Selfsufficientish.com

As discussed in the 'sadly have to fell a beautiful tree' thread, a few people expressed an interest in planting a self-sufficientish tree. Here is the place to tell us all about your tree and post a picture too!

Hope lots of you will/can join in and I will be adding my 'replacement tree' pics as soon as I can.

regards Rosie

Im more than willing to join in with this.
I went out walking last night and collected a hanfull of acorns as i would like to grow a few oak trees that once established in pots i could transplant into the wild.

can anyone tell me how i get the acorns to sprout before i plant them in pots?

I think you just plant them in a pot and they'll just sprout of their own accord. I pull hundreds of them up out of my garden - even find them growing in the veg patch!

Well i planted them in an old bucket filled with compost last night and gave it a light water so if any shoots do show after a while then i will take a picture.


Is anyone else planting or growing a tree then?

I am planning on planting a conker.. thought how nice to have a horse chestnut from the year we moved in here.

you have to be careful tho - my parents bought a seedling of a lad (enterprising sort) in the year my son was born - and when the cows ate the top off it.. was the same year he got ill.. you get all. superstitous if you are not careful!

we are planning a small orchard.. so hope to get some apples and plums in soon.

Far out Red - That is one heck of an impressive pumpkin!

Have just come through one heck of a huge week and have a ton of jobs to catch up on round the farm this weekend, but I do hope to plant a heap of Gum Trees... (trying to help the koalas too!)

Will try and take pics.


On the Acorn thing... Have searched my old hard-drive but can't find the pic of the tin can method... which I may have posted here some time back ???

It involved cutting out the top (as you would to use it) which then becomes the base. You then cut a cross on the other end and slightly bend up the four points to create a filtered shelter (against sun, wind, snow etc.) You then half fill with soil and pop your acorn in from the bottom, and then 'plant' the bottom third of the tin into the ground and pretty much just leave it be, I think.

This method is supposed to protect it, and provide some form of condensation, I think to assist with moisture retention. The idea was that the tin would rust/decay and the tree would then outgrow it.

Boots wrote:Far out Red - That is one heck of an impressive pumpkin!

Have just come through one heck of a huge week and have a ton of jobs to catch up on round the farm this weekend, but I do hope to plant a heap of Gum Trees... (trying to help the koalas too!)

Will try and take pics.


On the Acorn thing... Have searched my old hard-drive but can't find the pic of the tin can method... which I may have posted here some time back ???

It involved cutting out the top (as you would to use it) which then becomes the base. You then cut a cross on the other end and slightly bend up the four points to create a filtered shelter (against sun, wind, snow etc.) You then half fill with soil and pop your acorn in from the bottom, and then 'plant' the bottom third of the tin into the ground and pretty much just leave it be, I think.

This method is supposed to protect it, and provide some form of condensation, I think to assist with moisture retention. The idea was that the tin would rust/decay and the tree would then outgrow it.

That sounds an interesting way but id be a tad concerned about wildlife getting hurt on the sharp edges of the pinty bits

my brother and me planted acorns and conkers just in pots of mud and they grew my daughter wanted to plant some acorns a few weeks ago so we have them waiting on the plant shelf outside