The method to enjoy our sometimes frustrating hobby and obsession

[alan]

In the words of baby boomer fav, Gilda Radner, “it’s always something”, but for hobby fruit growers problems are often plural.

This year a single very cold night in the last week of March destroyed about 80% of my potential stonefruit crop and now the consequences of drought have brought me stinkbugs and hungry birds, squirrels and raccoons. I was really looking forward to my TangO peach crop because drought conditions are perfect for it but just discovered that likely coons wiped out most of the crop from my single tree- and they almost never go after unripe fruit- what was left behind was very coon like (the chew marks on all the seeds at the base of the tree) and although branch damage wasn’t bad I just killed two small cubs (ah, so cute!) that are my primary suspects.

There aren’t that many squirrels in my surrounding woods this year, but what there are can smell my fruit from afar, apparently. Fortunately they’ve mostly focused on my IE mulberry tree where I’ve been able to keep up with them by trapping and killing.

Oh, yeah- the point of this topic was how to enjoy a season full of adversity. Well, I got a pretty good crop of great tasting apricots because I trained them against the sunnier walls of my house- even birds are less prone to disturb fruit next to human habitat in my area- maybe because it’s a gun loving county. Gotta great blueberry crop until it got a little too hot. I also keep getting a scattering of good fruit and may just get a bountiful Sept peach crop- the drought has escalated brix.

The point is to expect nothing and celebrate what comes. Nothing destroys joy more than focusing on unrealized expectations. I believe that gratitude can be nurtured in ones own mind and the happiest people I meet tend to embrace that mind set.

[marknmt]

@alan

The point is to expect nothing and celebrate what comes. Nothing destroys joy more than focusing on unrealized expectations. I believe that gratitude can be nurtured in ones own mind and the happiest people I meet tend to embrace that mind set.

Yup. Sometimes (often?) it’s all about letting go.

[MikeC]

Fruit years is always hit or miss. That is why I think we always put out more fruit trees and garden items that we actually think we will use. If we get some fruits or vegetables “YEAH!” if not for the birds, animals, insects, and Mother Nature taking care of them first.

[alan]

@marknmt

it’s all about letting go.

plus celebrating what ends up in your grasp, like the peach I ate today with 18 brix. Peaches just don’t get that sweet here unless we have drought.

[Robert]

A surprise late snow took out a fair amount of mine as well. Like you I’m fighting the animals for the rest. So far I’m getting about a hand full of fruit from each tree. Eating around the bugs. Brown rot tempered my expectations years ago.

[SoCalGardenNut]

I found the June bugs are back, enjoying my figs. I was going to give some away to the ladies at my senior center. Oh well.

[alan]

I don’t get it. Why isn’t the fabric surrounding the tree?

It’s funny how insects behave differently in different regions- we have junebugs but I’ve never seen them on fruit. But here they are true to their name so there isn’t much fruit when they are around.

[SoCalGardenNut]

They even climb inside the fabric, I didn’t have enough, so I only cover some figs, not all the figs. The figs that are splitting are the ones that attract them. We’ve been on vacation, but tonight I will remove them for sure.

[alan]

Here the two varieties I grow only split from too much rain- not your problem. I picked the first one today- probably the earliest non-breba ever at this site about 40 miles N. of NY City. So far, no danger of cracking- our July was about as dry as your Dec.

[SoCalGardenNut]

I picked some of them today, but they are not at the best in terms of ripeness. However I get bored eating these figs all by myself, my husband is not too crazy about them, so I have a few I can give away. Finally had one really juicy Peter’s Honey. This variety doesn’t split. But I still see some June bugs inside the net. Frankly I don’t like these June bugs, I know they are harmless but I don’t like the buzzing sound and they often fly into me. They need to give me some personal space, lol.

[TNHunter]

I have not had any june bugs bother my figs… but a couple years ago i picked a nice ripe fig and brought it inside to eat and luckily cut it open before eating.

A Japanese beetle had entered the eye and completely submerged himself into the fig.

There was no sign of him from the outside.

That is when i started using garbanzo bags on my figs… 4x6 bags work great for me on figs… you have to tie them on tightly and i do. No ants bugs bees wasp hornets… just a nice perfect fig.

I put them on when the figs first size up and change color… usually about a week before they are fully ripe.

[SoCalGardenNut]

I get lazy thinking about it, that seems like a lot of work. Why can I be a lazy gardener, lol.

