planting asparagus and other operations on a produce farm

[farmer steve]

just wish those honey crip had a longer shelf lie. they are an awesome apple to eat.

 

[066blaster]

If you do things right you can get 4 months out of them with little quality loss. I hate that the apples ripen at different times so they require multiple pickings. I also cut the stems of after picking so they don't puncture other apples when stacked. It's best to pick them and let them sit at room temperature for a few days to "dry out" and then in the cooler. I make apple sauce out of the seconds and get $6.50 a pint jar, it's good stuff. We have a commercial kitchen on are farm too. We make everything pickled and jams, jellies, home made ice cream.

 

[R DeLawter]

If you do things right you can get 4 months out of them with little quality loss. I hate that the apples ripen at different times so they require multiple pickings. I also cut the stems of after picking so they don't puncture other apples when stacked. It's best to pick them and let them sit at room temperature for a few days to "dry out" and then in the cooler. I make apple sauce out of the seconds and get $6.50 a pint jar, it's good stuff. We have a commercial kitchen on are farm too. We make everything pickled and jams, jellies, home made ice cream.

Don't know how you have time to sleep. I could never keep ahead of it all.

 

[066blaster]

Don't know how you have time to sleep. I could never keep ahead of it all.

It's bad from April till July then it ain't to bad. Saturday farmers markets all summer sucks too. But thats where I make most of my money. Staying up all night for frost protection also is not fun.

 

[JustTom]

Added another hundred honeycrisp trees. Put these in 2 weeks ago.

I'm puttting in a small orchard for myself and spacing guidelines are min 10 ft even for dwarf but yours look like they're only a couple of feet apart. Is this just a temp setup until you move or cull, or is this is your normal planting pattern?

 

[066blaster]

I'm puttting in a small orchard for myself and spacing guidelines are min 10 ft even for dwarf but yours look like they're only a couple of feet apart. Is this just a temp setup until you move or cull, or is this is your normal planting pattern?

They are at a 3 foot spacing, 11 foot between rows. This is the most productive per acre spacing. And you get fruit the second year. Bud 9 rootstock, fully dwarf rootstock. Each tree must have a conduit pipe to support it, and three wires on a trellis system with tensioners. I allow the trees to get 10 feet tall. Spraying, pruning, picking is simple. It's called the tall spindle method. You might have semi dwarf rootstock.... Also each tree has about 10 small branches these get tied down the first year to promote fruiting. The trees are designed from the nursery for this method.

 

[066blaster]

And the apples get big. The biggest apple I have ever seen in my life. Was on one of my 2 year old Cortland trees last year.

 

[Dalmatian90]

You'll never get a two hundred year old tree...

But I've seen some orchards like 066 does around here and it's remarkable the density of the fruit on them -- trees basically put all their energy into the fruit because they're not really growing trunks and branches to speak of:

Not what I'd want in a home garden from an aesthetic standpoint, and I don't think you'd get many folks excited about going to "pick your own" in one of those apple vineyards, but it sure must make it easy for the labor to prune and pick and you're not having to deal with ladders or pruning poles one bit. Of course a bit more labor and expense to start them because of the support from poles and wires they need.

 

[JustTom]

Interesting, so it's more of an espaliered system. I recently found a deal on large number of some less than perfect heritage dwarf and semidwarf apples and had considered doing it outside a small pasture I have fenced with hi tensile wire, but hadn't considered it for my planned orchard spot. So how often do you have to replace your stock, and is there a name or link for this method where I could read more about it? Aesthetics aren't as important to me as productivity, as I only have an acre to spare for the trees for now.

 

[066blaster]

Interesting, so it's more of an espaliered system. I recently found a deal on large number of some less than perfect heritage dwarf and semidwarf apples and had considered doing it outside a small pasture I have fenced with hi tensile wire, but hadn't considered it for my planned orchard spot. So how often do you have to replace your stock, and is there a name or link for this method where I could read more about it? Aesthetics aren't as important to me as productivity, as I only have an acre to spare for the trees for now.

This is a newer system. But 20-25 years maybe more . YouTube has some info search tall spindle apples. John clemens from the University of Massachusetts has good vids on there. Some stuff has been revised over the last few years. Definitely use conduit by each tree.

 

[066blaster]

You'll never get a two hundred year old tree...

But I've seen some orchards like 066 does around here and it's remarkable the density of the fruit on them -- trees basically put all their energy into the fruit because they're not really growing trunks and branches to speak of:

Not what I'd want in a home garden from an aesthetic standpoint, and I don't think you'd get many folks excited about going to "pick your own" in one of those apple vineyards, but it sure must make it easy for the labor to prune and pick and you're not having to deal with ladders or pruning poles one bit. Of course a bit more labor and expense to start them because of the support from poles and wires they need.

That pic looks like super spindle but with2 offset rows. Pick your own would be tough with tall spindle. Branches are week fruit is close together. They would probably do more damage then good. They look cool when fruiting nice clear isles, easy to mow, I mulch mine every year or 2. It's nice to be able to inspect the trees for bugs or fungus, ect. Everything is right there in front of you.

 

[JustTom]

This is a newer system. But 20-25 years maybe more . YouTube has some info search tall spindle apples. John clemens from the University of Massachusetts has good vids on there. Some stuff has been revised over the last few years. Definitely use conduit by each tree.

Thanks. I found info googling intensive orchard and high density apple planting. Found good stuff on penn state university site.

 

[066blaster]

Building a permanent structure to replace the temporary one. We use this for selling strawberries on are other location

 

[066blaster]

It's just gonna be a roof for now

 

[066blaster]

I have alot of asparagus coming up. It's been cold and rainy the last week and didn't grow much. But it's gonna be warmer the next week.

Still haven't picked any

 

[Dalmatian90]

I picked a few small ones Friday that had been up but doing not much of nothing for almost a week.

I have a lot that look just like yours right now.

Looking at my incomplete notes, seems maybe a week behind average, upwards of 10 days later than my earliest. That is following one of the coldest Marches on record.

 

[066blaster]

This is the latest I have seen. But it's supposed to be in the eighties Thursday But may have frost tonight . I will fertilize and push it hard in june. I pick till July 7 ish.

 

[R DeLawter]

Wife picked a nice amount this afternoon and the temp is going to get warm here too.

 

[066blaster]

Jersey giant really produce!

 

[066blaster]

Brandywine tomatoes plants. I bought a stump grinder last week and ground some stumps the grindings work nice as mulch.