May haws about to ripen. Berries make a fantastic jelly . THe birds, squirrels, coons, possums, turkeys, deer...just about everything...likes them. Over the years I have planted numerous orchards around the farm with various varieties of pears, apples, crab apples, plums, Japanese persimmons, and may haws.
Last couple of years I've been experimenting with Dunstan chestnuts with mixed results. I've planted about 40 of them with only modest survival success. Marketing may be better than reality with them?
Any experience with Flatwoods Plums? There are several on a lease I am on that the deer will camp out under in late September/early October. After watching deer fight in early archery season over plums dropping from one of these trees I decided I needed a few on my property. I planted 50 from Supertree Seedlings but only had a few make it while the other trees I planted (dwarf chiquapins, and sawtooth oaks) all made it. I have planted many different types of oak seedlings succesfully but my first go at fruit trees didn't go that well. Do you do anything differently when you plant fruit trees vs oaks?
I've never planted flatwood plums. WHile I've planted a few different varieties of plums around I dont plant them much any more. Now I'm mostly planting pears, apples, and Japanese persimmons. Of them all I find pears the hardiest with less insect problems and higher survival. By planting different varieties it spreads out the ripening and drop over most of late summer and fall. Same is true with apples.
WE plant fruit trees same as any other. I use composted cotton seed for 2-3 yrs then dont do much of anything after that. Of course they all require protective sleeves to keep deer from killing them. I also prune for a couple of years to try to get a shape I want then after that let them go.
Culti packing a disked crimson clover field to plant Alyce clover/joint vetch combo. 10lb/acre of each. I expect the crimson to come back this winter and reseed itself for years to come. Because the Alyce and vetch are legumes they are inoculated first before planting.. My expectation is they will go to seed in the fall. Next spring after the crimson has died I will mow and expect the vetch and Alyce to come back as well. That combo should last many years if managed properly.
This is fire blight in a pear tree. This particular orchard has had a problem with it for last few years. Tomorrow I will prune all effected limbs and burn . Thats the only solution I know.
The lesson learned is to only buy blight resistant trees.
Cowpeas coming up thru the elbon rye thatch. Exactly what I was hoping for. The thatch holds moisture and suppresses weeds while the cultivars come up thru it having been planted with a no till drill. Hopefully the peas, beans and sunflowers jump up and start shading out any weeds that do germinate though I dont mind some weeds in the fields. This is deer farming, not commercial farming.
Have about 50 acres of peas, beans with sunflowers and pearl millet planted and thanks to very timely rains everything is coming up.
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