We have been planting a little orchard out near the chook run over the last 5-7 years, and the trees are really starting to produce - been eating, drying and preserving (Fowlers Vacola jars) fruit for 3 weeks now.
 
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Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm!
 
Marcus

WOW!!

We get hammered by birds if we don't net the trees, so some polypipe frames with bird-netting draped over the top is used. The first two years that the apricot trees (x2) bore fruit we didn't get to harvest anything. Although I use a double layer of the netting a  few little Silvereyes still find their way in.
 
 
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Marcus

Just what Rick said! and again for emphasis, WOW!

Unfortunately, nets don't keep moose off of my apple trees.

Paul

Very nice harvest, jealous.  The pictures of fresh fruit are nice since we are in the dead of winter up here, gives us something to look forward to.

We have really only just started on this year's harvest -  still have most of the plums, the nectarines, apples, quinces and pears to go. Between the $@&€#% horses and the birds we had no cherries this year.

Varieties planted include:

Apricots - Trevatt and Moorpark
Peach - Red Noonan
Plums - Santa Rosa, Mariposa, Satsuma, President, Green Gage, Coes Golden Drop and Angelina Burdett
Pears - Williams, Beurre Bosce, Packhams Triumph
Cherries - Stella, Lapins, Sunburst, Morello
Apples - Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Pomme de Neige, Jonathan, Cox's Orange Pippen, Gravenstein, Peasgood Nonsuch
Nectarines - don't know, as the older one was already here, and the newer one self seeded.
Others - Loquat, Mulberry, Quince, Persimmon

So a few varieties to compare. We intend to plant a few more to extend the harvest Nov-Dec, and May-Jul.

Marcus

Yur killin' me...

Paul

My wife & I set out several peach n& apple trees. The deer screw them up by rubbing them during the  rut. I now have wire cages around them.    ....Paul H

Marcus - I was wondering if you had considered making wine with some of the excess of your harvests. It is a good way to use some of the over-ripe stuff AND the under-ripe (for some astringency). Just a thought since I am in the process of making the rhubarb-ginger wine.

Paul

I have some aspens . . . . . . do they count?

 The frost to frost days are so short (46 last year) here I doubt you could get anything but those puny apples from our flowering crab.

RJ

Quote from: gitano;145778Marcus - I was wondering if you had considered making wine with some of the excess of your harvests. It is a good way to use some of the over-ripe stuff AND the under-ripe (for some astringency). Just a thought since I am in the process of making the rhubarb-ginger wine.

Paul

Paul,

We haven't gone down that road as yet, but I suspect next year we might start trying to make apple or pear cider, as it is these two we tend to have excess of.

We were a bit earlier onto the drying his year so have a good store of dried fruit.


Marcus

As I'm sure you know, dried fruit 'works'!

I had to use "pectic enzyme" this batch for the first time. I was told that its use is common when making "fruit" wines. Rhubarb is of course not 'fruit', but purely vegetable, and the interstitial and cellular pectin is significant. I would have thought the proper term would have been pectinase, but from what I read, "pectic enzyme" is a 'cocktail' of enzymes. Also of interest to me was the claim that pectic enzyme represents THE majority of artificial enzyme production world-wide. Apparently the primary users are bio-fuel and wine producers. Based on what it did to my wine, I can say that there is a very large amount of pectin in rhubarb stalks!

Anyway, good luck with your fruit harvest this year. Let us see pictures again. Of course I forget that your seasons are temporally opposite ours in the northern hemisphere, and you are just coming up on 'spring' equinox. Nonetheless, I can say personally that I enjoy seeing what others produce.

Paul

Nice harvest Marcus.

Well done Marcus. Living the dream. Can you please do another post on how you preserve your fruit?
I'll take your poly pipe idea and put it in our garden. Our fruit trees, mostly the softer fruit like apples and nectarines get smashed by the 'roos and possums. Likewise our berries growing on canes. Our harder skinned fruit like the citrus go ok but the possums still at times get to them. The mulberries don't get touched for some reason.
Controlling the animals and stopping them from eating our plants is a no-win job.

22hornet, have you considered an electrified wire around your orchard to discourage thieves? They do wonders. I use one around my garden when coons,deer & other uninvited varmints start getting too handy with my food. They'll take the "cure" right away. I once straddled an electric fence in the dark while deer hunting & I can vouch for their effectiveness. I set a new world record for high jump & didn't even squat down or waste a bit of energy. .....Paul H