Fruit Harvest from season to season

[Lindsaylew82]

If it makes you feel any better, I'd trade peaches, apples AND plums, if we could grow bananas!

Besides, they're really challenging. Like, almost not worth it challenging. Peaches are anyway.

[applestar]

My peaches and cherries got blasted by a severe late frost/freeze this year -- they were blooming beautifully, too.

Very few cherries -- it also didn't help that the robins had been nesting in the espalier cherries and I was silly enough "not to bother them" too much, so the cherries didn't get the care they needed. And I'm not even sure if there are 1/2 dozen peaches on the Carolina Belle and the little volunteer yellow peach may have two or three fruits at most. They are just starting to change color from green but not full size yet.

I will have to learn what to do in the event of similar weather crisis in the future. I think someone said to run the sprinkler on them -- I couldn't at the time because the hoses were still all rolled up in the hose holder and semi frozen.

[Lindsaylew82]

Yes! Last year we had a late frost, and I lost all the peaches and plums. Here they run overhead sprinklers on them to form a layer of ice, which somehow acts as insulation from the frost.

[JONA]

Yes! Last year we had a late frost, and I lost all the peaches and plums. Here they run overhead sprinklers on them to form a layer of ice, which somehow acts as insulation from the frost.

We use this system to frost protect apples and pears.
It does require huge amounts of water though.....and good drainage!
The water gives off its latent heat as it freezes, so keeping the ice that forms at a constant freezing point and no lower. The buds can tolerate this.
Problem is you have to keep the water going until the temp gets above freezing and the sprinklers must be delivering around an 8th of an inch per hour.
We use around a million gallons a night on an 8hour run.
That's a lot of water.
The pruning of the tree has to be spot on too. There can be a hell of a weight of ice on a tree by morning....so any branches that are not pruned to weep nicely are prone to break.
We made the mistake to try it out on raspberries one spring. Big mistake.
We forgot the weight.....the ice brought the whole structure of wires and posts down.
I believe that this form of protection was originally produced to help protect black current growers. This fruit flowers so early in the season that growers were losing too many crops and as a result were losing their juicing contracts which is their main source of income.

[Taiji]

My old apple tree that was loaded (probably overloaded) last year is totally devoid of anything this year. We had several late frosts which I think did the trick. It bloomed prolificly though. I suppose since it was so productive last year, that might have something to do with the failure this year.

I wonder what kind of fertilizer one should use if any, for old, neglected fruit trees?

[applestar]

Blueberries and Ann Yellow Raspberries

[Lindsaylew82]

YUM!

Looks like a smoothie in the works!

[applestar]

Blackberries have started... blueberries continuing... Nearly last of the early summer yellow raspberries.
(Triple Crown thornless blackberries, various blueberries, some I don't remember but I have 5 named cultivars and two wild low-bush with one of them having been selected for larger berries), Ann and Kiwi Gold yellow raspberries)



...oh, I forgot about the single Seascape strawberry.

All the berries require meticulous protection from the catbirds and robins, occasionally cardinals....

[applestar]

...I was looking up what causes the pale tasteless druplets. Some are extensively affected. One cause is stinkbugs and I did catch a juvie Brown Marmorated stinkbugs today, but I think most are due to overheating and sunscald. Some of the ones I overstuffed too many in a single organza bag that was exposed to full sun seem to have been affected more ( -- bagged them to protect from bugs and birds and ended up cooking them instead)

[MichaelC]

My plum tree came back from the brink of extinction, and I got about five pounds from it!

I won't be seeing any more fruit harvest until at least August.

[applestar]

Hadn't been able to SERIOUSLY harvest the blackberries for about 4 days...

[applestar]

Our first fig -- a Petit Negra breba/spring crop

[applestar]

As of today -- I had a duh moment yesterday when I realized I should be sorting the blackberries and separating the bad berries from good ones. I decided best time to do this is when I'm triple rinsing them outside because it's too difficult to pick out berries from a container without bruising them. When I rinse them, I float them in a bucket of water and scoop them up and out by handfuls. Much easier to inspect and sort then.