[ampersand]

I’ve been picking blackberries the last few days… that’s a fruit that gives rewards when all else fails. I’m mad at the curculio for wrecking my apples, the squirrels do already eating my pears, borers for killing my peach, and rodents for eating my watermelon. But the blackberries are good!

[TNHunter]

I only have the one fig tree but it is huge now … in ground 11 shoots around 7 ft tall now… each one loaded with figs… we got near 400 figs last year from 10 shoots.

But normally there are only like 10 to 25 in the final ripening stage at a time.

So you get bags on those… and each day when you pick the ripe ones… you can just put those bags on others that have sized up and changed color.

So as i harvest ripe figs… i also bag any new ones that have entered that final ripening stage.

Wish i had a handfull like that now. Those were from last year. Very clean nice blemish free… no bugs

[SoCalGardenNut]

I thought figs don’t ripen anymore after picking them, last year lots of them. I gave some to my brother but his kids don’t eat them either.

[disc4tw]

What are the two you grow? I’m curious as you know folks are very passionate about the fruit and generally stop at around 45 once they start, not 2.

[northwoodswis4]

The deer chewed up my Nelson blackberry canes over the winter after the deer spray wore off. Just have one cane with berries inside an enclosure for a hazelnut.

[BobVance]

@alan

problems are often plural
…
a single very cold night in the last week of March destroyed about 80% of my potential stonefruit crop

Turns out I lost most of my stonefruit, even though I hadn’t thought so initially. But, strangely, my pluots didn’t seem affected (particularly Flavor Grenade). Geo Pride got thinned, but is starting to ripen now.

The way I can tell the fruit is almost ripe is when something eats part of it. I’m not sure if it is yellow jackets, birds, or something else.

I’ve been cutting off the eaten parts and the rest is really quite good. One of them ranged from 17-21 brix and was still crunchy. I wish I could leave them longer to ripen- I bet I could get crisp 25 brix fruit. Makes it tempting to put in a greenhouse.

@alan

There aren’t that many squirrels in my surrounding woods this year, but what there are can smell my fruit from afar, apparently.

I thought that I had eliminated the chipmunks, as I’ve been getting a few ripe stawberries from my everbearers (they completely cleaned out the first flush in June). But, earlier today I saw a chipmunk staring at me a chittering at me…I took it to mean- “Please put more peanut butter on the wheel of death, I need to be eliminated”

@alan

Here the two varieties I grow only split from too much rain- not your problem. I picked the first one today- probably the earliest non-breba ever

It’s not Reservoir is it? I don’t have any ripe yet on any of mine (4 in ground and some in pots). Unlike the previous winter (12-15F low), this past winter was enough to cause quite a bit of dieback (0-5F). Some were killed to close (maybe a foot or two) of the ground, while this one had some live buds up to about 5’ (site was warmest and it is outside both an AC unit and a window, close to a building).

There are a lot of figs on it, but I don’t think any will ripen before September (unlike last year when I got about 8 pounds in late July from the largest).

@ampersand

I’ve been picking blackberries the last few days… that’s a fruit that gives rewards when all else fails.

I think we had too long of a hot dry stretch. I didn’t think to water the blackberries (I don’t recall needing to in the past…) and many of them are small, with some canes not producing much. There are also plenty with sun scald (the white druplets).

@MikeC

That is why I think we always put out more fruit trees and garden items that we actually think we will use.

And having a variety of different things planted helps increase your chances of something working. For example, the hot sunny weather we’ve had this year is perfect for jujubes. I’ve got the best fruit set (they flower in June and set in July) ever. Hopefully nothing ruins it before it ripens.

[alan]

The damaged fruit looks to me like multiple bird pecks. The birds disappeared last year and are really destructive this one. I will have to throw some nets in my truck today and protect a few trees before I start summer pruning.

[alan]

@disc4tw

What are the two you grow?

One of them is LSU purple and the other an unkown variety smuggled from Italy at least at couple generations ago. The LSU is a bit sweeter- probably because it sets lighter crops- but they are very similar, smallish purple figs. Actually I do have another that Bob gave me that ripens later. This is the first year it set its fruit soon enough to fully ripen, which is weird. All the other figs I’ve ever grown set figs that ripened at around the same time from the first season they had fruit.

OK, not a big sample size. In the past I also grew Chicago hardy. .

I like a good sweet fig but don’t need more than two trees to get much more than we can eat- on good years.