It's almost apple harvesting time, and this is a very exciting year for me! I have a bumper crop of 43 apples!
Six years ago I bought a self pollinating apple tree that I have grown in a pot. Over the years, I've averaged 13 apples each year (expect in 2013 when I had 0 apples). This year I've taken extra care; I've ensured the tree didn't dry out; I was careful in Spring and throughout Summer to take off leaves infected by little green caterpillars that ALWAYS infest the tree and eat the apples. I have fed and fertilized. (And I pruned last year).
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| A view upwards. It may be hard to believe there are 43 apples but there are. However, some are going to be too small for eating. I just couldn't bare taking any off. This year is a bit of a quantity competition! |
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| These apples have fallen from the tree naturally (not counted in my 43). The tree has shed quite a few apples over the Summer, a natural process. Of course, I'm not sure what variety of apples they are, as the label is long gone and I never recorded what variety I bought. So looking forward to eating my organic apples this year! |
Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.
My new tree - "Winter Banana" - planted in January, has produced 8 apples in its first year. Not many, but they are big ones and look good. Maybe one day it will produce 43!
ReplyDeleteWe are picking apples too and we never take off any small ones either.
ReplyDeleteYour apples look absolutely perfect. Picking caterpillars off of them certainly works; here I can barely reach the bottom branches. I'd venture a guess that your apples are some variety of Delicious. It is little wonder that old farms always had apple trees. We had 100 year old apple trees on the little farm where I grew up. It was always my job to pick the windfalls to make apple sauce for the freezer. I am still doing that today! I love that you have a potted apple tree. It has done well for you. I have to thank you for your kind comment on my blog anniversary. Looking back you were one of the very first to sign on and been with me all of these years. I have enjoyed your blog because I admire the success you have with seed starting. On another note, I love Ireland, having visited, but not Northern Ireland. I am thinking that I must return, especially to Meath. I am looking for my great (3) grandfather and if the couple I have found are my ancestors one was born in Westmeath and other in Meath. I am 75% sure that these are my grandparents--I just have to prove it. Anyway, thanks so much for staying with me all of these years.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I have an urge to have a peach tree, even though peaches aren't generally grown in central Ohio. We warm up too quickly in the spring, and when the peach blossoms are fooled into coming too soon, they invariably get hit by frost and the peaches are lost. But I sure would love to grow some! Sometimes they do turn out well.
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