I decided on no more than three bad druplets to make the cut


-- a quart of perfect berries --

[Lindsaylew82]

What do you do with the rejects?

[applestar]

I don't know yet. I was thinking maybe they can be used for something that requires straining?

The trouble with the ones with white drupelets is that they leave hard remains in my mouth -- I think the core might be undeveloped unlike the fully ripe ones which have core that are soft and tasty.. I tried cooking them in the cobbler the other day, but that was a disaster -- I was spitting out the inedible parts -- only using perfect berries for baking from now on, and probably making smoothies, too.

So I was going to try cooking with sugar and straining into a blackberry sauce/syrup once I have enough rejects. Maybe good for ice cream and pancakes? I think I would rather use perfect berries for preserves and even jellies. I was wondering if I could use the rejects for making a cordial/liquor since they would be strained out.

[applestar]

I needed the blue container, so I decided to sort through the blackberries in the blue container that I picked day before yesterday into "perfect berries" and "rejects" according to the criteria I decided on yesterday. When I brought them out of the fridge to the patio table in the sun, I noticed that some of their druplets had turned red. After sorting them, I combined them with yesterday's refrigerated "perfect" berries that were left in the purple container, then put TODAY's harvested and sorted "perfect" berries in the cleaned BLUE container -- They didn't quite fit....




--- those reddened druplets reminded me of this post ---

Subject: Breaking Laterals on Blackberry canes

The PAF berries when I pick them look black but the next morning there purple and not so good tasting? anyone else have this problem or do I have something else going on?

[applestar]

Got around to harvesting more of the blueberries today...

Not as much blackberries today as yesterday however....

[applestar]

Still harvesting blackberries Hanging basket strawberries are finally starting to fruit -- I'm not sure what variety this is....




This spring, my little Carolina Belle peach tree as well as the volunteer yellow peach tree were in full bloom when we were struck by a hard frost/freeze. As a result, the tree only managed to grow half dozen greenies and dropped 4. Last week when I showed DH the nearly ripe two remaining fruits, he predicted that "someone is going to steal them" unless I covered them. Once he said it, it seemed like a certainty (squirrels, chipmunks, birds.... Oh my!), so I immediately took some protective measures.



Today, when I opened the berry box to check on the bigger one, it came right off -- like most fruits will when ripe -- and when I tried to remove the protection for the smaller one so I could replace it with the more secure berry box, that one came off too, although it has a little greenish cast on one side. I would say the bigger one will be fully ripe by tomorrow and the smaller one the next day.

[Lindsaylew82]

Are ground cherries considered a fruit? I just started getting some ripe ones! Man are they delicious! Like a burst of mango and pineapple! Zero hint of tomato like I saw in some descriptions! I love these things, and my big kid thinks they're super fun!

[applestar]

Sounds good! Are you growing one of the popular varieties? Aunt Mollies or Cossack Pineapple?

[!potatoes!]

I think she's growing my home-saved seed - variety unclear, as I've never noticed a difference between any of them (the annual ones, anyway).

[Lindsaylew82]

I am growing from Potatoes's seeds! The first ones have been tiny. About pea sized. I will go look at the little bag and see if it has an official name! The larger the plant gets, and it is getting VERY large, the larger the lanterns are getting!

[JONA]

This years red ruby seedless.

[JONA]

[rainbowgardener]

Oh wow, JONA! Amazing! So they will turn red yet?

Do you make wine? Or what happens to all those grapes?

[JONA]

Oh wow, JONA! Amazing! So they will turn red yet?

Do you make wine? Or what happens to all those grapes?

They are a lovely desert variety Rainbow..so we sell them in the local village shop.
We got them over forty years ago from a grower in California.

[Lindsaylew82]

WOW!!!

