy to give you one or two. Let me know if you are interested and I'll briefly set the options so you can email me through 'my page'. They are pretty tough plants.

Crystal
gingerflower
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
psittacinejungle,

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to see your response, especially since you were so kind! I think we planted a fuji apple, but it might have been a gala. We also planted a peach tree, which the nursery informed us may or may not work out. We decided to take the risk, peaches are so yummy. I am discouraged to hear that it is so difficult, but I will remind myself that it could be worse (Wyoming). Having grown up in Utah and Salt Lake Counties, and then in Cache County for several years, I guess I just expected it to be close enough here to do just as well. I thin i will talk my mom into planting some trees for me up there. :)

I'm sure it's too late, but I would love to try a jostaberry plant. I wish I had something to offer back. The only thing we have doing well in this house, which was sparsely planted and cared for the summer before we moved in, is salvia. It is doing great sending up lots of babies, so I would be happy to share them with you.

Thanks again,
Gingerflower
psittacine
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Gingerflower, 'stuff' has kept me away from the computer lately but, I DO still have plants to share as the same 'stuff' has also prevented me from finding them new homes. We need to connect to get some to you.

I like salvias and have a couple of different varieties. My across-the-street neighbor just brought a start of one she grows. Would love to have one of your salvia babies if you still have a spare, but no exchange is even necessary if you don't. Need any daylilies? must divide to thin some later on, if I find the energy. I grow some named varieties but many seedlings.

Actually grew a few dozen (Reliance) peaches this year! Good, juicy and sweet. Have to make a small batch of something to preserve the remaining fruit today.

I'll go connect one of my email addresses to this post so you can get in touch.... I think we can still do that anyway :-)

Crystal
dogluver34
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I realize this page is from 2008 and here it is 2014 already...wow. But I am in similar circumstances, moving from Cali to Enoch and wondering how you are all doing. Wanting to plant a lovely garden and becoming disheartened after reading all the postings about the soil being too acidic. What have you had success with and what trees would you recommend? I have a great garden here in LALA land but with all that room in my new back yard, it begs for veggies!!
Carolynn Davis
2 years ago
Very disheartened that these posts are so very old, was hoping to find some postings closer to the now 2022, but here I go.. just bought a new home with no landscape. I have decided to go xeriscape in front yard and then have my retreat in the back. I want to plant two cherries dwarf bing, and dwarf/semi-dwarf lupin. Apple trees I am concidering are Nova Spy and Pristine. Peach trees are Elberta (dwarf), and this is my problem one, I can't decide between the Saturn or Flat Wonder I am really interested in the peentos, they read as if they might be the best flavored peach out there, also i have thought about trying nectrine.. it reads like the flat nectrines are more acidic then the peach but i don't know. Therefore wondering if anyone out in lala world near me has tried growing any of these trees. As for gardening and grapes and fruit trees in Parowan, i was raised there and my Parents had a wonderful garden with everything in it, we ate very well during harvest. and yes you need to "upgrade" the ground. but manure was used in the older days with great success. We (hubby and me) have had some great gardens in all the homes we have had here in Cedar City, BUT yes we have had to supplement the soil to help things grow "better". This new place is going modern with raised bed veggie garden, and i can not wait to get started. I also want to try my hand at espalier a couple of the fruit trees. I don't have a very large yard so this would give me "room?" i hope. But there are a few steps need before the planting can begin. So is there anyone out there to have some chats with I would really be interested in what you have found effective in your yard planning or what you might have growing.

Any Cedar City locals?

jan_barber61_yahoo_com

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pawsitive_gw

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