Today I bagged a hundred apples on the south tree. I explained my reasons for doing so each year in this older post.
That's a pretty good result. After we had to replace the pollinator tree last year, I was hopeful that we would get another good harvest like we had been getting. The best year, 2021, I bagged 110 apples on this tree. The hard frost while the trees were in full bloom had me a little worried, but it looks like it stayed warm enough underneath this tree to save most of them. The gravel is a good heat sink. Most of the apples I am seeing are within reach while I am standing on the ground. No ladder needed. You can see that some of the new growth here and there did get frozen back.
Now all the tree has to do is hold onto them.
We also have two apple trees. 1 was planted when we move to the farm in '81 and the other is a volunteer near the outdoor arena. We do not spray them and it seems that every other year we get a decent crop. Last year was terrible and our biggest tree had just about nothing. Other years we have gotten several hundred. Hopefully we will get some this year if the frost did not mess things up again. The smaller tree does not produce nearly as many and the horses are able to indulge. I read your bag post! What an idea.
ReplyDeleteLori