The Lineup Of Trees

I guess I should introduce the collection of fruit trees that I've planted, plus a comment or two about them.

I've got about a 250-foot curving driveway, with about a steep upslope to the left as you come in and about a six foot dropoff to the right.  Then there is a gradual downslope further off to the right.

I decided that there was about 175 feet of usable space along the right side and some quick math suggested that 12 trees could go in at 16-foot spacings.  This was tough deciding on just 12, as I tend to drool paging through nursery catalogs - filled with new hybrids (pluots, apriums, etc.), plus a long, long, list of old favorite apples, cherries, and plums.

But I got it down to a dozen, feeling rather pleased with myself for showing such mental discipline.

Beginning at the road, I set out a Moorpark apricot, O'Henry peach, Arctic Jay nectarine, Winterstein apple, Bing cherry, Earligold apple, Rainier cherry, Gravenstein apple, Brooks plum, Fantasia nectarine, Blenheim apricot, and Spice Zee nectaplum (just as it sounds - a new cross between a nectarine and a plum).

Each of these sit in a buried chicken wire cage, capped with a separate chicken wire cover and have a spiral trunk protector.  I figure that this arrangement will protect the new roots from gophers, both underground or digging in from above.  The spiral shields should keep the many cottontails and ground squirrels from chewing the bark.  Now, all I have to worry about are the herds of deer and hungry birds.  How hard could that be?

The Gravenstein apple is my all-time favorite - crisp, sweet-tart, and it ripens in August.  If you have never tasted a Gravenstein, a new company has a fantastic mail-order offer.  See www.fruitguys.com and get your order reserved early.  They only ship to selected areas during season, with next-day delivery and the nicest packaging you've ever seen.  I'm not sure what they will charge this year, but last year it was $20 for 5 lbs - including delivery!

The Winterstein is supposedly a late version of Gravenstein, ripening two months later and not as tart.  Couldn't resist an extra season of my favorite.

Earligold is similar to Yellow Delicious, but ripens in August.  I needed a pollinator for the 'steins, and this is it.  I've grown it before and like it a lot.

The two apricots are both great-flavored heirloom varieties that may bloom too early up here in the Sierra foothills.  They could be trees that are successful only every few years because of late frosts.  Let's call them experimental.

There might be the same frost problems for the nectarines, peach, plum, cherries, and nectaplum?  To be determined.

This area near Tehachapi is prime apple country, so I think my three little apple guys will be happy here.  If the others throw off fruit some years and not others, I can live with that.  This is not for serious food supply - it's for tasty fun!

Next, the new veggie garden.

Cheers,

Don