| Aug 10, 2006 @ 8:14 PM |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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Well it is getting close to the end of the season for everything now. It has been so dry here that there were some real disappointments in some of the crops.
Early spring cherries, didn't get very many.
Early summer blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and gooseberries. Most were dried up and shriveled on the plant due to lack of water. I did get a few strawberries, and blueberries. About half just didn't make it.
Mid summer, the fig tree just went to town. The fruit was a little dry but sweeter than I recall. Funny thing is that they all seemed to get ripe at one time. Guess that is because the plant was stressed.
The pear tree did its usual two or three bushels and they were just fine despite the dry year.
Apples not to many but a few. Like the pears the few that were good were just fine.
And finally in about another month seems that I will be covered up with muscadines and scuppernons. Southern grapes for those that don't know. It has been 8 years now and I will finally get a huge crop this year. Seems that the dry weather did not affect them at all.
Well that will end the year. It has been 10 for the pecan trees but nothing yet. Maybe next year. Hope you all had a fruitful year too.
S
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| Aug 11, 2006 @ 3:02 AM |
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LatinButterfly
Posts: 687
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You have all that around you? Lucky you! All the fruit I get has sat who knows where for who knows how long... I've been wanting to try a farmer's market but can't ever seem to make it, I'm tired of bland fruit!
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| Aug 11, 2006 @ 4:35 PM |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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I hear you. That stuff in the market is, like you said, who knows what. I grew up in the country and got used to fresh produce since we picked everything or grew it ourselves. When I moved to the city I could not stand to be without for long so I have had a vegatable garden off and on since I moved here. I didn't have one this year though. Since I aquired this property I have been busy finding places to put fruit bushes or trees. I am just about filled up now. There are a few places left but I have plans for those places. I am propagating some passion fruit vines right now. I hope to have some good crops in a year or two. Just planted some peach trees last year, nothing yet. Once I finsh the border of the property there will be a vegatable garden again. I have found nothing that can take the place of fresh fruits and vegetables. I hope you can track some down latin butterfly.
S
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| Aug 11, 2006 @ 6:10 PM |
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kattsmeow
Posts: 22,628
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I know that when we planted 4 peach trees, it took around 3-4 years to get some good ones. We grew Alberta and Red Haven.
What kind of Strawberries?
What grows natural around your area?
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| Aug 12, 2006 @ 8:30 AM |
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Heaveninawildflower
Posts: 18,611
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Hi guys - another fresh produce lover here!! 
Well, living in the desert, about all that grows naturally are prickly pears (which are very good, by the way). I did have the foresight to have a raised bed constructed while I was waiting to move out here, and it's on the automatic watering system...one of my better moves for sure.
I thought this year was gonna be my first year without homegrown tomatoes because I wasn't able to plant, however I also wasn't able to pull up last year's and now know that if you don't have a killing frost, tomatoes are perennial. I actually got a lot more this year than last. I'd planted one strawberry plant a year ago February and it's currently covering an area about 6 feet square. Not bad production, but not great either. The jalapenos are doing fine (also the second year for them - planted them the same time as the tomatoes, a year ago last February).
The absolute best around here is the citrus - I never knew how much better it was when it's tree-ripened and fresh picked. We have navel orange, tangelo, lemon and ruby grapefruit. Pomegranates too, but I have yet to get one before the birds.
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| Aug 12, 2006 @ 8:00 PM |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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I'm not sure what variety of strawberry it is katt. I got them free when I bought the peach trees from Stark Brothers Nursery. By natural I am guessing you mean in the wild right?
If that is the case there are blackberries, several varieties of which I know no the name. Mountain blueberries, which are short small bushes that don't like to be transplanted, but the fruit is good when you can find them. Persimmons, hickory nuts, paw paw, those are hard to find too but they are out there, some varieties of mushroom, not sure which ones though, muscadines, scuppernons, pecans, peaches,pears, apples and of course my second favorite passion fruit.
