The Old Folks Home

[Cynthia12]

Well chickadoodles if you don't get any in your area this fall just come to Iowa!
The weather is apparently trying to drive everyone here nuts so there shouldn't be a shortage!

On Sunday April 28 it was 78 and sunny.
Then we get 12 inches of snow on May 3 and.....
today it is supposed to be 74 and partly cloudy. Why can't it be partly sunny?

Nuts? How cool would that be? What type of nuts do you get? And, for the first time in years, our apple trees did not get a whole lot of blossoms, in fact the opposite. Not expecting a lot this year. We don't mind from the front tree, but those back ones are just wonderful. Our pear and cheery trees did blossom out again, so will get pears, and cherries.

 

[ronott1]

Nuts? How cool would that be? What type of nuts do you get? And, for the first time in years, our apple trees did not get a whole lot of blossoms, in fact the opposite. Not expecting a lot this year. We don't mind from the front tree, but those back ones are just wonderful. Our pear and cheery trees did blossom out again, so will get pears, and cherries.

My Plum tree blossomed real well along with one Mandarin Orange tree. The plums are falling off though. I hope I get a bunch this year!

Almonds are supposed to be a huge crop for us here this year. They said 3Billion dollars worth. California produces 80 or 90 % of the Worlds Almonds....I love them too....I grew up with Almonds on ten acres and Prunes on 20!

 

[gryeyes]

My peach tree already has little, bitty peachlets on it, but there is a whole lot of leaf curl on the tree. . I planted a cherry and apricot last year and they leafed out really nicely, but I haven't seen any blossoms. There were tons of blossoms on the apple tree, earlier, and even some on the surprise, half dead pear tree I discovered on the property last year so maybe there will be more than eight pears THIS year. The apple is a proven producer: sweet Gravenstein.

Boy, the roosters have been crowing a lot this morning after the rain. The hens are all over the place finding post-rain bugs and worms.

 

[7 Biddies]

Nuts? How cool would that be? What type of nuts do you get? And, for the first time in years, our apple trees did not get a whole lot of blossoms, in fact the opposite. Not expecting a lot this year. We don't mind from the front tree, but those back ones are just wonderful. Our pear and cheery trees did blossom out again, so will get pears, and cherries.

My biggest problem is the bears. Every time I get a good apple crop, the bears visit just before they're ready for picking. One year, my tree was LOADED. I watched, watered, and nurtured all summer, as my apples grew. As they were turning red, my mouth began to water. One Saturday morning, on the weekend when I figured the apples would finally be ready for harvest, I went out on the porch to admire my bounty. There I stood, coffee mug in hand, wondering why there were no RED apples on the tree. Upon further inspection, I discovered there were NO apples on the tree. Not a single one. The bears (I assume a mama had cubs to climb the tree for her) had raided my apples, leaving me with nothing but a bunch of leaves on the ground; not a core, not a stem, NOTHING!

When the trees were young, they pulled both of them over to stick the apples directly into their mouths. One was at about a 75 degree angle with parts of its roots above ground and had to removed. The other sits at a 45 degree angle, and is currently supported with beams. The top has since grown up straight, so it's a funky looking apple tree. I'm having to plant another for cross pollination, but don't know how I'm going to protect it and keep it from being pulled over, too.

A friend suggested I let him put in an electrified fence this year. If it looks like I'm getting a bumper crop again, I just might do it. If the bears would leave me a few apples, it wouldn't be so bad, but they're so greedy!!

 

[chickadoodles]

IAFarmGirl, I know this weather has been crazy for everyone everywhere! I saw there could be more snow in the northern part of the US still to come!

 

[chickadoodles]

Cynthia, We have some pecan and shagbark hickory nut trees. It is great that your Cherry and Pear tree bloomed again! I wish mine would have! I may get a few pears and golden delicious apples. But not enough to can or make any pies! UGH!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I just transplanted my tomatoes into bigger pots... but am not going to put them in the ground yet. Still in the cold frame!

I just started my cucurbit seeds yesterday... this is crazy, I'm not going to get any produce until September at this rate!

 

[chickadoodles]

I am going to fertilize and use epsom salts like crazy to try to get mine going!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Yes, I plan to fertilize with duck poop water ASAP.

Even my bulb onions, which normally look good at this time don't appreciate the IT'S HOT... not wait... IT'S COLD weather. They're looking terrible.

 

[chickadoodles]

I have been saving all the old shavings from my brooders to use so I will be using that as well! But this hot and cold it making it hard on all of us! GRRRR!!!!