Friday, March 25, 2016

Peach & Pear Crops Survived 4 Frosts

   The peach crop and the pear crop have survived 4 frosts so far, praise God, and we're still praying they'll survive any other frosts yet to come over the next 2 weeks.  This morning it dropped to 26 F again, so many peach flowers and pear flowers were killed, especially those low on the trees.  Some open flowers still have live pistils (the part that produces the fruit), and a few peach flowers and pear flowers are still in the bud stage, where the pistils are protected from frosts, so those should bear fruit.
These Asian pear blooms have many killed pistils, such as all the lowest flowers in the photo, but some flowers still have live pistils.
   Each mature fruit tree produces thousands of flowers, since they bloom early in the season, as insurance against loss of fruits to frost.  So light frosts provide some beneficial fruit thinning, as long as temperatures don't drop to 25 F or below, which can kill all flowers and eliminate the crop.  Each year we have to thin excess fruit to adjust the crop load to the optimum amount that each tree can support, to ensure good fruit size and minimize limb breakage.  During years with no frosts, we have to do a lot more fruit thinning.
These 'China Pearl' peach trees (with pink blooms) ant the pear trees in the background (with white blooms) still have good crops
   Right now it looks like we'll still have a good peach crop and a good pear crop, though we'll probably have fewer of the earliest-ripening peach varieties. The plumcot crop was all killed by frosts, since plumcots bloom very early, and tiny developing fruits are killed by frosts below 28 F.  Apple trees are just starting to bloom now, so the apple crop is in no danger.
   Our workers and I pruned more blackberries this afternoon, and I will be busy pruning peach trees and apple trees all next week.  We still have many 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples for sale, and cracked 'Kanza' pecans.  Phone 620-597-2450 a day or so ahead, and leave a message on the answering machine saying the day and about what time you're coming.  When I'm pruning the peach and apple orchards, I can't see or hear vehicles come in the driveway, so it's best to call ahead, but if you drop by, ring the bell on the sales building, which I can usually hear.
   Prices for apples, pecans and asparagus are listed in the previous post.  Asparagus should start about April 1 (later than I first thought, as we had cooler weather for awhile) and will be available until late May or early June.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Peach Crop Survived First Frost

   Early this morning it dropped to 26 F here, and most of our peach trees are in full bloom now.  When I checked the peach trees in mid-morning, many flowers had killed pistils (the flower part which produces the fruit), so no fruit will develop from those flowers.  But praise God, many other flowers still had live pistils.  The earliest-blooming peach varieties, such as 'Challenger' and 'Early Redhaven', were hurt more than later-blooming peach varieties, such as 'Intrepid', 'Glowingstar' and 'China Pearl.'
These 'China Pearl ' white peach trees had fewer killed pistils than the earliest-blooming peach varieties.
   Another frost is predicted for early Palm Sunday morning.  The predicted temperature of 30 F will not hurt the peach crop (or the pear crop) at all.  A 3rd frost of 29 F is predicted for early Monday morning, March 21.  So we are praying that temperatures here don't drop much below those predictions, and that the peach crop survives these frosts and any others yet to come over the next 3 weeks.
   Our workers and I pruned more blackberries this afternoon, and I will be busy pruning peach trees and pear trees all next week.  We still have many 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples for sale, and cracked 'Kanza' pecans.  Phone 620-597-2450 a day or so ahead, and leave a message on the answering machine saying the day and about what time you're coming.  When I'm pruning the peach and pear orchards, I can't see or hear vehicles come in the driveway, so it's best to call ahead, but if you drop by, ring the bell on the sales building, which I can usually hear.
This is the view of our peach orchard (in rear) from the house, with forsythia and flowering quince blooming under pine trees in the foreground.  The phone rings in the house, so you need to call a day ahead (or at least a few hours ahead) for me to get your message before you come.
   Our #1 apples, with no damage, sell just as fast as I sort them.  A 20-lb. box of #1 apples still costs $23.15 + tax ($1.15 per pound + tax), which saves $1.00 off the per-pound price.
   We have many 2nds apples, with small cracks, cork spots or other surface damage, so we've just reduced the price on these.  A 20-lb. box of 2nds apples now costs just $14.82 + tax ($0.74 per pound + tax).  When you buy two boxes, each 20-lb. box of 2nds apples costs just $13.89 + tax ($0.69 per pound + tax), so that's $27.78 + tax  for 40 lbs. of 2nds apples. 
   Pecans are still $15.05 per 5-pound bag + tax.  Asparagus should start about March 28 and is sold harvested for $2.78 per pound + tax.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Pruning Blackberries, Pears and Peaches