First favorite is blackberries, second is passion fruit, and pecans. The passion flower is awsome and I really like the flower but the fruit is good too, sort of like a pomagranite. There are only three places where the passion vine grows in the wild, south and central america, asia, and the south eastern US. I used to see them all over SE Georgia but it took me years to find out what they were.
Heaven I know exactly what you mean. I recently came back from a Philippine trip and I had some tree ripened bananas. You know they did not even taste like the ones that we get in the store here, they were much better and sweeter too. That of course is the whole point to growing your own what ever since vine, tree, bush ripened is always better than picked green and put on a truck.
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| Aug 13, 2006 @ 3:30 PM |
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Ensaged
Posts: 620
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It's great living in Georgia.
We have the best Farmer's markets.
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| Aug 14, 2006 @ 3:40 PM |
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tahoma
Posts: 10,576
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We also have great Farmer's Markets around here. You can almost find one somewhere everyday of the week 
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| Aug 15, 2006 @ 9:48 PM |
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Doug_blueeyes
Posts: 46
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I picked a gallon of figs off my two bushes today and picked a gallon of blackberries at a neighbor's. The blackberries were a little over ripe but still good. I still have some blueberries left that the birds and bear haven't gotten yet. Is there such a person as buffy the bear slayer? lol. I have grapes getting ripe now also. The joys of country life. 
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| Aug 16, 2006 @ 12:05 AM |
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redhairNfreckles
Posts: 4,694
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I thought this year was gonna be my first year without homegrown tomatoes because I wasn't able to plant, however I also wasn't able to pull up last year's and now know that if you don't have a killing frost, tomatoes are perennial. In NC we would call these nice little suprises, "Volunteers".
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| Sep 9, 2006 @ 11:26 PM |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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The muscadines are coming in now. Finally got a very good crop. I love those things. I just found out that they tested higher for antioxidants than any other grape. Just another good reason to love them. I've never had a better tasting grape.
S
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| Sep 27, 2006 @ 8:16 PM |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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UPDATE:
Hard to believe but I am still getting muscadines off the vine. I gave away so many, froze some, and made jam out of still more. Best crop I have seen since I planted the vines.
Got my first passion fruit last week. And soon the few pecans will fall. This was a very blessed year for produce at my house.
S
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| Oct 28, 2006 @ 9:35 PM |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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Final update for 06
The squirrels stole the few pecans I had.
The grapes made better than I have ever seen. They were great.
The passion fruit was really good. I have never had any of that before. Sweet on the outside and tart on the inside. Like the sweet tart candy only natural.
S
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| Dec 3, 2006 @ 11:10 PM |
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sjpinatl
Posts: 671
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Very impressive crops!
How do you keep bugs and animals off your fruit, especially blueberries? I hear birds eat blueberries up...
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| Dec 6, 2006 @ 12:38 PM |
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Desserts
Posts: 335
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You guys are killing me!  Gotta make a bluebeery shake to get better.
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| Dec 6, 2006 @ 9:51 PM |
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sealacamp
Posts: 3,681
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Well SJ I don't keep anything off. I was experimenting with a five gallon bucket of water to help get rid of some Japanese beetles this year. But I don't spray anything on the crops. That I why I only get a few apples. But the muscadines and pears seem to be pretty immune to disease and insects. Oh there is some damage but it is minimal and I get enough for me. The bluberries do get attacked but I usually get as much as I want by the time the birds figure out they are there. I got two gallons this year off of two bushes in a mild drought. Last year I got about 5 off the same two bushes even with the birds. I try to keep it in a balance of nature and depend on the Lord to do the management of the crops. He has not let me down yet. Right now I have about 10 gallons of jam in the cupboards from various fruits through the years. This year I got lazy and just combined everything so I would not have to make seprate batches. So it was muscadine, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, and raspberry all mixed. Came out very very well. I could not find a receipe for that so I just combined the ones that have worked in the past.
S
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