In article <4aec7e5d$0$1662$742ec... at (no spam) news.sonic.net>,
Patty Winter  <pat... at (no spam) wintertime.com> wrote:



In article <8dea7669-1c39-464f-87f4-d9e8c3143... at (no spam) 13g2000prl.googlegroups..com>,
Karen  <ksoa... at (no spam) yahoo.com> wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:56 pm, "Thos" <tomin... at (no spam) peoplepc.com> wrote:
I don't know about the SFBA, but the Home Depot's around the Dallas, Tx area
only sell fruit trees in the spring.

I thought that fall was the best time to plant trees? The fruit trees
are hitting Orchard Supply now, too.

Whoops, sorry, hit the "send" key too soon.

I was going to say that we here in the Bay Area have a different
sense of planting seasons than people in many other parts of the
country. I, too, am getting ready to do some planting--just
as my friends in Michigan are putting away their garden tools
for the next few months.

Patty

Hi there,

For the first time in my life I am buying trees, specifically fruit
and probably citrus.

Is Home Depot any good for this? There are a number of terrific
nurseries around here but it is a matter of time not money, if there
is even a difference. I am not sure. I was kind of caught by surprise
here.


What do you all say?

Take care,
Julie in SFBA
You better know what you are doing because the staff at these big

julie wrote:

For the first time in my life I am buying trees, specifically fruit
and probably citrus.

Is Home Depot any good for this? There are a number of terrific
nurseries around here but it is a matter of time not money, if there
is even a difference. I am not sure. I was kind of caught by surprise
here.

What do you all say?

You better know what you are doing because the staff at these big
box stores are less than usefel.

In Menards today, the clerk told me that most peach trees need another
polinator, whereas apples are mostly self fertile. She got things
backwards.

She also mentioned that apples could be pollinated by pears, plums,
etc. She better go back to fruit trees 101 before she gives out
false information like that.

sherwin dubren wrote:
julie wrote:
For the first time in my life I am buying trees, specifically fruit
and probably citrus.

Is Home Depot any good for this? There are a number of terrific
nurseries around here but it is a matter of time not money, if there
is even a difference. I am not sure. I was kind of caught by surprise
here.

How does time come into play... same time to plant stock from one
nursery or another... and of course money comes into play, who do you
think you're fooling, that's the main reason for buying anything from
big box stores, it costs less. And what surprise?!?!?

What do you all say?
You better know what you are doing because the staff at these big
box stores are less than usefel.

You had best know what you're doing before buying nursery stock
anywhere... there is no chance that the staff at any retail nursery is
more useful than at another unless one has had personal experience
with a particular staff member's expertise... except that in my
experience I've found the staff at the big box store nurseries to be
far more accomodating with schlepping and loading. I don't
necessarily rely on retail nursery worker's plant expertise, that's my
responsibility to learn prior to shopping.

In Menards today, the clerk told me that most peach trees need another
polinator, whereas apples are mostly self fertile. She got things
backwards.

She also mentioned that apples could be pollinated by pears, plums,
etc. She better go back to fruit trees 101 before she gives out
false information like that.



Why would a clerk come out of nowhere with that kind of information,

and if you already know the answers to your questions that makes you
grossly disingenuous.

something made up by someone with a grudge against the big box
emporiums.

typically fruit tree tags list pollinating requirements.

a degree in horticulture wouldn't be schlepping plants around any
retail nursery. Anyone considering growing fruit should educate
themselves about what to plant and how before ever visiting any plant
nursery. Folks don't go to Lowes to learn horticulture anymore than
they do to learn heating and cooling... occasionally one will by pure
accident encounter an employee with expert knowlege but at the wages
paid at any retail nursery I'd not count on it... one can learn all
they need to know about fruit trees on the net. Folks shop at big box
stores to save money regardless what they buy,

already armed themselves with the knowlege required for what to
choose. If one is too lazy to do research on their own they can
always go to the dedicated plant nurseries where they'll pay twice as
much and still will be just as likely to receive incorrect
information

more likely to not admit not knowing so would dispense BS instead. In
my experience the help at the big box nurseries have no more
horticultural knowlege than what anyone can read on the plant tag,
anytime I've asked a more technical question they've said I don't
know... can't get more honest. Retail plant nurseries pay little more
than minimum wage... no education is required to schlepp plants, bales
of planting medium, and watering hoses about.