   We're taking full advantage of this nice weather during our workers' spring breaks from high school and college, and we're getting a lot of pruning done.  We pruned pears last Thursday and yesterday, and started peach pruning this morning.  Each afternoon we're still pruning blackberries.
Brandon Ledford helped prune pear trees last Thursday while on spring break from college, using a pneumatic pole pruner.
   From Dec. 1 to May 31, we're open by appointment.  That means to phone 620-597-2450 a day or so ahead, and leave a message on the answering machine saying the day and about what time you're coming.  If you just drop by while we're pruning peaches, I can't see the driveway and can't hear vehicles over the noise of the air compressor on the tractor that powers the pneumatic pruners.
Ben Miller (right) and Tre Maxton (left) helped prune peach trees this morning. 
The pneumatic pruners are powered by the blue air compressor on the back of the tractor, and we place the prunings on the trailer in the background, and haul them to the burn pile.
   The phone rings in the house, and I check for phone messages several times each day.  If you wait to call until on your way here, I probably won't get your message before you come, since I'm working outside.  If it's cold or raining, I'm sorting apples in the sales building.  
    We still have many 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples for sale.  These apples taste much better than any sold in grocery stores, and are great for baking as well as fresh eating.  I give taste samples.  We also still have cracked 'Kanza' pecans for sale.  For prices, scroll down 3 posts.
   Asparagus harvest should start in a week or two, and goes until late May.  Asparagus details and price are in the previous post.
Peach trees are in full bloom now.
   Our peach orchard is in beautiful bloom now.  A 32 F frost is predicted for early Palm Sunday morning.  That temperature will not hurt the peach crop (or the pear crop) at all.  A freeze of less than 28 F would cause damage, so we hope that will not happen over the next month.  

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Plumcots & Peaches Blooming

   Spring has started early this year, after a mild winter.  Our two plumcot trees are now blooming, and peaches are in the pink bud stage with a few peach trees blooming.  Since we still have a month to go before the average date of the last spring frost in this area, we are praying that we will have a peach crop this year.

Our two plumcot trees are now in bloom, with white flowers, and the peach trees behind them are in the pink bud stage.
   We're still working on blackberry pruning, a huge job.  One of our workers has college spring break this week, and five other workers have spring break from high school and college next week, so they'll all work here over 8 hours per day, Monday through Saturday, whenever it's not raining.  When we finish blackberry pruning, we need to prune the apple orchard and the pear orchard.
This young 'Autumn Star' peach tree, though one of the latest-ripening varieties, is the earliest to bloom.
   I started pruning the peach orchard today, and Bill has already removed some large peach limbs with the chain saw.  When it rains, I'm still sorting apples in the sales building.
    We still have many 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples for sale.  These apples taste much better than any sold in grocery stores, and are great for baking as well as fresh eating.  I give taste samples.  We also still have cracked 'Kanza' pecans for sale.  For prices, scroll down two posts.
   Asparagus harvest should start in a week or two, and goes until late May.  These are nice thick spears, and I snap asparagus off where it breaks easily, so almost the entire spear is tender and usable.  Asparagus is sold harvested for $2.78 per pound + tax.  Phone 620-597-2450 a few days ahead to order asparagus, and leave a message on the answering machine.
   From Dec. 1 to May 31, we're open by appointment.  That means to phone 620-597-2450 a day or so ahead, and leave a message on the answering machine saying the day and about what time you're coming.  I do not need to call you back; I will get the message and meet you in the sales building when you come.  (The phone rings in the house, so if you wait to call until on your way here, I probably won't get your message before you come, since I'm working outside or sorting apples in the sales building.)
   For payment, we accept cash or checks, but NO credit cards or debit cards.  Please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover the amount you'll buy.  Thanks.