Jump to content

Finally going to start my orchard

BornToHunt
 Share

Recommended Posts

BornToHunt Newbie

BornToHunt

Posted
Posted

Finally got about 1 acre cleared and leveled and am looking to start planting my orchard. I have a few trees scattered throughout my property but i want to dedicate a whole acre to them. Besides apples can anyone give me advice on what fruit and nut trees i can plant. My property is in the cooperstown area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Doc Experienced

Doc

Posted
Posted

I have 3 apple trees, and 5 peach trees. I'll be putting in 3 pear trees in the spring (all good hearty trees for NYS). Apricots and cherries are popular also. We put in what we thought would be just right for the two of us and got buried in fruit this year to the point where we were giving the stuff away. As far as the critters are concerned, they are welcome to the drops, and anything they can reach from outside the welded wire fencing that I have around each tree (a strong recommendation by the way). These trees are primarily for human use only.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BornToHunt Newbie

BornToHunt

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I was thinking of cherry and pears but not peaches. Arent they a warm weather fruit? Are there cold hearty varieties? As for they wire fence, i learned that lesson the hard way when deer ate all the branches off an apple tree i planted right down to the trunk. How about nut trees. Will chestnuts and filberts grow upstate?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Doc Experienced

Doc

Posted
Posted

I was thinking of cherry and pears but not peaches. Arent they a warm weather fruit? Are there cold hearty varieties? As for they wire fence, i learned that lesson the hard way when deer ate all the branches off an apple tree i planted right down to the trunk. How about nut trees. Will chestnuts and filberts grow upstate?

This year, I had so many peaches that I had to strip a lot of them off early before they started to split the limbs off. And even after a severe thinning, we put up more fruit than we can eat in two years. And we live in a deep narrow valley known for early freezes. Now I don't expect that every year. Hell, we don't even get apples every year with that frost situation. But peaches are a commercial crop in NYS.

 

Yes there are cold weather varieties and it pays to look for that feature regardless of what fruit you put in. I have not gotten involved with planting nut trees, but I had harvested and shelled a pile of wild hickory nuts and wild walnuts this year.

 

I had cherry trees but the Japanese beetles killed them. They seemed to love those cherry leaves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
G-Man Veteran

G-Man

Posted
Posted

chestnuts and filberts(hazelnuts) grow well though its tough to keep squirrels off the fillberts, and my newest problem is keeping bears out of the chestnut..(havent had much luck with anything i tried) as for apples/pears look for varieties that blossom and drop fruit at various times, that way if you get a frost some will possible stll bear fruit, and likewise in fall fruit dropping at different times keeps the draw longer than a smorgasborg all dropping at once.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Doc Experienced

Doc

Posted
Posted

where do you get your trees from? I've been looking all over and nothing ships before April 1st

I have gotten all of my trees from Miller nurseries near Canandaigua, and always had pretty good luck with them. However, they were bought out and I understand they are closed down now, so I am searching around now for a new supplier myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
growalot Newbie

growalot

Posted
Posted

The kiwi are the vine type non fuzzy large berries...I get hundreds of #'s from 3 female and a male fine...the persimmon are growing great...flowering yearly..but the Meader has fruit 15ft tall the wild ones...I had deer destroy 2 and then eat  two  down... one is 20 foot lots of flowers but no fruit the last year.... I believe male...fear the females are the ones lost...but have some almost large enough to flower again...Meaders are self  fruitfull ...the key is...keep deer out...but planting enough wild ones to get both male and female or go with a grafted tree..cost little more ..but worth it...Then protection until they grow tall enough...(wind)..I grew mine amongst dog wood  brush...and moisture...set in moist areas...My property is a series of hills and "ledges"  as I call them sloping " flat " areas..I planted where the water drains off the high parts of the hill

 

The pics show the kiwi fruit and the last one ...vine a tad out of control...they need heavy pruning which I didn't get to last year ..under that mound of green is an 8x8x8ft arbor/swing/potting table...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BornToHunt Newbie

BornToHunt

Posted
  • Author
Posted

where do you get your trees from? I've been looking all over and nothing ships before April 1st

I have gotten some of my trees from Willis Orchard but they are hit or miss. The blue berries i purchased all lived but a few of the apple trees didn't make it. There are probably better companies out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BornToHunt Newbie

BornToHunt

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wow grow thats great. Do you have to prune alot to keep your orchard prodctive? Also what type of fertilizer do you use.  I live quite a distance from my land and its going to be hard to put in alot of time for these trees. Are they self sufficient for the most part.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
UpstateNomad90 Newbie

UpstateNomad90

Posted
Posted

where do you get your trees from? I've been looking all over and nothing ships before April 1st

 

 

I have gotten all of my trees from Miller nurseries near Canandaigua, and always had pretty good luck with them. However, they were bought out and I understand they are closed down now, so I am searching around now for a new supplier myself.

 

 

I have gotten some of my trees from Willis Orchard but they are hit or miss. The blue berries i purchased all lived but a few of the apple trees didn't make it. There are probably better companies out there.

 

 

I am placing an order through my neighboring county soil and water department. Both my county and this county have orders every year. They offer shrubs, trees and fruit trees. This year I will be ordering blueberry bushes for my house and a pear tree and for my hunting camp I will be ordering 2-4 apple trees that will be between 4-6 feet each. I think the trees cost me 2/25 area for apples, 2/10 for blueberries and the pear I am not sure on. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SilverSalmon586 Newbie

SilverSalmon586

Posted
Posted

Waflers has some 3 yr trees left over - close to 2" caliper(huge - like 8') All disease resistant. I like em' tall so at least the central leader is above browse height. I think they will ship bf 4/1 if u ask.

Agree I liked millers, got a lot at their half off sale the Friday before Memorial Day. Have a bunch of liberty, Freedom and jonafree on m7 RS from the and they've all made it and are producing fruit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
growalot Newbie

growalot

Posted
Posted

I use to use the goat manure...but now I use tree spikes and the composted chicken litter...I also have 8 blue berry bushes and Aronia bushes...I prune some trees yearly...other's..wild apples..I prune every few years.....all vines have to be pruned in winter..but the kiwi at least once after fruiting as well.....this year I'm adding Highbursh cranberries...our property is loaded with wild...goose ..blk..and raspberries...strawberries....May apples...elderberry..witchhazel...blue cohlish.and bearberry.

l mention this because much of the planting I do is with wild life in mind....I keep in mind what is growing where when deciding to plant non natural occurring food sources..also what else is utilizing these plants......ie turkey grouse..pheasant..wood duck...rabbit..

 

We have dog wood brush and trees and Russian olive...the brush I kill off some, but keep some...for they are used by many animals

Link to comment
Share on other sites
growalot Newbie

growalot

Posted
Posted

We are very lucky...it's amazing the wild plants we have growing...I find something new nearly every year...I think it's like the mylar...latex and small hot air balloons that manage to find our place...seeds blow in from every where...We also have wild geraniums...Solomon seal and false Solomon seal...ginseng and false ginseng ...ginger,,,barberry...all the red oak...leeks every where....every kind of wild flower..so many different trees...birch..and birch cherry...hickories.... blk walnut ...so many different ferns and mosses and wild life...last year we found a baby painted turtle in the flower bed...hellbenders...so many red newts you have to watch where you walk...The list just goes on and on...my field guides have been kept very busy....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BornToHunt Newbie

BornToHunt

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wow grow sound like you have quite an ecosystem there. I am looking to plant most of these trees for myself first and the wildlife second. I love the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables. I have quite an extensive garden here where i live and though i could extend that to my property.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...