Spring?
The blare of yellow forsythia flowers muted by a thin coat of wet snow, bright green blades of grass poking up through a white blanket – you can never describe a New Hampshire spring as boring!
- Snow covers peaches in bloom in a NH orchard. Photo: W. Lord.
What does this yo-yo weather mean for fruit crops? That is anyone’s guess at this point in time. So far, so good as low temperatures lately have been cold, but not cold enough to damage crops. Of course, there is a lot of spring left and until we get to late May, growers will be edgy at best.
Pruning meetings, in fact any meetings that UNH Cooperative Extension conducts covering any aspect of home food production, are bursting at the seams, both in numbers and enthusiasm. Uncertainty is likely playing a role in this high level of interest, but I have a feeling that wanting to do something that has real personal value is the main factor driving the interest.
Interested in learning how to grow fruits in your home garden? Attend a workshop on growing fruits at home in Boscawen on April 22 (Growing Fruit at Home Workshop).
Bill Lord, April 16, MMX
Posted: April 16th, 2010 under Fruit Growers Journal.
Comments
Comment from Bill
Time April 19, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Assuming the trees grew well last year, why not leave a few fruit. Be careful not to over-crop the trees – thin peaches and nectarines to 1 every 8 inches or so and break up plum clusters to single fruits. A few fruits in year 2 help to keep interest high and offer a taste of what is in store over the next few years.
Comment from Tom Kaye
Time April 19, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Our 2 yr. fruit trees are starting to blossom, mostly the stone fruits (peaches, plum, nectarines) I think that’s a good sign that the trees survived their first winter. If fruit should form do we limit their number or let the trees do it’s thing?