Uncle Josh Gardens

Uncle Josh Gardens 🌱 Master Gardener & Fruit Tree Grower 🏡 | Homesteader 🌾 | Tech Enthusiast 💻 | 10 Years of Growing

10/18/2026

🌳✂️ What pruning questions do you have? Drop them in the comments! 👇

My Black Tartarian cherry tree lost its central leader, but that doesn’t mean it’s done growing! 🍒

I’m training a new leader to take its place, removing dead branches, and cleaning up old stubs to encourage healthy growth. 🌱

🍒 Sweet cherries can be trained with a central or modified leader, depending on the shape you’re after.

💡 Pruning tip: Winter pruning can encourage vigorous spring growth, while summer pruning is often better for controlling size. For cherries, though, major pruning is generally safer during dry summer weather to reduce disease risks!

😂 And yes, I completely mispronounced the cherry variety in the video! It’s actually called Black Tartarian (blak tar-TAIR-ee-un)!

Would you keep this cherry tree tall or prune it to stay short? 🤔

10/17/2026

What are you planting in your fall garden, and where did you get your plants? 🌱🥦

You might be OVERPAYING for your garden plants! 🤯💰

I picked up an ENTIRE tray of vegetable seedlings for just $20 at my local nursery! That’s nearly HALF what I’d pay at a big box store! 🙌

🥦 Cauliflower
🥬 Cabbage
🌱 Mesclun mix
🥬 Pak choy

Some packs even have multiple seedlings you can carefully separate to get MORE plants for your money! 💚

Not only did I fill several garden beds for $20, but I saved time starting seeds and supported a local business! 🪴

🐈 And of course, my lazy garden supervisor was there to help!

Next time you’re shopping for plants, check out your local nursery first! ❤️

10/16/2026

Did you train your fruit trees this year? 🌳🍑

Just ONE growing season can make a huge difference! 🙌

Training branches to grow at roughly 45° angles helps create stronger structure, improve sunlight and airflow, reduce disease pressure, and make harvesting easier! ☀️🍎

I like using soft straps and cinder blocks to gently pull branches into position. 🧱 Just remember to use a loose loop around the branch so you don’t damage the bark or restrict growth as it thickens!

My peach tree now has that classic open vase shape, with no central leader and beautifully angled branches! 🌳

Of course, Ms. Fig had to supervise! 🐈😂

Have you tried training your fruit trees? How did it work out? 👇

10/15/2026

Are you splitting kindling? 🪵🪓 What’s your favorite method?

Here are 3 easy ways to turn cedar logs into kindling! 🔥 Each method has its advantages, but I prefer combining them for better control and less effort.

💪 My favorite method? Laying the wood on its side! It gives me more control and makes splitting smaller pieces easier. However, using a scrap piece of wood to hold the log upright seems like one of the safer options for keeping your hands away from the hatchet!

🙌 Huge shoutout to Gorilla Carts for the awesome cart and Fiskars for the hatchet! Both have been great additions to my firewood setup!

🔥 Good kindling makes starting a fire so much easier!

👇 What’s your favorite way to split kindling?

10/15/2026

🌳 What other low maintenance fruit or nut trees are you growing? 👇

Here are 3 of my favorites that can thrive without routine spraying! 🌱

🍇 Mulberries – Fast growing, productive, and delicious! Just be prepared for some messy fruit!

🌰 Chinese Chestnuts – Naturally resistant to chestnut blight and relatively easy to maintain! Plant two different trees for better pollination.

🍊 American Persimmons – Extremely cold hardy, naturally resilient, and one of my favorite native fruits! Most need a male pollinator nearby to produce fruit.

🙌 Less spraying, less maintenance, and more homegrown food!

💬 Which would you plant?

10/14/2026

🌳 Did you know this about planting trees?

One of the BIGGEST mistakes people make is burying the root flare! 😳

🌱 The root flare is where the trunk widens and the main roots spread outward.

⚠️ Planting too deep can encourage girdling roots that wrap around the trunk, restricting water and nutrient movement. The damage might not show up for 5, 10, or even MORE years!

✅ Keep the root flare visible at soil level.

✅ Never pile mulch against the trunk.

✅ Check for girdling roots! Small problematic roots can sometimes be pruned, but larger roots may require a professional arborist.

🌳 Proper planting depth is critical for long-term tree health!

👇 Have you checked the root flare on your trees?

10/14/2026

Have you found these colorful berries growing in the wild? 👀🫐

They might look delicious, but DON’T eat them! 🚫

These are porcelain berries, an invasive vine from Asia that produces stunning blue, turquoise, and purple berries, sometimes all in the same cluster! 🌈

🌿 Often mistaken for wild grapes
⚠️ Classified as mildly poisonous to humans by NC State Extension
🌳 Can smother native plants and trees
🐦 Birds spread their seeds to new locations
✂️ Remove berries before they spread and dig out smaller vines by the roots

Beautiful berries, but a BIG problem for native ecosystems! 🌎

Have you spotted these growing near you? 👇

10/13/2026

Do you think this will work? 🤔🌷

I’m experimenting with a new way to protect flower bulbs from hungry rodents! 🐭

Instead of planting directly in the ground, I’m using an air pruning container with drainage slots and hardware cloth on top to keep rodents out! 🌱

The plan? Let the bulbs overwinter underground, then move the entire container in spring for a head start on blooms! 🌸

It’s all an experiment, so we’ll see what happens! 🤞

Have you tried anything like this?

10/11/2026

🌳 Are you growing pecans?

I’m looking to plant pecan trees on our new Virginia property, but choosing the right varieties is important! 🌱

🥜 Caddo is a Type 1 pollinator and a reliable producer, but it’s generally better suited to warmer climates with longer growing seasons.

🥜 Kiowa is a Type 2 pollinator with large nuts, but it’s known for alternate bearing, meaning heavy harvests one year and lighter ones the next.

🐝 These two can cross-pollinate, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the best choices for my location!

💰 At just $40 each, they’re tempting! But grafted pecans can take 10–15 years to reach substantial production, so I’m doing my research before investing!

🌳 What pecan varieties have worked best for you?

10/10/2026

What’s one thing you wish you knew before buying property? 🏡🤔

We already learned a lesson on our new Virginia property! 😬🌳

After mowing down the overgrown grass, we discovered a bunch of stuff left behind! 🚜🛠️🗑️

💡 Lesson learned: Get EVERYTHING in writing before closing! 📝✅ Otherwise, the cleanup could be on you! 💸

Have you ever learned a property lesson the hard way? 👇😂

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Tempe, AZ
85281, 85282, 85283, 85284, 85285, 85287

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