Fruit Grower’s Journal

Another good snow storm – it is starting to add up.  The paths to the apple storage and equipment shed are starting to look like canyons.  And pruning, on warmer days, is a “no snowshoes, no service” event.
Pruning on snowshoes is a challenge.  Many growers make their own shoes from a piece of plywood.  They [...]

About 8:00 this morning I decided to wander into the orchard just to see the trees.  A plump, red-breasted robin let out a squawk.  It and I were both surprised we were not alone on a cold, 8o below zero morning.  I smiled to think that those fruit left hanging over winter were being put [...]

My father-in-law would react to a really cold winter’s day or raging blizzard with the observation, “now that’s an old-fashioned winter.”  Temperatures plummeted this week pushing most of the state well below zero.  Friday morning was especially cold.  How low did it go?  The normal cold spots, those low areas where cold air [...]

Snow, sleet, ice, cold, more snow, real cold – the last couple of weeks have had something for almost everyone.  Through it all our trees have been quietly enjoying their dormancy, a necessary sleep that will end with the warmth of spring in just 3 short months.  Has the weather turmoil done any harm to [...]