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1. 5-25
   8:00
   pm

   You may need to fertilize the trees. Check with your local farmers co-op. They can tell you what to use. Here in Tennessee we use 13-13-13.

   marrypoppinz
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2. 5-25
   8:13
   pm

   I had a friend visit last fall and he pruned my three apple trees. Two of them are doing better than they have done for years. The little one died. I think it might have died anyway, it was not doing well. The other two look terrific. So maybe as well as food they could use a good pruning.

   Jan Hodges
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3. 5-25
   9:46
   pm

   You are going to be canning or jam making around the clock this year.

   lattelady
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4. 5-25
   10:31
   pm

   inb addition to the ladder, there may be dormant spray in your future, too. Pruning does wonders for ‘neglected’ trees.

   bonita
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5. 5-25
   10:35
   pm

   Be sure to keep a close eye on the birds as your cherries ripen…they are keeping a close eye on the cherries!
   It sounds like you will be having a great abundance of fruit in a couple years. Good luck with all the trees.
   Are your “deer apple trees” way up in the field going to have apples on them too? Or are the deer keeping them pruned? Sounds like maybe a good place to get a few deer pictures sometime.
   I love reading about everything going on there at Sassafras Farm. Makes me want to be there!

   brookdale
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6. 5-25
   11:49
   pm

   Speaking of apples, did you know that the world famous Golden Delicious Apple was discovered about 10 air miles from your farm… in Clay County? The original tree was found on the Mullins’ family farm in Clay County, West Virginia, just north of Clendenin.

   In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of the Golden delicious apple. It had the highest number of genes (57,000) of any plant genome studied to date.

   WvSky
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7. 5-26
   12:13
   am

   Apple trees should be pruned yearly to get a good fruit set. It’s not hard, but should be done correctly. There are a number of instructional videos on YouTube, just Google “how to prune apple trees.” My husband’s family includes a couple of apple farmers in Australia, one of whom taught him how to prune apple trees on a visit here many years ago. I wouldn’t give up on your apple trees until they’ve had a couple of years of good pruning.

   whaledancer
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8. 5-26
   1:48
   am

   I agree with whaledancer, don’t give up on the old apple trees. A couple seasons of pruning should help. You need to learn how because the new trees you planted will need pruning to keep them productive.

   mds9
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9. 5-26
   4:00
   am

   Speaking of cherry trees- I’ve read different things about cherry leaves being poisonous for some large animals, goats in particular. Is that really true? If so, how do you keep you sweet goats safe with cherries on the property? I’ve got a couple of cherry trees ordered and want to make sure I’m not setting up my animals for problems.

   Thanks,
   Elizabeth

   mtnmedx
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10. 5-26
    7:07
    am

    The cherry tree is by the house. I don’t keep the goats by the house–or any of the animals, for that matter. Occasionally I let the horses come in, but they are here for short periods of time under supervision.

    Suzanne McMinn
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11. 5-26
    9:07
    am

    I love your fruit trees. We have 2 apricots that are loaded this year. There are more on one tree than on both trees two years ago. Yum apricot jam, preserves, brandy!

    mamawolf
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12. 5-26
    5:16
    pm

    i think that some old varieties only fruit every second year? friends in upstate NY had such trees as that.
    the trees were so tall she could never get the apples until they were over-ripe and fell. i agree that she should have trimmed them a little at the right time each year or so.

    bar2a
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13. 5-26
    10:25
    pm

    Hopefully, for you and the cherries, you don’t see any birds in your future. I swear the birds here have been sitting on the power lines just…waiting. For the ripening.

    kitler
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