Those look really nice @zendog! They make a delicious pie! Hot cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla icecream on the side is about as close to heavan as we can get in this world. Once you have more coming in you can juice some and they make a thick rich juice that cannot be beat.
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90 degree weather is starting to turn a greater number of the cherries! June 1st hardly seems late enough. @zendog your right the key is first fill the buckets like you said and then experiment with what you can afford to lose.
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We picked our Carmine Jewel crop today. They were very similar to Zendog’s in how far along they were (no surprise given we are basically neighbors). I had hoped to wait another week but I saw a chipmunk inside my bird nets eating cherries this morning and decided not to wait.
I will post a few pictures tomorrow. We have plenty of cherries for a few pies off of two 4 year old bushes, we would have had more were it not for PC, birds, and the chipmunk.
I am looking forward to next year when I hope to have a considerably larger crop of CJ and perhaps some Juliet cherries.
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I have thousands of chipmunks so I know that feeling. I have caught three inside my net before. They find ways in and even chew ways in. They can come and go fast too.
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A good Fungacide is needed as soon as the cherry crop comes off the bushes. They are getting close to ripe.
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The cherry leaf spot is ahead of my harvest this year which is a sure sign of trouble.
The cold and rain have brought on the disease like never before Sour Cherry Leaf Spot. This is a mixed blessing and curse because the disease defoliates the bushes which is bad for the cherry bushes. The disease will expedite the harvest because the sun will reach the cherries normally covered with leaves faster. The disease is moving like wildfire and unfortunately the ripening cherries are taking their time.Typically i can grow the cherries without fungicide prior to harvest and after harvest then spray them with immunox to eliminate the disease. This year will be a race to harvest while the bushes are alive and then rake up the leaves and burn them.
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Sensation Clark!!! Really great looking, can’t wait to see the pies!!!
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Bing was one of my very first fruit trees and cherry leaf spot was the first fruit tree disease I learned (even before CAR).
And Immunox was the first fungicide I used. Fortunately it worked.
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This hot weather is turning the cherries quick. They are doing well considering its June 4th. Many problems from insects other cherries have this one doesn’t because its an early cherry.
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That looks great. Will it taste like sour cherry pie or sweet cherry pie? It’s beautiful!!!
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@mrsg47 It tastes like one of the best sour cherry pies I’ve ever had, yum!
We also made some muffins with a cup of the Carmine Jewel cherries instead of blueberries and those were awesome as well. The sour cherries with the sweet muffin dough are a great combo. I think I prefer it to the more all-sweet you get with blueberries.
There is a u-pick orchard in our area (well a half hour away) that has Montmorency cherries. It is very popular with the cherry officianados and is usually picked out in a week when they open. I keep thinking nice long rows of CJs and the other romance cherries would be even better for u-pick since it is easier for people to pick them and you could have an extended harvest time across the different varieties.
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my thoughts exactly, not sure how drought tolerant these bushes are, anyone try to grow them in an arid environment without irrigation?
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That is great news!
They produced cherries last year in Kansas during the worst drought there was since the dirty thirties. There are drought photos above but do note the cherries were smaller.
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if they could survive drought in your area, they will never need water here in the worst years.
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The harvest is incredibly bountiful this year! Feeling blessed and thankful for so much! We picked some already but you cannot tell by looking at the bushes! Gallons and Gallons of cherries coming in! If i could find any fault with the bushes this year its that the cherries are smaller than normal. The sour cherry leaf spot is causing defoliation though in this area its not unusual to have issues such as this. We are letting the cherries ripen to a deeper black color while the birds are busy eating mulberries. We are only picking the darkest cherries and being very selective. If you dont have these bushes already i highly recommend you plant them! As you can see the day is overcast and wind and cooler temperatures make the day very pleasant but not overly conducive to ripening cherries! Kansas soil is similar to the Canadian praries these were raised for with similar strong winds and wild temperature swings. There are those that believe certain fruiting plants produce better in this type of an environment. Our soil is lome and clay which can be highly productive for fruit as seen here with the addition of composted manure or similar nutrients.
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@Caleb
It wont be long once they are done blooming.
The pictures below are from today after evening rain showers washed the dust off of them. When i say these are heavy with cherries this year its an understatement! Cherries are not like some of my fruits that can break branches from the weight but some of the branches are certainly noticably lower!
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wow thats crazy! I wonder if leaf issues will affect fruit quality?
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