Not as many Apples on my tree

[pilgrimhudd]

My rhubarb hasn't stopped all year. The strawberries were brilliant. The Chilean guava bushes are looking full as usual this year too. Another month or so and they will be ready.

Not heard of Chilean Guava but when I was 10 we lived in Bangladesh and had a guava tree, they were amazing!

 

[jayk34]

Not heard of Chilean Guava but when I was 10 we lived in Bangladesh and had a guava tree, they were amazing!

They are cranberry sized berries. Red skin with pale cream flesh. They taste a cross between strawberry, kiwi, slightly nutty and candy floss. The aroma is beautiful like candy floss and strawberry. Great to eat as a snack or my wife likes gin liqueur made with them.

 

[buddsy]

Most apple trees fruit in two year cycles.

I was going to say this apple trees & pear trees are basically bi-annual.

I have a small apple tree what has done well this year with little damage from the Codling moths (maggots)

Pear & Blackberry done very well but my wife pointed out the fruit fly maggots in the balckberries. Ive never looked for them before and usually just scoff them off the bush. Once youve been shown something you can un-see it! Put me right off!

buddsy

 

[chthon]

I got 30 kg of summer apples (Summerred and James Grieve), and probably also 10 kg of Rambour d'Hiver.

However, about apples being bi-annual (@buddsy , @VW911): not true. But you need to prune your apples when they start growing, remove them so that at most two apples grow on a spur. Remove apples that don't grow as fast. Do the same with pears.

If you don't prune the fruit, then the tree needs so much energy that indeed the next year you want have blossoms.

By the way, the best advice I ever obtained about apple trees came from "Gardener's World".

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I have a Bramley apple tree and a desert apple tree they did nothing last year but have been incredible this year. However I don’t like or make cider so lots of apple sauce for the freezer.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Good crops of tomatoes, French beans, Chard and carrots this year. Last courgette plant is still hanging on gamely.
Lots of blackberries still about, elderflowers were abundant in early summer and I made a a couple of gallons of wine, still a little left sat in a mini keg.

 

[jayk34]

Im on the middle of freezing diced apples and making apple chutney. Everyone complaining about the smell of vinegar.

 

[DavieC]

Lots of apples on my old garden tree this year but a few wild trees I collect off were poor but they're growing on a steep well drained bank so they probably haven't had much water.My Plum tree has died, 4 years old only produced 1 harvest,last year.

 

[peebee]

Was at the Erddig Apple Festival at the weekend and they had recorded their highest number of apple varieties picked (172?) this year. A lot of them (weight) too.

Last year was a dead loss.

Apples have picked up, but the Fair isn't what it used to be. No local cider (Rosie's Triple D and their ancient press operating) for starters.

 

[Moonraker]

What was everyone's harvest like this year. I've had a bumper year this year and have diced and frozen loads, dried loads and intend to make chutneys tomorrow night.

Absolutely brilliant this year thanks. Blackcurrants, wild strawberries, raspberries and blackberries galore. So many pears that I have 5 gallons of Perry on the go, pressed 7 gallons of apples yesterday and still have a couple of large bags to go and started 4 gallons of a Quince/Pear/Apple brew this afternoon. Haven't even started picking the Bramley or Cox's Orange Pippin trees yet!

 

[Polcho]

This is my first proper year with cider, the three Dabenett trees I planted have finally fruited. We were also lucky to have the apples from another tree donated to us.

I have looked for help with pruning and feeding.

I have read that Dabenett needs high potash, but how one feeds a tree, I have no idea. Pruning is a bit of a mystery to me. I need a basic book on that.

 

[Polcho]

We took the last tree in yesterday. Ended up with juice at 1062.