How Does Your Orchard Grow?

 

Mary, Mary, quiet contrary.  How does your garden grow?  With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row.

I've maintained a large garden in my home's back yard  As I get older, I'm finding it more difficult to plant garden vegetables.  But even if the vegetables don't do well, I have always gotten a great harvest of fruit from trees.

I planted 10 fruit trees when I first set up the garden.  Of these, about half died in the first year.  After replacing these, I ended up with 2 Peach trees, 1 Pear tree, 1 Fig tree, 2 Plum trees, and 3 or 4 Paw Paw trees.  The Peaches have provided 30 - 50 pounds of fruit each June/July.  The Figs aren't quite as productive, but enough for a taste.  The Plum trees provided 3 plums this year (first year of production).  The Pear tree produces 10 - 15 pound of fruit one year, but none in the other years since I planted it.  The Paw Paw trees are just starting to grow beyond the whip stage.

With the intent of using more perenial plants, I have tried to add additional trees when I can fit them in.  This years add was 2 more Pear trees.  Since the first Pear I planted is not reliably producing, I figured that a couple of new trees would help with cross pollination.  The new trees won't provide fruit for a few years, but they should contribute to the production of the first tree.

There isn't really any room for more trees, so I'm done with adding trees.  But in the spaces between the trees, and along the back fence, I planted an assortment of fruit bearing bushes, including Goji berries, Elderberry, Blueberries, and Honeyberries.  Maybe I'll try to put in some grape vines sometime in the future.