[applestar]

Haha my grapes are NOWHERE near like that. These are from a volunteer grape vine. Possibly "wild" muscadine -- originally thought they might be scuppernong but I'm seeing those described as white grapes.... They grow very sparse/loose clusters that do NOT ripen all at once. I have to feel them to see if they are ripe and harvest them individually.

Last year, I lost the entire lot to some problems -- they turned brown and rotted. I suspected problems triggered by insect damage -- like Japanese beetles and stinkbugs -- so I bagged the 6-8 clusters that set fruits this year, and they are finally starting to ripen -- they are incredibly yummy but astringent near the slip-skin if not allowed to ripen fully. One or two seeds per fruit.

(Maid of Orleans Arabian tea jasmine blossoms and last of the wild blueberries)

[Lindsaylew82]

Our muscadines here are black. I've never seen a variety that is red like that. They have a very distinct flavor that isn't REALLY grape-y. The closest in flavor that I can think of, is concord, and it's still far off. Are the skins REALLY tough on these?

[applestar]

Hmmm. Now I'm confused. Maybe this isn't a wild, bird-sown grape at all. Maybe it's from a spat out seed -- growing in the bed off the patio....?

I did a quick search at a table grape site and a likely candidate is Red Globe. Mine are not the 1 inch giants, but that -along with the poor and uneven fruitset in the cluster- might be explained by inadequate care and growing conditions? It's not in full sun for example. Maybe it's just not growing to its potential.

I'm going to start with this --
Causes of Poor Fruit Set in Grapes - eXtension
https://articles.extension.org/pages/331 ... -in-grapes

...and this --

Millerandage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millerandage

A grape cluster with signs of millerandage with small, immature berries scattered throughout the bunch.
Millerandage (or shot berries, hens and chicks and pumpkins and peas) is a potential viticultural hazard problem in which grape bunches contain berries that differ greatly in size and, most importantly, maturity. Its most common cause is cold, rainy or otherwise bad weather during the flowering stage of the vines though other factors, such as boron deficiency or fanleaf degeneration, may also play a role.[1]

...maybe pay a bit more attention to it this fall and winter, and see where this goes. I might also try to grow some cuttings and see if I can find it a better location since the flavor is outstanding. The trouble is growing zone for Red Globe is Zone 7 and up. Right now, next to the brick patio and against the SE wall, it's probably in one of the most protected location possible without more elaborate set up.

[Lindsaylew82]

They do resemble Red Globe!

I'm curious to see where this goes!

[applestar]

Bagging the grapes has been working beautifully to protect them. Except for some ants that found a loosely secured bag and got in -- problem solved by looping the string tightly around the stem and tying a fairly tight knot.



Subject: Applestar's 2016 Garden

First sheaf of shortgrain sweet rice today



... more grapes and a fig Petit Nigra.

...

Earlier, 8:30am, I saw from the window that a chipmunk was inspecting the pears but by-passed them and ate some Coyote. So I thought they were safe. Looked out the window around 5pm, and the biggest Magness pear was MISSING!

Rushed outside to find It was on the ground half-eaten. Critter had nibbled around the stem to drop it. Thats it! -- Harvested ALL the pears. They actually came off easily so they WERE ready to be harvested. I also harvested the last three apples (Enterprise) since we have a scanty harvest this year and I would rather not lose them to critters.



I trimmed away the gnawed part and we shared the rest of the prematurely "picked" pear. Although it was far from fully ripe, texture and taste are similar to Asian pears at this stage. Plenty sweet to enjoy.

Found this while researching what to do with these pears: https://usapears.org/pear-ripening-and-handling/

[!potatoes!]

our wild persimmons are starting to ripen, a few at a time. maybe a little early this year?

also getting figs from the plant I planted in the hoophouse in mid-summer sometime. maybe hardy chicago? not sure what variety. comes back with a bit of fruit after freezing back to nothing in a pot, so I figure even slightly coddled by a hoophouse, and in the ground, it should really start producing.

picking a lot of spicebush berries, too, for cooking and brewing.

