Spring Blossom

Good pollination weather over the last week.

Mild mornings warm days no rain, cherry trees are flowering nicely.

Empress cherries are at petal fall to shuck fall, with other varieties in full bloom to almost in full bloom. Time will tell what our fruit set is like, but looks promising.

Bees must be our best workers all year.

In the Garden

In the orchard September 15

Empress Cherries flowering - planted 1999 - Australian variety. Taken 15 September 2011.

20 Bee Hives placed in orchard with good pollination weather so far.

 

 

Below- Young fruitlets-Solar Nugget Apricot.

Same trees as previous blossom photo last blog.

Below-Orange Red apricot blossom-French variety

 

 

Apricot Blossom

Ausgust 22 2011 Apricot Blossom closeup of a Solar Nugget branch.

Some nice blossom on these varieties

Planting Time

A cold frosty week with nice days for planting some new trees.

My wife Jenny and myself planting some white and yellow nectarines, mainly Bradford varieties but some from the French Riviera breeding programs as well.

A July Week

A cold week with strong and gusty SW winds blowing, -5 min to 11 max today.

Another of our sons, Tom picking up some apricot prunings.

Priana and Castlebright on the right of photo, unpruned Solar glow and Solar Nugget on the left.

Mulching some young cherry trees planted last year, going to plant some Sweet Georgia and Sandra Rose here this winter.

Will try to plant some Royal Lynn, Royal Hazel and Royal Dawn and Rosie Rainier next year.

Hoping Royal Lynn and Hazel will be in Early Burlat timeslot with less cracking, time will tell what they are like growing here.



2010 Harvest

Some photos from the 2010 Harvest, started well but ended up being the wettest season I have had to work through.


Some Early Burlat cherries, ready to be packed for market.

John and Mark our two youngest sons helping out picking some Eagle Seedlings an old variety, not large 24-26 mm, but reliable and reasonable through some rain. A good, sweet seller in the stall and marketable as well in its timeslot. Picks after Burlat with Merchant and Lewis.

John Mailli from RW Pascoes, Brisbane markets, after dropping in to say Hello.

Some Priana apricots for the roadside stall. The first variety we pick, might try some Golden may.

My brother is trying Wescot and Apache to start the season.

Max and Lily ----- our dogs

Today, spraying Bordeaux on to recently pruned peaches and nectarines.