Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Texas Winter Weather



We've had mostly warm (above 45 degrees) weather and a fair amount of rain this fall and winter so far.  A few of the nights have been below freezing, but not by much.  I don't know if this will cause our new fruit trees to bud out early or not, but if they do, there is a chance a late freeze could do some damage.  I would hate to see the first year's growth stunted.

I have to admit, I am kinda impatient to see if all the new trees bud out and begin to grow.  Right now They are only thin little sticks with no leaves.  I will be checking on them every couple of weeks, usually, and will let you know when I see new growth happening.

The hot summer months will be more of a challenge for us. We live 2 1/2 hours from our little homestead right now and if there is not enough rain, it will require frequent trips to water the new trees.  Not that I mind the drive up there, it's scenic once we turn off the freeway near Huntsville.  Perhaps I can rig up a temporary irrigation system. A garden hose, some tubing and emitters, and a timer should do the trick.

I have another job ahead of meas well as regards to the fruit trees. I still need to put up some posts and fencing around the individual trees to prevent damage from deer, rabbits, and other critters.

2 comments:

  1. Great site. I am planning to buy some land around palestine ( I think) 5-10 acres? This is uncharted territory for me. Any suggestions on what to look for would be appreciated. I plan to build a post and beam home at retirement (about 15 years). Thanks Rod

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    Replies
    1. Thanks. The site has only been up a couple of months. It is also in another location on my own server space. That is where it will finally end up.

      As to what to look for, i made a list of things and looked at lots of property over several years. You want good soil for growing things, even if it is just grass for livestock. I also insisted the property had a house of some sort. The house on my property isn't much to look at, but it is great for weekends and holidays. When I retire in three years, I will build another house near the pond. If you don't have a place to stay while you are working on the place, you will have to bring a trailer up or pitch a tent. If there is no house, then be sure you have utulities to the the property. I have both a well and public water system.


      A good place to do your search is www.landsofamerica.com. I used them to fins my place. You can register and set up parameters for what you want, such as number of acres, house oe no house, what state, what county, etc. you will recieve regular emails with links to properies that match your criteria when they are posted on the website. I never got any spam at all.


      Watch out for bottom land that is cheap, but may flood during periods of high rainfall.

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