[applestar]

I noticed my still green persimmons have a bit of blush on them now. I wonder how long from blush to ripe? I had a lot of little green fruits back in spring, but not seeing very many now -- I suppose they aborted, maybe due to the drought. The area has a lot of understory/ground growth so I can't tell when they drop -- just looking up and thinking "it seems like there are less fruits...."

I harvested one in-ground Chicago Hardy Fig fruit that had ripened early because it was touching a metal fence post.... The rest looks green and hard still. Potted Petit Negra is ripening one fruit at a time -- eagerly awaited by DH and DD .... DH and I alternate splitting a fruit with DD.

Spicebush -- there was a discussion somewhere that there are male and female plants, right? I only have one plant -- I need to determine which I have and get a mate for it. I mainly planted it hoping to attract a Spicebush swallowtail .... (No sign as yet)

[!potatoes!]

I guess they're probably dioecious, yes. that would explain why some have no fruit and others are covered! I'll have to look up what kind of handling they need, but I could send you spicebush seed or berries if you want. it's extremely widespread here, one of the most common shrubby forest plants. spicebush swallowtails are also our most common larger butterfly in this area.

[applestar]

Oooh, thank you !potatoes! I'll PM you.

[applestar]

...persimmons, figs, raspberries...

[applestar]

Wild and Alpine White Soul strawberries have started coming in, and Cherries! White Gold first, then Emperor Francis

The cherries are supposed to be trained into fan-shaped espalier... as you can see, I have let them get away from me I'm hoping it's not too late to cut those overgrown leaders down --- should I do this before or after harvest?





There is a robin's nest on the latch side of the gate in the Blackberry arch arbor. You can see the white blackberry blossoms starting to bloom. They don;t show interest in the white cherries but the red strawberries bear close watching and I will need to protect them with netting soon.

[JONA]

I would do them sooner rather than later applestar.
It will give the rest better light for next years fruit bud.
Looks like your going to have good feed through the coming months.

[applestar]

I spent all morning pruning the two cherry trees (White Gold and Emperor Francis) as JONA recommended, as well as two pear trees (Seckel and Magness) one apple tree (Arkansas Black), and one persimmon tree (Prok) -- all espalier -- as well as semi-dwarf Enterprise apple.

The persimmon was overgrown like the cherries and threatening to shade out not only its own branches but also the AB apple espalier next to it. The pear trees had developed some fireblighted branches, and JONA had recommended cutting them off as quickly as they are infected in another thread. They are also showing surprising number of cedar-apple rust spots this year. They are resistant, but I think it's the extra pressure from the new cedar tree my neighbor planted on the other side of the side fence. I will need to be more regimented about spraying them.

The Enterprise apple had a bunch of small twiggy growth that had wilted brown leaves -- I thought they are fireblight, but new growths have been growing way past the wilted leaves. I'm not sure if it's because Enterprise is one of the most fireblight resistant apple varieties, or if these were caused by something else -- maybe aphids. I went ahead and trimmed off almost all of the branches that had the wilted leaves, new growths and all.

Maybe the persimmon, but I think more due to when the Arkansas Black was blooming and having an unexpected cold snap with hard frost, the apple has only three fruits on it that I could find. I think the bees were not flying due to the weather.

On the other hand, MAGNESS is loaded this year. Very promising. Good number of fruits on the Seckel as well but not extraordinary.


Yesterday and today -- not a whole lot, but even so, my two DD's are actually already reaching the point of not finishing the day's harvest. This means DH and I get to eat some of the cherries, too. Extras will be frozen for cereals, baked goods, smoothies, etc. A few Emperor Francis were ready today.



I would have a lot more strawberries in my basket except something -- I think chipmunk -- has discovered the strawberries. And the idiot creature doesn't know when to pick them -- I'm finding dozens of bitten off unripe pale orange-red berries on the ground.