Author Archives: Patty Doll

Heavy losses resulted from the late Spring freeze.  Many varieties were entirely wiped out and other varieties have been greatly reduced.  Harvest will be lean.  We are now working to develop a plan to harvest and market what is left.  … Continue reading →

We’ve spent the last few weeks going up and down the rows in the orchards mowing, weed-eating and looking for apples on the trees.  We haven’t spotted much fruit thanks to the freezing temperatures during the night of May 8th.  … Continue reading →

As if the April freeze wasn’t enough with which to contend, the area was hit again with freezing temperatures on May 8th.  The freeze covered a region wide area and this time the apple trees didn’t fare so well.   Recorded … Continue reading →

The bloom was beautiful.  Peaches and apples had prolific blossoms.  The outcome of an orchardist’s crop, however,  always hangs in the balance of one or two degrees on the thermometer.  This year the 14th and 15th of April brought freezing … Continue reading →

The stages of growth progression in apple trees are consistent every year.  The timing and appearance of each stage may be different because of the weather conditions,  but once the trees come out of dormancy they display the same stages … Continue reading →

It was with satisfaction and a great sense of accomplishment that last week we pulled the equipment from the orchard for the last time this pruning season and into the storage building.  The trees have all been individually pruned, the … Continue reading →

Most of our efforts in the orchard continue to concentrate on pruning the apple trees.  We are now about two-thirds finished.  It takes time to make an assessment of each tree and then prune accordingly. In pruning it is likely … Continue reading →

So far, January has been unseasonably warm and pruning has progressed at a good pace.  Not near finished but a good start and on we go, moving forward through the orchards. It is an understatement to say that fruit tree … Continue reading →

While we have begun the Christmas countdown, we also have started plans to begin pruning.   Most people would think our season begins with bloom and harvest, but we actually feel that the start of our new seasonal year begins when we … Continue reading →

The great holiday of Thanksgiving is now history and onward we go to the Christmas season.  Not really too much going on here at the orchard.  It is a lull time for us; very much needed to say the least.  … Continue reading →