Posted: 7/30/2010 5:45:29 PM EDT
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Just wondering if fruit trees of different varieties are a truly viable food option for a bug out location in SHTF. If so, what varieties grow best in the Mid-Atlantic region? (I live in VA)
What can I expect as an average harvest from said trees once they are matured? Thanks |
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due to the relative ease of maintaining trees once they reach maturity I think they are a great option. They can also increase your variety of food by a tremendous amount. You are in a good zone for some kinds of apples. For longevity I would suggest not getting apples trees that have dwarf root balls, get the normal full sized ones.
Citrus probably doesn't grow too well up in your area, but down here in the south they are wonderful for the amount of fruit they produce. Have you looked into nut trees as well. Peaches might grow well up there, although I must admit I'm not super familiar with what your climate is like. |
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i live in central va. i have fig trees. local berries are popular. might want to look into pecan trees too. i have one that produces surplus. western va is known for apples. Got figs  Not the biggest fan of the fruit, but they DO produce en mass.
Blackberries were on my list of options. Can I expect them to do well in shade as well as open light? Pecan trees... haven't thought of that. Thanks |
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I have two pear trees & a cherry tree. The pear trees are old (20?) & they look like willow trees. I think I need to cut them back but I don't know when or how far. The cherries get almost ripe & then the day that they do, deer, birds & every other manner of critter wears 'em out. |
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Quoted:
I have two pear trees & a cherry tree. The pear trees are old (20?) & they look like willow trees. I think I need to cut them back but I don't know when or how far. The cherries get almost ripe & then the day that they do, deer, birds & every other manner of critter wears 'em out. Is shooting a deer eating off your tree considered "hunting over bait"? |
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Quoted: Not with a crossbow... Quoted: I have two pear trees & a cherry tree. The pear trees are old (20?) & they look like willow trees. I think I need to cut them back but I don't know when or how far. The cherries get almost ripe & then the day that they do, deer, birds & every other manner of critter wears 'em out. Is shooting a deer eating off your tree considered "hunting over bait"?  Shhhsh...  |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Not with a crossbow... Quoted:
I have two pear trees & a cherry tree. The pear trees are old (20?) & they look like willow trees. I think I need to cut them back but I don't know when or how far. The cherries get almost ripe & then the day that they do, deer, birds & every other manner of critter wears 'em out. Is shooting a deer eating off your tree considered "hunting over bait"?
Shhhsh...
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Not with a crossbow... Quoted:
I have two pear trees & a cherry tree. The pear trees are old (20?) & they look like willow trees. I think I need to cut them back but I don't know when or how far. The cherries get almost ripe & then the day that they do, deer, birds & every other manner of critter wears 'em out. Is shooting a deer eating off your tree considered "hunting over bait"?
Shhhsh...
No it is not. Take the time to do some research into non-standard trees, such as Elaegnus, Gogi, Jujube (look here) And consider those hardy kiwi while you are at it. Cornelian cherry is another possibility. |
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Were in va on the coast
We have peaches, apples, fig, pear, plum, grapes, blueberry, Wife started some Goji, were starting asparagus, blackberry (wild). Our Neighbor has a fig that producea a ton, also has peaches that produce good yealds. As for ours Apples 2-3 years old apples are starting to produce well, still figuring out some issues on spots (fungus) and june bugs control. Peaches 2- 3 years old last year produced a bit I accidently killed all the blossoms spraying ( daconil I beleive ) in spring a little to late this tear so no harvest. Learning experience. Pear established long time before us. Has Produced good yeilds and i do nothing to the tree, except this year i thought i would spray it also with the others to prevent that fungus and killed all its blosoms also. It a hardy tree and this was the fist time a was proactive with any spray and wiped out all peach and pear blossoms, apples held up fine. The Pear tree though gets a little bit of the fungus spots on the leaves in spring when we get lots of rain but it has not yet seem to affect it if I LEAVE IT ALONE. Grapes are 2 years old and the growing like weeds, getting some production this year, at least what the Turkeys didn't eat/couldn't reach. But down to 1 turkey so not much of a problem anymore, Damn Foxes. I have some grapes and berrys in our side lot, no care there growing slow compared to ones near house but the deer have/do nibble on them. They competing strrongly against the weeds. There still small and not producind really. They get miminal care though an occasional deweeding at there base, no watering, fert or anything just letting nature grow them to see what happens. Now they are 1-2 foot tall where the vines at the house are 6' they get little care no fert as is bad for berries, slight amnount of water, but no deer eating them at house. they are on the SW side of a fence line. I think once you get the berries established they will be fine on there own, but from the looks of things a little protection from foragers early on will give them a good boost in size and health to be able to fend for them selves from then on. If i were to have to rely on the berries in the field i would starve. The wild blackberries produce a ton though but there a little harder for the deer to get to do to the thornes. Our fig in still new planted this winter, Plum is old as dirt small and was half dead when we got the place but it does still produce fruit every year. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
i live in central va. i have fig trees. local berries are popular. might want to look into pecan trees too. i have one that produces surplus. western va is known for apples. Got figs Not the biggest fan of the fruit, but they DO produce en mass.
