Days turn into weeks and weeks into months and here it is almost the end of May. Not too much going on at the orchard except trying to stay ahead of the weeds. We had an unusually wet Spring and now heading into Summer with the same challenges of too much moisture. The Midwest has almost twice the usual amounts of rainfall. Thus, weeds, weeds and more weeds to be dealt with in the orchard. Our weed eaters are becoming an important part of our day.
The trees look healthy at this point. So far no fire blight issues and that in itself is a real blessing. Fire blight is a disease that can wipe out an entire orchard, especially if the orchard has young trees. Hot, wet weather conditions feed fire blight. We’ve had the wet conditions but so far not too hot.
Fruit set on the apple trees looks promising even though we had serious rain during the three heaviest bloom days. The bees did their best but the weather just didn’t cooperate. Peaches, however, not so good as bloom was light.
The new Pick-Your-Own orchard is coming along. This will be a transitional year for these trees. Much positive feedback is coming our way regarding this endeavor. Our vision is to open on the weekends for those who want to pick and experience the harvest season.
Farmers’ Markets are gearing up in most communities. We have been going to our local market in Batesville, Indiana with our extra asparagus and rhubarb. Apples will be at the market by mid-August. Meeting all of you, our new customers and those who have been buying for years, is the best part of this “growing business.”