Thanks Melissa. Other cherries worth checking out are Sunburst and Summer Sun, which were actually my first choices. The supplier I was using had sold out, and I didn't want to have another delivery charge, so I opted for Stella instead.
Apparently birds absolutely love cherries, so it is worth sticking with smaller trees that are easier to net before the fruit are ripe. Or you can just net a few branches and let the birds have the rest :-)
You're really cracking on! Did you get advice from John Hancox at Scottish Fruit Trees?
Pears can be tricky in the north east. I've not had success with them, but I can't remember the varieties now. We have one small James Grieve and two nameless cookers, and they give more apples than we can eat. Until now I've stored in the loft plus frozen, but this year we borrowed a friend's dehydrator and what a game changer! We find that in Moray we can't give apples away - everyone has them. If you have a lot of eaters, are willing to travel to Elgin and like apple juice, Elgin's Orchard will take your predominantly eating apples and give you a certain number of bottles of apple juice in return. We don't drink much juice so haven't used it ourselves, but friends have.
Food banks in Moray don't accept fresh produce, but perhaps Aberdeenshire does?
Apart from apples I have massive crops of raspberries, and I planted blackcurrant bushes last year. Planning gooseberries and redcurrants.
Thanks, yes, I really wanted to get the trees established this year because we are not getting any younger, and want to benefit from them as soon as possible. I didn’t take any advice (not something I’m good at) - just spent hours researching varieties. Whether they will be successful remains to be seen - I think storm winds will be the biggest hazard.
I think you are right that no food banks will accept fresh fruit or veg. Seems a shame - people who are struggling would benefit from access to fresh produce. I do a lot of baking and cooking, and intend to freeze a lot to use throughout the year. And the dehydrator is an interesting prospect. If we get any crops, of course!
Super selection of varieties i look forward to hearing how they develop, they will be great for pollinators. Do let us know what the varieties are that are already there, hopefully they are not the same as the ones you have just planted.
Thanks so much. Yes, I am hoping the existing trees are different varieties to the ones I have chosen, though any fruit will be more than welcome. Hopefully I will be able to identify them when they have fruit.
Good luck with your fruit trees. I understand your wish. I only have a small garden, but one of the first things I planted was a cherry tree - Stella! This is what it looks like now nearly 45 years after! And by the way I also enjoy having a Discovery apple tree…
What a lovely blue sky. That old cherry tree really does look magnificent! It definitely feels like spring here too with the sun shining and the days getting longer :-)
Good work. I like the home made wood chip idea. I might have to steal that one. What do you do with your grass clippings?? You must have a mountain of it. I've only just managed to match my greens with browns and that was hard enough in small scale. Grass takes so long to break down in mine
Thanks for reading. We only moved in in January, so haven't actually cut the grass yet. I do have a Hotbin composter which breaks grass down quickly (so long as you don't add too much at once, or it gets slimy and smelly.) In my previous home I used to use grass clippings as a mulch on top of containers which worked quite well, except that blackbirds used to love rummaging through it and throwing it out of the pots (sometimes together with the plants, lol). I also intend to get some square wooden compost bins at some point.
Also I don't want to keep the grass as short as the previous owners - I would rather have wildflowers in it - better for wildlife.
This is looking fabulous Angie! I'll bet it's a really satisfying feeling looking at your hard work.
I'm going to check out 'Stella' cherry trees as we eat a lot of frozen cherries in this house. I've never grown them before.
Thanks Melissa. Other cherries worth checking out are Sunburst and Summer Sun, which were actually my first choices. The supplier I was using had sold out, and I didn't want to have another delivery charge, so I opted for Stella instead.
Apparently birds absolutely love cherries, so it is worth sticking with smaller trees that are easier to net before the fruit are ripe. Or you can just net a few branches and let the birds have the rest :-)
Excellent. Thanks for the tip. :-)
Looks amazing and will be there for insects and future generations.
You're really cracking on! Did you get advice from John Hancox at Scottish Fruit Trees?
Pears can be tricky in the north east. I've not had success with them, but I can't remember the varieties now. We have one small James Grieve and two nameless cookers, and they give more apples than we can eat. Until now I've stored in the loft plus frozen, but this year we borrowed a friend's dehydrator and what a game changer! We find that in Moray we can't give apples away - everyone has them. If you have a lot of eaters, are willing to travel to Elgin and like apple juice, Elgin's Orchard will take your predominantly eating apples and give you a certain number of bottles of apple juice in return. We don't drink much juice so haven't used it ourselves, but friends have.
Food banks in Moray don't accept fresh produce, but perhaps Aberdeenshire does?
Apart from apples I have massive crops of raspberries, and I planted blackcurrant bushes last year. Planning gooseberries and redcurrants.
Thanks, yes, I really wanted to get the trees established this year because we are not getting any younger, and want to benefit from them as soon as possible. I didn’t take any advice (not something I’m good at) - just spent hours researching varieties. Whether they will be successful remains to be seen - I think storm winds will be the biggest hazard.
I think you are right that no food banks will accept fresh fruit or veg. Seems a shame - people who are struggling would benefit from access to fresh produce. I do a lot of baking and cooking, and intend to freeze a lot to use throughout the year. And the dehydrator is an interesting prospect. If we get any crops, of course!
Good luck with yours for the coming season!
Super selection of varieties i look forward to hearing how they develop, they will be great for pollinators. Do let us know what the varieties are that are already there, hopefully they are not the same as the ones you have just planted.
Thanks so much. Yes, I am hoping the existing trees are different varieties to the ones I have chosen, though any fruit will be more than welcome. Hopefully I will be able to identify them when they have fruit.
Good luck with your fruit trees. I understand your wish. I only have a small garden, but one of the first things I planted was a cherry tree - Stella! This is what it looks like now nearly 45 years after! And by the way I also enjoy having a Discovery apple tree…
Wow - 45 years - what a fantastic old tree. Hope mine will last that long (though I doubt I will, lol :-)
WHO knows? You never can tell!!!
Pictures from my whole “orchard” 😉this morning!!! One cherry tree, two Apple trees and a fig. And a gooseberry bush!
Spring has arrived in Denmark. Wonderful!
Enjoy your weekend 💖💖💖
What a lovely blue sky. That old cherry tree really does look magnificent! It definitely feels like spring here too with the sun shining and the days getting longer :-)
Great work, Angie. It will make a difference!
Thank you :-)
I’m really impressed; and you’ve given them the best start possible: so here’s wishing them long and productive lives! Good luck!
Thank you so much - I will be checking on them every day like an over-protective parent!
Good work. I like the home made wood chip idea. I might have to steal that one. What do you do with your grass clippings?? You must have a mountain of it. I've only just managed to match my greens with browns and that was hard enough in small scale. Grass takes so long to break down in mine
Thanks for reading. We only moved in in January, so haven't actually cut the grass yet. I do have a Hotbin composter which breaks grass down quickly (so long as you don't add too much at once, or it gets slimy and smelly.) In my previous home I used to use grass clippings as a mulch on top of containers which worked quite well, except that blackbirds used to love rummaging through it and throwing it out of the pots (sometimes together with the plants, lol). I also intend to get some square wooden compost bins at some point.
Also I don't want to keep the grass as short as the previous owners - I would rather have wildflowers in it - better for wildlife.
How exciting! Sounds like you gave them a very strong start. Good luck, and can’t wait to see how they grow.
Thanks - me too - I will be checking them every day :-)