We haven't added to the website for a while; things have been relatively busy and we are dealing with health issues. As I look back on the year, I'm grateful that I can trust in God. We had really early spring weather, which then turned back to wintry weather, followed by more warm weather, then late frosts in June. The frost hit after most of our saskatoons were setting fruit, so I imagine that would help explain our low crop this year. Thankfully we are not yet relying on the farm for provision!
Our haskap, however, did excellent, and took the frost in stride. Not even a drooping leaf. I may have to add a full row or two! Our older test cherries are finally producing, and we are quite happy with the results. Our cherries are from the U of S program, namely Valentine, Crimson Passion, Juliet, Romeo, Carmine Jewel. They are plump and juicy, and Laura made the best cherry pie I've had in my life this fall!
Our apple trees are beginning to produce as well, and thankfully no fireblight or any disease issues this year. We added a few new varieties to the mix; I am particularly hoping that Honeycrisp does well; a bite into these sweet, juicy apples sounds like you're crunching on potato chips, they're so crispy good!
We added several cherry trees to the orchard (mainly Juliet), along with a pear in a very sheltered spot. We had one fruit this year, but the bugs got it in July. My deer-fencing has held up well, and it keeps most of the rabbits out. Stucco wire works wonders! We also expanded a few areas and next year plan on adding a row of haskap since so far they seem like a guaranteed crop. Our major fall project was to lay down landscape fabric around the saskatoons as mulch; it will hopefully keep the weeds down more effectively than our flax straw alone. We do a combination for winter (to help trap the snow), but I plan on removing the straw for summer.
The trees keep growing, and hopefully in a couple of years we will be able to begin marketing our fruit; it is definitely not a get rich quick scheme!
Our haskap, however, did excellent, and took the frost in stride. Not even a drooping leaf. I may have to add a full row or two! Our older test cherries are finally producing, and we are quite happy with the results. Our cherries are from the U of S program, namely Valentine, Crimson Passion, Juliet, Romeo, Carmine Jewel. They are plump and juicy, and Laura made the best cherry pie I've had in my life this fall!
Our apple trees are beginning to produce as well, and thankfully no fireblight or any disease issues this year. We added a few new varieties to the mix; I am particularly hoping that Honeycrisp does well; a bite into these sweet, juicy apples sounds like you're crunching on potato chips, they're so crispy good!
We added several cherry trees to the orchard (mainly Juliet), along with a pear in a very sheltered spot. We had one fruit this year, but the bugs got it in July. My deer-fencing has held up well, and it keeps most of the rabbits out. Stucco wire works wonders! We also expanded a few areas and next year plan on adding a row of haskap since so far they seem like a guaranteed crop. Our major fall project was to lay down landscape fabric around the saskatoons as mulch; it will hopefully keep the weeds down more effectively than our flax straw alone. We do a combination for winter (to help trap the snow), but I plan on removing the straw for summer.
The trees keep growing, and hopefully in a couple of years we will be able to begin marketing our fruit; it is definitely not a get rich quick scheme!