Some of my trees are 12 years old. I didn’t seem to matter this year. Weather was the culprit. I had tons of blossoms, on cherry, plum, pear and apple. Mostly all have dropped their fruit now. Just bought brand new netting for my big trees this year and I probably will not open the packages. Boy this past spring was really tough. My Mott Pink apple has 12 pieces of fruit. My Enterprise apple has 7 apples. My Jonagold has a fair share of fruit. (only tree). My mirabelles were loaded with blossoms this spring and one tree has 44 plums the other has 6. My Bavay plum has 5, and my Italian plum (always a standout, has about 30 plums). Boy, this being my last year here, I am truly sad to leave my orchard, and leave it with no fruit. This is one tough hobby in this zone. This fall I will be off to zone 9a and will be buying a house in France, where I can grow apricots. I’ll probably have little French rats running around with berets on eating everything. I will miss my experiments here, but not the ice and pests. Lots of berries though and pears!!! Oooh la la!
…and figs. Don’t forget about the figs! Some really great varieties over there in Europe.
Good the hear about the pears, as there is a giant pear tree at a house the next street over that has since been forclosed. Told my kids we are going over there with 5 gallon buckets when the pears are ripe and loading up!
Maybe that orchard that you’ve invested so much of yourself developing wanted to make it easier on you to leave it behind. Think how much more difficult it would be to tell it good-bye if it were a year of bounty and everything was just about, but not quite, ready to harvest.
Other than berries, figs, grapes and probably pears, which are doing exceptionally well, I will also have a very meager year this year. I’m surprisingly okay with that. I mourned their loss in January, before it actually occurred. Now I’m just enjoying the little bit of each type that set and held anything at all, and sometimes wondering what next year will bring. I hope it’s better.
May next year be better for you, MrsG, and may you be in good health to savor it! Whatever happens, you have much to look forward to while you’re on a new learning curve in your new environment.
I don’t blame you for wanting to escape those New England winters.
If I had 44 mirabelles on my trees, I’d be ecstatic. I’ve yet to experience one.
Our loss is France’s gain. You will need to prepare yourself to decline all of our future pleas to send the rare varieties of Europe back to us.
My Bluberry bushes seem to be off. Two of them seem full, the other eight bushes have very few on them. Very healthy looking just a little fruit. Not sure if it was the fact that last year was a bonanza. Apples seem a little thinner this year even on my Jona gold and Liberty trees. I’ve read that Massachusett orchards will have less apples because of the huge amounts they had last year.
I also have found fluctuations in my blueberry harvests both in different seasons, but also just between bushes, often of the same variety. I am guessing I must have the acidity better on some bushes. This year I have a Northsky bush with the heaviest set I have ever experienced. Right next to it is another Northsky with hardly a berry. Last year was nearly a complete blueberry failure for me, so heavy crop the previous year wasn’t the cause for the difference.
I have trees with no fruit too. Plus it was a terrible year for grafting but still looks like I have one take of most of the verities I was given from members. There are a few I will be asking for again next year though. I wish you well in France. Now we will have a member from Europe on the map.
My Northsky is the only bush that held its fruit this year.
Sorry to hear, but not too hard to find the silver lining with your soon to be improved zone conditions.