Cherries almost ripe

We're netting the cherry trees this week because the cherries are almost ripe.  We're trying to stay one step ahead of the birds...it's really hard because they can eat fruit really fast & they'll eat it before we're ready to pick it.  We have our big opening day in a week and a half...just in time for the air show on the same weekend.  What fun!

The Fruit is Getting Bigger

Here's Jack with one of the Patterson apricots. It's about the size of an olive.  At this point, they are pretty much beyond the danger of being damaged by frost. We're still keeping an eye on the peaches & nectarines since they are not as far along.  They look like little threads peaking out from the center of a fading flower.  April is a touchy month...it can be very warm, but it can also bring freezes.  As long as the temperatures don't drop below 28 for more than an hour or so, we should be okay.

Clouds of pink & white

It's the most beautiful time of year.

The trees are covered with clouds of pink & white blossoms.

These are the first to bloom - Patterson apricots.

All the apricots, peaches, nectarines, & plums are blooming - some have just broken bud &

 others are in full glory.

It snowed in the mountains yesterday, so if you look closely you can see the fresh snowfall in the background.

When the weather is warm enough, the bees are buzzing around, thousands to each tree.

So very soon they will have done their work, the flowers will fall off, & tiny fruits will appear.

Planting new trees

 

We just planted 39 new trees!  Here's my husband Jack Brian planting one of the new plums.  We removed some of the older trees to make room.  The first planting was in 1993 & we'd never moved any out before.  It was more than time...trees have a definite life span.  We planted 20 plums, divided between Santa Rosa & Satsuma, & 6 peaches - a new late variety called Late Alamar.  The rest were assorted peaches & apples as well as 2 figs.  Now we just have to wait 3 years until they are mature enough to bear fruit.  One of our pilots said he could already taste the figs!

Fall Colors

1. Yes, you can get fall colors in Southern California!  This is a Santa Rosa plum. In the background, you can see clouds over the San Gabriel mountains.  We had our first winter storm last Friday.  We were well below the snow line, but the ski slopes are open in Wrightwood.  The orchard is long picked out & we are selling our stores from the cold room. Leaf drop is not far off, then we will start all the winter tasks for the orchard:  pruning, dormant spraying, & planting the 20 plum trees that will arrive in February.  We need to expand the irrigation system & dig the holes for them.  It seems like a long time away, but it will be here before we know it.  Jack made me mark the locations of the trees with plastic chairs.  I'm sure he'll change everything before he trenches for irrigation pipes.

Pumpkin Patch

This year we decided to plant a pumpkin patch in response to many requests.
I planted several varieties & they open-pollinated, making for several types all on one vine. We have tiny green & yellow striped ones, lots of small round orange ones, & two oblong ones that look like orange watermelons
The pumpkins are now all ripe & ready to pick. This has been a grand success! The only problem is that I didn't plant enough. Next year the patch will be twice as big.

"Look at all those firsts!"

That's what the volunteer said to me when she handed me the blue ribbons at the Antelope Valley Fair. We won firsts for our Golden Supreme & Royal Gala apples & Shinko Asian pears. We also won second prize for Rosi Red Bartlett pears & 20th Century Asian pears. Yes, that's right, we won both first & second place in the Asian pear category. Yeah for us. It's a great boost in an otherwise disappointing fruit year.