stock at either is exactly the same, comes from the same local
wholesalers/growers. Also the big box stores don't hassle folks about
returns whereas the independant nurseries typically institute all
sorts of escape clauses for not replacing plants or returning full
purchase price.

independant retail nursery buys all their stock in one fell swoop in
order to take advantage of bulk discounts... that same stock sits in
what is virtually a parking lot the entire season hoping for a buyer,
it gets sun, it hopefully gets watered regularly, it gets knocked
about by folks looking, and the nicest specimens are sold right away
and not replaced... what's left doesn't go into the ground until
someone buys and plants it. Whereas the big box stores are gigantic
accounts, they get freshly dug shipments weekly, even daily. It's
pretty silly not to shop the big box nurseries first, especially for
newbies like the OP who really have no business purchasing the more
costly less common plants until they gain some experience, at least
enough experience not to need to ask the nursery help about
pollinating.

There is lots of info available about fruit trees but it's best to
research ones own area.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/pollination.html

On Oct 31, 10:15 am, Patty Winter <pat... at (no spam) wintertime.com> wrote:





In article <4aec7e5d$0$1662$742ec... at (no spam) news.sonic.net>,
Patty Winter  <pat... at (no spam) wintertime.com> wrote:

In article <8dea7669-1c39-464f-87f4-d9e8c3143... at (no spam) 13g2000prl.googlegroups.com>,
Karen  <ksoa... at (no spam) yahoo.com> wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:56 pm, "Thos" <tomin... at (no spam) peoplepc.com> wrote:
I don't know about the SFBA, but the Home Depot's around the Dallas, Tx area
only sell fruit trees in the spring.

I thought that fall was the best time to plant trees? The fruit trees
are hitting Orchard Supply now, too.

Whoops, sorry, hit the "send" key too soon.

I was going to say that we here in the Bay Area have a different
sense of planting seasons than people in many other parts of the
country. I, too, am getting ready to do some planting--just
as my friends in Michigan are putting away their garden tools
for the next few months.

Patty

Thanks, everyone, for all your helpful advice. I took it all to heart
as we searched for trees to plant. Look for new post on what we ended
up with.
Thanks again,
Julie in SFBA- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Nov 3, 4:03 pm, julie <julie.n... at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:
On Oct 31, 10:15 am, Patty Winter <pat... at (no spam) wintertime.com> wrote:





In article <4aec7e5d$0$1662$742ec... at (no spam) news.sonic.net>,
Patty Winter  <pat... at (no spam) wintertime.com> wrote:

In article <8dea7669-1c39-464f-87f4-d9e8c3143... at (no spam) 13g2000prl.googlegroups.com>,
Karen  <ksoa... at (no spam) yahoo.com> wrote:
On Oct 8, 1:56 pm, "Thos" <tomin... at (no spam) peoplepc.com> wrote:
I don't know about the SFBA, but the Home Depot's around the Dallas, Tx area
only sell fruit trees in the spring.

I thought that fall was the best time to plant trees? The fruit trees
are hitting Orchard Supply now, too.

Whoops, sorry, hit the "send" key too soon.

I was going to say that we here in the Bay Area have a different
sense of planting seasons than people in many other parts of the
country. I, too, am getting ready to do some planting--just
as my friends in Michigan are putting away their garden tools
for the next few months.

Patty

Thanks, everyone, for all your helpful advice. I took it all to heart
as we searched for trees to plant. Look for new post on what we ended
up with.
Thanks again,
Julie in SFBA- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Find a local nursery who can advise you on what varieties grow best in
your particular microclimate.

But...most importantly, if you are planting stone fruit - WAIT. Bare
root season is right around the corner and you can get trees much
cheaper then.

sherwin dubren wrote:
julie wrote:

 Someone with
a degree in horticulture wouldn't be schlepping plants around any
retail nursery.  

