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Garden Gate:  Fruit Trees - How Many, What Kind?  |
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PocketFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
119 Posts
Sarah
Utica
New York
119 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 13 2006 : 12:02:01 PM
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I'm gathering info. While I don't have my farm yet, I see no problem with planting castles in the air! I was reading the kitchen thread on pears, and it got me curious.
For family use, how many fruit trees and berry bushes do you have and what kind?
What kind of yield do you get?
I'm planning to put in a ton of fruit (next spring, if we find our farm by then), so I'd love to hear your stories. |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2006 : 2:42:00 PM
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| Hi Sarah and welcome! I would be interested in responses to your question as well. At present I have 4 50' rows of Tristar strawberries, a 50' row of raspberries and 8 medium sized blueberry bushes which more than provide for six of us. I would like to plant more tree fruits and wonder what everyone else has planted. |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2006 : 6:57:34 PM
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I haven't started my plantings yet, but am aiming for planting the fruit and olive trees this winter. (The vines and plants will go in this spring.)
My plant list includes 10-20 olive trees (in their own orchard) and then in the fruit orchard I'll be starting out with 2 of each of the following: plum, pear, pawpaw, persimmon, apricot; 4 figs; and 6 each of apples and peaches. (And more later as the orchard grows...)
I'm planning 50' of raspberry and blackberry plants, a couple of blueberry (bush types just to see if they will grow in TX), another 50' of heat tolerant, disease resistent grapevines, and a ton of strawberries, melons & pumpkins (all kinds.)
Somewhere on the property, we will have a variety of nut trees too.
In our first greenhouse, I'll winter my one lemon tree (about 5 feet tall now) plus as space allows, I'll be adding grapefruit, orange, lime and more lemons.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2006 : 7:52:42 PM
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I have one pear tree which has provided enough pears for our family of 4 plus enough to share with a friend. I also have a lot of wild raspberry canes (50 ft sounds like a good row size to me) and we have 6 or 7 wild plums which I love. I want to plant blueberries and maybe strawberries since i never manage to get to the u-pick.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." -E. B. White
http://www.betweenthecities.com/blog/ljr/
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2006 : 9:17:02 PM
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My daughter and I planted one each of the basics - apple, pear, peach, one pluot which is a cross between a plum and an apricot and one asian pear, which is crispy like an apple but tastes like a pear (very yummy). I thought one raspberry and blackberry would be enough for the two of us, but it's not, so next spring I will plant more. Two blueberries are not enough either, so we'll plant more also.
I also plan to plant a variety of citrus. I saw "pole" citrus trees in a catalog, but now can't find the catalog. They grow straight up, like a pole, and get less than 2 feet in diameter so they're great for smaller places.
I think this should be enough fresh fruit for two with some left for canning or freezing. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2006 : 10:40:08 PM
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When we bought this place it came with two very old apple trees. I planted another the first year, it also came with 3 old smallish plum trees. I have planted a peach tree and an apricot that didn't make it (I will plant another for sure in the spring) I would like at least one more apple and some cherry trees. And I think one more peach and two apricots instead of only one. I put in 4 red rasberrys this year..but I plan to plant more and some black berries too.
I sure miss being able to have a lemon and avocado tree like where I used to live. BUT..it is worth it to have hot enough summers for good tomatoes and peppers!!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2006 : 2:23:53 PM
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Well, our place used to be a commercial orchard so we have hundreds of apple trees, but since it is 300 miles from where we live the timing gets pretty tricky for harvest!
I picked the 2 1/2 bushels of pears from 5 Bosc trees and 1 Bartlett, and I didn't get out a ladder, just what I could reach from the ground. But this year seemed to be an exceptionally heavy year.
I picked 4 gallons of Damson plums from 1 tree this year (but am told some years there is no harvest at all)
At our home we have one MacIntosh apple tree and in 5 years have only gotten one crop. We're probably not pruning it correctly, two years ago it was getting really tall (and all the fruit was at the top) so that winter my husband got out the chain saw and cut it back severely. So we'll see next year how it does. Some apples only bear in alternate years (don't ask me why) so check the varieties you plant to make sure you have some fruit every year.
I have one 4-year old peach tree, it had 11 blossoms this year, 1 peach, which fell to the ground before ripening. I have high hopes for next year.
Also check your varieties to know if you need to plant more than one variety to pollinate the trees. Some varieties will not bear fruit unless another variety that blossoms near the same time is planted nearby.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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Garden Gate: Fruit Trees - How Many, What Kind? |
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Fruit Trees - How Many, What Kind?
