Planning 2017: Managing Current Trees

Over the last two growing seasons, we have tried to increase the number of fruiting trees and bushes we have on the farm.  When we arrived we had 2 apple trees and one plum tree.  We found out this summer that a row of bushes we have that we thought were just for landscaping were actually Aronia bushes.

We have been ordering bare root trees from a bargain online nursery.  We have gotten very poor results.  Which is not surprising based on the stock we have received.  I will continue to request my free replacements but going forward I will be looking for better sources for my trees.  This will mean paying more for a single tree, but it should hopefully help with getting a better stock, but it will mean adding to the orchard more slowly.  Which won’t be different than now because I am averaging less than one tree being established a year.

The first year we had a peach do really well.  I didn’t heavy pruning last spring and the tree responded and shot up.  Hopefully, that will mean peach in the next couple of years.  This year we started a pear and an almond from the online source.  I bought a potted plum tree from Menards locally.  The existing plum we had wasn’t fruiting due to the lack of a pollinator.  So it was either get another plum or cut the existing one down.  We also added to more blueberry bushes.

The blueberries I planted on the downhill slope for a row of pine trees.  I was hoping that would provide the acidity needed for the blueberries.  The first two blueberries from two summers ago are still alive but were not thriving.  I tested my soil and the soil was alkaline.   So I added some sulfur and will continue to monitor it.

After finding out about the Aronia berries I have come to really enjoy the fruit.  Which might be because it is the only thing we had a good harvest of last year.  The bushes are supposed to be very easy to propagate.  So I am planning on taking some cuttings and start more bushes.  I also plan on doing some major pruning to the bushes.

We lost one apple tree in a wind storm last year.  I took some cuttings and grafted them to the other apple tree and some to the root stock I had started in the spring.  It was a really good apple and I am not sure what type it was.  So I am hoping some of the grafts will take and we can keep that type around.