 Retail plant nurseries pay little more
than minimum wage... no education is required to schlepp plants, bales
of planting medium, and watering hoses about.  However the nursery
stock at either is exactly the same, comes from the same local
wholesalers/growers.  Also the big box stores don't hassle folks about
returns whereas the independant nurseries typically institute all
sorts of escape clauses for not replacing plants or returning full
purchase price.   Another point to consider is that the typical
independant retail nursery buys all their stock in one fell swoop in
order to take advantage of bulk discounts... that same stock sits in
what is virtually a parking lot the entire season hoping for a buyer,
it gets sun, it hopefully gets watered regularly, it gets knocked
about by folks looking, and the nicest specimens are sold right away
and not replaced... what's left doesn't go into the ground until
someone buys and plants it.  Whereas the big box stores are gigantic
accounts, they get freshly dug shipments weekly, even daily.
 

Retail plant nurseries pay little more than minimum
wage... no education is required
[snip]
What you don't know or are misinformed about retail nurseries is
rather astonishing!!
[snip]

On Nov 7, 11:28 am, brooklyn1 <gravesen... at (no spam) verizon.net> wrote:
sherwin dubren wrote:
julie wrote:
Someone with
a degree in horticulture wouldn't be schlepping plants around any
retail nursery.

Retail plant nurseries pay little more
than minimum wage... no education is required to schlepp plants, bales
of planting medium, and watering hoses about. However the nursery
stock at either is exactly the same, comes from the same local
wholesalers/growers. Also the big box stores don't hassle folks about
returns whereas the independant nurseries typically institute all
sorts of escape clauses for not replacing plants or returning full
purchase price. Another point to consider is that the typical
independant retail nursery buys all their stock in one fell swoop in
order to take advantage of bulk discounts... that same stock sits in
what is virtually a parking lot the entire season hoping for a buyer,
it gets sun, it hopefully gets watered regularly, it gets knocked
about by folks looking, and the nicest specimens are sold right away
and not replaced... what's left doesn't go into the ground until
someone buys and plants it. Whereas the big box stores are gigantic
accounts, they get freshly dug shipments weekly, even daily.


What you don't know or are misinformed about retail nurseries is
rather astonishing!!

Many retail nurseries and garden centers pride themselves on having
well-educated and highly trained personnel on staff. In fact, many
state nursery and landscape professional associations offer
professional certfication programs that require knowledge and training
equivalent to a 2 year hort degree that a great many retail garden
centers and nurseries take advantage of. I actually teach classes for
this certfication program in my area. We graduate several dozen CPH's
(Certified Professional Horticulturists) each session, the bulk of
which are nursery employees. And minimum wages are paid only to
seasonal part time staff, those who do the unloading of trucks,
schlepping of plants to cars and hauling sacks of soil amendments. We
don't even let these folks - generally high school or college students
looking for a summer job - water plants, as that takes knowledge and a
skill level these guys don't have.

Having been in both the retail and wholesale nursery industry for many
years, I think I can speak to the buying habits of retail nurseries,
at least the ones here on the west coast..... I was a buyer for a
number of years. They DO NOT bring in all their stock at once. Weekly
delivers from various vendors occur throughout the season but some
plant offerings - like many fruit trees - tend to be very seasonal and
the bulk are brought in very early in the season, often when dormant.
As they are sold off, they are replaced with fresh stock, if that
stock is still available. And the care plants receive at retail
nurseries far exceeds what is provided at any box store - unless you
purchase something at a box that is within days of its arrival, it is
very likley to be drought stressed or otherwise neglected. And they do
not necessarily offer the same stock from the same vendors - many of
the largest wholesale vendors offer grades of product: premium grades
go to the plant retailers/nurseries; lesser grades to the discounters
and box stores. And some vendors simply do not sell to any discounters
or box stores, period.

btw, I am a degreed horticulturist as well as professionally
certified. I have worked in the nursery industry consistently for
nearly 20 years but as a second and much more rewarding and satisfying
career. I started out at quite a bit more than minimum wage and make
as much now as I did when I left my corporate banking career. It's not
a huge salary but it is faaaar more than minimum wage.

