The Orchard

I have always wanted an orchard. I think my fascination with fruit trees comes from my childhood experiences. In the place I grew up, fruit trees grew everywhere, and in fact, one of my favorite things in the whole world as a child was to find an empty property, be it a house or a business, with fruit trees in the backyard. Yes, I know, I was trespassing but this transgression was benign in that I was only interested in the fruit left unpicked on the tree.
Funny thing is, the fruit I was picking there and then is considered exotic where I live now, and the fruit I grow now was considered exotic back in my childhood desert. It was routine for me to find pomegranate, dates, quince, mango, guava, fig, orange, grapefruit, and lime trees. Tamarind trees were almost a nuisance and some fruit trees I climbed are unique to hot climates like the Sonoran desert. I remember my beloved guamuchil trees, which kept me fed many a summer.

SWEET GUAMUCHIL PODS

Thus, as soon as I had the yard space, I planted fruit trees. Today I have a nectarine tree that has produced fruit from the very first year I planted it. I have a Granny Smith apple tree that has taken quite a while to become fully productive. I am on my second peach tree; the first one was a beauty that gave me peaches every year but alas, it finally died after 10 years. I planted a new tree and it has also produced well in the last 8 or so years. The plum tree however, has never produced viable fruit. When I bought the tree, I was told that it was self-pollinating but I believe this is not true. I finally bought a couple of new plum trees to see if I can get my plum production kick-started.

METHLEY PLUM, THE EARLY YEARS

I picked the new plum varieties solely on their ability to pollinate each other. The plum on the east side is a Methley plum and the plum to the west is an Ozark Premium. I never recorded the the variety of the plum I planted 13 years ago and I sure wish I had.

My future plans for the orchard include pears, persimmons, and cherries. I definitely need another apple tree and I got to duplicate my nectarine via cuttings.

THE CAGE VIEWED FROM THE ORCHARD

For now, it's all up to sun, water, and dirt.

Thank you for stopping by!!!


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