North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Deb S" <debs913@gmail.com>]

I've been planting fruit for about 7 years now and this is the first year we've gotten some real production!  I decided this year not to do any spraying...wanted to see what sorts of problems cropped up.  It was educational :)

Cherries--

Stella and Kristen both produced very well for the first time this year.  We netted the Kristen tree, the Stella was too large to net.  Had trouble with cherry fruit fly in the Stella, but less trouble in the Kristen which produced about a week later (timing?)  Some bird damage to the Stella fruit.  Besides fruit fly we did have some brown rot on both trees, but not too bad.  Fruit was very good from both.

3 in 1 variety sweet cherry lost all but one branch (I think the sheep got at it).  The one branch produced one blossom.  Hopefully, this poor tree will recover. 

Nova and Montmercy sour cherries both were planted last year.  Nova is doing well, but I think we will move the Montmercy in the fall as I don't think it likes the location it is at.

Pluots

Had 3 fruit set which later disappeared (wind?  critters?)  I think this tree bloomed just at a bit of a spring cold snap, so that could be the problem.  It's a 3 in one tree with three varieties (will have to look them up.)

Pears

We love pears, pears hate us.  We have five pear trees (Comice, Atlanta Queen, Stark, Ure, Warren).  The Comice has grown well, but did not bloom this year.  Atlanta Queen is holding it's own.  The Stark is leaning at a 45 degree angle to the ground and will need to be dug up and reset.  The other two never grew.  They get a few leaves and just sit there at about 2 1/2 feet in height.  It's been five years so I think they need to go.  A neighbor has three great pear trees that produced really well last year.  I need to find out what varieties and rootstock he has (if he knows!)

Apples

One apple...Queen Cox bloomed for the first time this year.  We bagged about 100 apples and thinned.  Lost about 1/4 of the bagged fruit in June drop.  Other apples seem to be maturing well.  Anyone know about when to harvest Queen Cox?

Also discovered an apple tree along our driveway!  Apples are about the size of golf balls.  Don't know if it is a crab or small apple, but am waiting to see how the fruit turns out!

Plums

Big Blue Plum is growing well it's first year.

Gooseberries

Got a great gooseberry harvest (Poormans, Pixwell, Invicta, Hinnomaki Red) all produced a bumper crop this year.  Plants are doing well, even with the summer heat now that harvest is over.  Anyone ever try the Black Velvet variety of gooseberry?  I might add that one next.

Currants

Got great black currant harvests this year Minaj Smyriou, Ben Sarek, Titania all grew very well and set lots of berries.  Made GREAT jellies.

Red currants were annoying.  Berries seemed to ripen one at a time and didn't get a great harvest.  Will have to look up the variety and replace with something that ripens all together.

White currant (primus) produced really well and ripened berries in about a week's period.  Berries are frozen for future jelly making.

Grapes

Last year we had ONE bunch (well not really a bunch, about 9 grapes) of our Canadice grapes.  This year there are at least 7 large bunches.  We will put electric mesh fence around the vines when the grapes start to ripen (coons!)

Peaches

Peaches started strong, and then PFFFT.  Have a four in one tree with 3 peaches and a nectarine variety (Frost, hardired, Mary Jane and one other variety).  .  Thinned the fruit and all were growing well.  Then brown rot struck in a big way on two of the varieties Had ONE peach survive but it hadn't ripened well when I picked it (oh well).  The nectarines did not show signs of rot, but disappeared the night that we forgot to electrify the fence (darn coons).

Planted a Redhaven last fall and it bloomed and set tons of fruit which we took off to give the tree a better chance to grow.

Rhubarb

I cannot get rhubarb to grow well for me.  I've tried it in several locations.  It just remains puny despite dressing with composted manure and keeping it weeded.  Sigh.

Raspberries

I had about decided to yank all the raspberries as they died to the ground last year in the freeze.  The plants coming back were in inconvenient locations.  Decided to leave several and got a decent harvest of Gold berries (which actually tasted really good this year, previous years they were insipid).  Also got a nice crop of Meeker and Tulameen red raspberries.  So the raspberries get a reprieve.

Melons

Once again I attempt melons.  This year they are planted in two beds...one raised bed with regular soil that was deeply amended last year with straw/manure from the goat stalls and one bed we call the "sand box" that is a combo of sand, compost, soil and peat.  Both groups seem to like these beds and have set fruit after transplanting from the  indoors where they were started on heat mats.  I have high hopes for Cream of Saskatchewan and  Pride of Wisconsin is doing well.  (cream is a watermelon, pride a musk).  And I have all my fingers crossed for the wonderfully named "Collective Farm Woman" melon from SSE.

So that's it for fruit.  Next year I will be spraying for brown rot and cherry fruit fly and plum curculio and bagging apples again if the weather cooperates like this year :)  Also plan to do some propagating on the various berries and add a gooseberry variety or two.

deb
SE Ohio
Zone 5/6 depending on the map :_