gardengal <grdngal48 at (no spam) comcast.net> wrote in message
news:25254769-55df-4bc4-ad5e-4f34b06e4854 at (no spam) t11g2000prh.googlegroups.com...
On Nov 7, 11:28 am, Sheldumb Penisless <gravesen... at (no spam) verizon.net> brayed his
usual noise:
Retail plant nurseries pay little more than minimum
wage... no education is required
[snip]
What you don't know or are misinformed about retail nurseries is
rather astonishing!!
[snip]

If you want to see how truly misinformed Sheldumb is to visit rfc. A more
obnoxious, louder-braying, north-end-of-a-southbound-mule there isn't.
Shelly will happily piss himself just to prove his nonexistent points of
view. It's best to simply filter/kf his posts, unless you like banging your
head against the wall. His favorite reply to an informed post of the quality
you provided is to pull some ad hominen starting with your sexual tastes,
mixing in some ethnic slurs, and finally closing with an exploit or two
about his alternative lifestyle.

The Ranger


First of all dummy, get my name right.

The Ranger wrote:
gardengal <grdngal48 at (no spam) comcast.net> wrote in message
news:25254769-55df-4bc4-ad5e-4f34b06e4854 at (no spam) t11g2000prh.googlegroups.com...
On Nov 7, 11:28 am, Sheldumb Penisless <gravesen... at (no spam) verizon.net> brayed his
usual noise:
Retail plant nurseries pay little more than minimum
wage... no education is required
[snip]
What you don't know or are misinformed about retail nurseries is
rather astonishing!!
[snip]

If you want to see how truly misinformed Sheldumb is to visit rfc. A more
obnoxious, louder-braying, north-end-of-a-southbound-mule there isn't.
Shelly will happily piss himself just to prove his nonexistent points of
view. It's best to simply filter/kf his posts, unless you like banging your
head against the wall. His favorite reply to an informed post of the quality
you provided is to pull some ad hominen starting with your sexual tastes,
mixing in some ethnic slurs, and finally closing with an exploit or two
about his alternative lifestyle.

The Ranger


First of all dummy, get my name right.

What in the world are you talking about? You obviously have a hard__
for me. That's your problem. You get the prize for obnoxious name
calling, which reflects your adolescent mentality.

Sherwin

The Ranger wrote:
gardengal <grdngal48 at (no spam) comcast.net> wrote in message
news:25254769-55df-4bc4-ad5e-4f34b06e4854 at (no spam) t11g2000prh.googlegroups.com...
On Nov 7, 11:28 am, Sheldumb Penisless <gravesen... at (no spam) verizon.net> brayed
his usual noise:
Retail plant nurseries pay little more than minimum
wage... no education is required
[snip]
What you don't know or are misinformed about retail nurseries is
rather astonishing!!
[snip]

If you want to see how truly misinformed Sheldumb is to visit rfc. A more
obnoxious, louder-braying, north-end-of-a-southbound-mule there isn't.
Shelly will happily piss himself just to prove his nonexistent points of
view. It's best to simply filter/kf his posts, unless you like banging
your head against the wall. His favorite reply to an informed post of the
quality you provided is to pull some ad hominen starting with your sexual
tastes, mixing in some ethnic slurs, and finally closing with an exploit
or two about his alternative lifestyle.

First of all dummy, get my name right.
[snip Sherwin's rant]

   They are *OK*.  Yes, Fall is the best time to plant trees, but if you
are in zone 5 or north, it is getting kind of late to be planting trees
- October was best.

   You might be better off looking for a real, full time nursery.  You
might be able to find a tree that has a larger trunk, and one that will
get established and start bearing fruit much faster.

[snip]
What you don't know or are misinformed about retail nurseries is
rather astonishing!!
[snip]

If you want to see how truly misinformed Sheldumb is to visit rfc. A more
obnoxious, louder-braying, north-end-of-a-southbound-mule there isn't.
Shelly will happily piss himself just to prove his nonexistent points of