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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@TheDerek
I think leaf problems would be an issue if over a prolonged period but the bushes have plenty of stored energy. This is no different than a bad locus or japanese beetle infestation. Leaf defoliation is not desired but nothing healthy bushes have a problem with. The foliage problems are recent. As soon as the fruit crop is removed i will spray and fertilize heavy. The bushes have 5 + months to recover.
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These look incredible, youre going to have a lot of picking and processing to do!. Im looking forward to see some yields like this so all of mine arnt taken by the birds
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There are more cherries on the carmine jewell’s than pictures can show! I strive for high fruit production and quality fruit but i cannot take credit for the high production and quality from these cherries. The Canadians did a great job breeding these cherries!
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Are these grown anywhere as a commercial crop?Seems like Canada might be the first place to do it.bb
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Yes the Canadians grow them commercially. Wineries around here will buy all I can raise. The original breeder favors carmine jewell and certainly we can see why.
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Ooh, Clark I start to worry about the cherries for you. What are you going to do with so many cherries? Do you need some helper to consume some of them😋
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