I was gifted a 3 acre field. planted it in the spring of 22’. was told it was a part of a milkery 40 + years ago so i didn’t test the soil. planted fruit and nut trees and bushes. bushes basically didnt grow and are struggling trees are growing but very slowly. only the hazelnuts and chestnuts are growing fairly well as are the n fixers like peashrubs and black locust. no watering or fertilizers. hopefully over time the n fixers will add to the soil. .
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Cow soil. Water loggy. Best to grow a lot of green fodder to till in. Toss in some course sand too.
Still my favorite additive for my trees though. Eventually it will be outstanding.
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Even if these are all known varieties I would definitely be looking around the farm, ditches, powerlines, fences and surrounding areas for volunteers.
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it doesnt help there are seepages coming out all over this mountain, leaching out the nutrients that were present. i have one on the western edge of the 3 acres. its at a good grade for drainage but those shallow seepages arent helping anything. if bush fruit wont grow, you know its very nutrient deficient. my property down the hill, grows bush/ cane fruit with 0 input.
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Start getting the local tree companies to dump their chips there. Wood chips do wonders for poor soil over time.
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For real. I’m ready for another 2-3 truckloads here.
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its a difficult area to access. if i really wanted to i could get resources there but the seepages would likely dilute them before they would make a real difference.
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i have goumi growing on my lower acre for 6 years now. it does well here but pea shrub and black locust does well up the hill with no inputs.
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In my unusable section I use it for other purposes. Storage shed, parking, later to have some greenhouses. There is always a use for the land, you just have to think on it.
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Agreed. Our pond is marginally sized to produce hefty fish. But it makes a tasty turtle farm{and fat meaty water snakes}. Need to get cattails growing in it again.
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tried one of Clarks yesterday. was pretty good but still half green. got 28f coming tom. night. that should sweeten them up.
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I tasted these again yesterday and they are becoming more ripe and sweet. For comparative sakes they are much more similar to Trailman in flavor/texture/juicyness than to Pipsqueak. My only criticism is that the skin is on the thicker side and it may ripen too late some years in our area.
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Thanks for the report. I had wondered about length of growing season. If nothing else, I imagine deer will like them here.
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They are definately a fall apple. Apples can be picked up until 24 F degrees. Much below that and you will want to use them right away.
I pick some pears frozen some years to use right away. When winter came in early in my area i left the apples on the tree until they get sweeter and sweeter. Most people want as long as possible in storage so they might pick their apples before me and get apples to store until they start getting honeyberries in May or even strawberries in June with these apples. They can easily keep until March with not much care in cold storage. Planting potatoes and eating apples goes together. They keep a long time even when not in perfect cold storage , January if picked in late October . In cold storage you can keep them easily 5 -7 months. 30 F degrees is the optimal temperature for apple storage. The only problem with them keeping is us eating them all.
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Frost got down to 25 last night. 27 tonight. i may need to pick them soon.
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Have you tasted one recently? That cold should be really starting to get the sugars up there.
Will try them again tom.
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30F is optimal temperature for storage but tables turn if the exposure is cold and prolonged even at 28F. A brief dip to 28F overnight is not a big deal. Here is how it works.
https://treefruit.wsu.edu/article/apple-frost-damage-during-harvest/
" Apple frost damage during harvest
Written by Sallato, B., C. Torres and M. Whiting, Updated 2023
We collected some information regarding apple frost damage during harvest and here is what we found.
Dr. J. Shupp, Professor of Pomology at Pennsylvania State University advises on how to handle frozen apples during harvest. He indicates that “apple fruit can withstand up to 4 hours at 28°F before injury occurs”, and the rate of thawing will affect the recovery. However, there are differences between varieties, probably due to differences in sugar content and maturity.
Dennis M from Minnesota Extension answered the question, H ow cold can it get before apples are harmed on the tree?. In summary, he recommends waiting until the frost has left before starting harvest. Fruit can better resist low temperatures on the tree than in a bin. The freezing point of apples is approximately 29°F, but fruit needs to be exposed for a long period at that temperature to freeze.
Kathy Wiederholt from North Dakota State University shared similar information in the article “When to harvest apples”. Temperatures below 28°F can generate ice crystals inside the cells and produce damage. She added that if the days are cold and cloudy prior to the freeze event, the fruit will freeze faster than if the day had been warm and sunny. Reiterating to not touch the fruit until they thaw, and to not consider long storage.
In the article Doesn’t the cold just frost your apples? from Michigan State University Extension a light frost is consider to be when temperatures are between 28°F to 32°F and it should not affect the fruit. However, if there are several nights with temperatures around 28°F there could be fruit drop. They consider a hard frost when temperatures are below 24°F, even if it is for one night. The authors indicates that a hard frost induces the production of ethylene leading to abscission. Management practices can minimize the drop with the use of plant growth regulators.
General recommendations
- Fruit damage can occur with temperatures below 28°F for more than 4 hours.
- Do not manipulate frozen fruit; wait until fruit are completely thawed.
- Fruit can recover from mild freezing.
- If frost damage is suspected, do not consider for long term storage, and monitor firmness.
- Indicators of irreversible frost damage are: flesh browning, softens faster during storage.
Contact
Tree Fruit Extension
"
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probably pick them tom. then.
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