Alas, we did not plant our old apple tree. It's been here longer than we have, that's for certain. Last year when we rented the beast of a wood chipper, we did a lot of cutting and trimming. One tree that got a good once over was the old apple tree. There were many dead limbs that needed pruning.
Well, naturally after that good hair cut, the tree has had a bumper year!
Unfortunately, these are not quality apples. They bruise the moment they hit the ground, are a rather soft fruit, and aren't terribly big. I think once I laboured over them to make apple sauce. It wasn't worth it. We don't spray, so there are wee critters that make their way through the apples. Mostly, I rake and dump. Sometimes I squish a few underfoot and toss them in the chicken run for the hens. They enjoy them.
To give you an idea of the magnitude of this task, here is a picture of having almost finished the last of the raking and dumping of apples.
I decided I would take a picture the very next morning to show you how many apples come down in less than a day.
I couldn't quite capture the full collection because they fall quite far (and roll) (into my flower bed). I didn't actually rake at all yesterday, so there is a tremendous amount out there this morning. I don't think I can leave it much longer without raking today! What about you? Any messy trees on your property?
And to round off the morning, I leave you with a hen in a box.
Her expression said, "Leave me alone, I have a job to do."
Apple trees are a pain in the neck.I remember having to rake up apples as a child and fighting the yellow jackets for them.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as we bought out house, hubby cut down every tree there was including a apple tree. He's not a tree lover.
I try to get at the apples quickly before they start to rot and attract the wasps.
DeleteThey can be very labour intensive, it's true! My Rare One has an old apple tree in her backyard.
ReplyDeleteHusband is the one who loves this tree - I'm the one who rakes.
DeleteWe have lived in our current house for thirteen years. About ten years ago I put in a twisted willow, it was a couple of feet tall and I didn't check how big it would grow, mistake! It is now a monster and despite a huge cut back last year it is bigger than ever and needs a step ladder to deal with it. At the end of the year we may cut it right down.
ReplyDeleteYour girl in the nest box is beautiful. Your reply to my comment on your last post said you didn't know if I had a blog. I have - www.carolschickens.com
It's mostly about my chickens, which I am passionate about, but a bit of garden and allotment and other things sometimes.
I found your blog! I left you a comment. I don't know what a twisted willow is, but we had a weeping willow when I was a child and I loved it.
DeleteTwisted willow is like weeping willow but the leaves are twisted. Ours is against the wall dividing us from our neighbours so it hangs equally in their garden as in ours. They are very good about it but I am aware that it is encroaching. I thought it would add height when we planted it but didn't know they got so big.
DeleteThank you for your comment on my blog which I have replied to.
That is a lot of work to do every year...still, it must be lovely when it's in bloom.
ReplyDeleteI think that's why we do tolerate it - it's very nice when in bloom. I've posted pictures of it.
DeleteOh Jenn that apple tree is a lot of work for nothing. We found that this spring & summer all the trees have been really messy, either with keys, seeds or bugs. I blame the wet cold spring. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=
ReplyDeleteThat wet spring really had an affect on things.
DeleteThat is one big apple tree! Such a shame that the apples aren't good for much . . . and that it's almost a necessity that you keep them raked and picked up off the ground. I guess I would be tempted to cut the thing down, but just hate seeing big trees like that go.
ReplyDeleteIs your hen broody? Any chance she'll hatch out some chickies?
That's the thing with apple trees - the 'old' ones were always a good size - it's now that apple trees are all dwarf, easy to pick sizes. Ha ha, no the hen is not broody - just getting ready to lay an egg. We gleefully got rid of our roosters, so no chicks are possible.
DeleteMy daughter just bought a home with 6 apple trees, a cherry tree and a pear tree on the property. I am thrilled as I will be there when they are ready to pick helping her all the way. We will make apple butter and other goodies out of them. I love fresh pears so I will eat some of them as well.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy - it would be different if these apples were worth eating, but they aren't. They are described as a "harvest apple' and only happen every other year. It's a biannual tree.
DeleteA little privacy please ;)
ReplyDeleteHa, some of my hens aren't bothered by me checking underneath them, others get in quite a flap about it!
DeleteWe planted a peach tree at our former house. The idea of producing our own fruit seemed magical. Unfortunately (fortunately?), we never ate a one. Each year we'd get perfectly formed tiny peaches, go out and exclaim over them, come out the next morning and the squirrels had taken every one or thrown them on the ground. Never had a chance to get any bigger. Our solution - we moved.
ReplyDeleteOh how disappointing! Squirrels!!
DeleteI feel your apple pain. When I was a kid we had apple trees -- about six of them lining the drive way and they weren't good apples, either. So all that raking came to mom, dad and me. Now when I drive by that house, the trees are down. Gee, I wonder why! Rick has a nut tree over the patio which is presently dropping nuts on us at every meal. Pretty, yes. Aggravating? You bet!
ReplyDeleteWhat did the people who originally planted those apple trees do with them?? (what I mean is, if they were no good for eating, mine included, what was the purpose?) My husband thought we should make cider. Nope.
DeleteYour apple tree is huge. Another suggestion for your apples is donating them to a horse farm. Horses love these type apples. We had one of these apple trees in old house yard and I would take bushels to the horse farms and they appreciated the apples for the horses. They could give them to them because we did not spray too. Love the pic of your chicken. So cute.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Anyone with horses around here are generally Mennonite or Amish and they all have their own sources of feed, unfortunately. I'm rural here. That's a nice suggestion, though. Was the apple tree at Junk Chic cottage #1?
DeleteWe have inherited five apple trees and three plum trees with our new property. The plums look lush but all contain a horrid little worm from the Plum Moth. The recent storms have brought most of the apples down.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about the plum moth. Do you think you would try to use a spray for it in the future?
DeleteThat's one massive mess to deal with!
ReplyDelete(O)
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any fruit or nut trees here, and after seeing how many fall each morning, I'd say I'm happy about that!!! Too bad you can't really use the apples though.
ReplyDeleteWe experienced the same thing many years ago now, but I remember the constant raking or picking up.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Jenn, In answer to your question...premarin cream. Easy to use, a couple a times a week and, if used consistently....both problems tremendously better.
ReplyDelete