Blackberries were on my list of options. Can I expect them to do well in shade as well as open light? Pecan trees... haven't thought of that. Thanks try apples. blackberries mostly need full sun: the plump berries are in the shade of their own upper limbs. pecans: forget it. if you plant them now, you'll be 6 feet under before you get the first nut. chinese chestnuts may do it fo ryou, shinko pears are also good. |
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I'm in 7b. When it comes to apples your primary consideration for homesteading is "disease free." Don't trust the seller's description, they are hardly ever correct (truthful). I have a whole row (25 trees) of Goldrush that for most people is fantastic, for me it is developing cedar apple rust. I am thinking about chip budding another apple on it this summer.
The trees are a "plant it yesterday" type of thing so it's not something you can spend years planning. |
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I'm in 7b. When it comes to apples your primary consideration for homesteading is "disease free." Don't trust the seller's description, they are hardly ever correct (truthful). I have a whole row (25 trees) of Goldrush that for most people is fantastic, for me it is developing cedar apple rust. I am thinking about chip budding another apple on it this summer. The trees are a "plant it yesterday" type of thing so it's not something you can spend years planning. Yeah apples seem to be the main thing people are telling me to plant. Are there any soil considerations such as pH, that i need to be aware of? Disease free is something that is a must, but I'm sure its more of wishful thinking than solid fact. I'll have to look up Goldrush apples, never heard of them. Also, I'm trying to stick to stuff that is native to this continent and environment, so no foreign invaders lol. |
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ph is very important. send a soil sample to your extension office and let them test it. then amend with lime to rais the ph to around 6.5-6.7. i started with 5.4 from a pine forest s oI had a long way to go. Rootstock that is fairly solid is M111. it will be a large tree, but I like m111 because it will stand on its own after established, and it will resist collar rot from phytophera. it won't "sucker" like M 7 will.
I recommend auville early fuji on m111, and pristine on m111 also. you will have yellow pristine apples around teh 4th of july or shortly after, and red fuji's around september. Pristine grows extremely fast - like a double rainbow, all the way - full on! |
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try a friggin pear tree. just dont let it get past the 15 ft mark. i am so tired to seeing pears I am laughing so hard right now. I'm just imagining somebody standing in their yard, just _glaring_ at this tree with hate in their eyes, like, "Don't you even talk to me, pear tree. I haven't got the time or the patience to put up with your garbage." |
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try a friggin pear tree. just dont let it get past the 15 ft mark. i am so tired to seeing pears I am laughing so hard right now. I'm just imagining somebody standing in their yard, just _glaring_ at this tree with hate in their eyes, like, "Don't you even talk to me, pear tree. I haven't got the time or the patience to put up with your garbage." Thats pretty much it. You cant find enough people to give the pears to. And if you mow, you need to find a spot for the hundred rotton pears under teh tree. Damn i should have kept this one trimmed down to a managable size |
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Planted 6 trees today. One Fuji, one Johnathan, one Gala, one Red Delicious, two different pear trees. Checked the pollination charts and they all are compatible. Found out that there were two other "hidden" pear trees on our property (a ton of blackberry bushes too), and some Walnut trees too. No pics, sorry. Got the trees on sale for 15 a pop, and they were all healthy looking too.
Thanks for the info and encouragement to all who replied to this thread.
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Oh, don't talk like you're "done." 
You'll be back. You'll have many questions. How far apart to plant? amend the hole? too late to fertilize? what do I spray? central leader or open center? what is fireblight? what is this disease on the two pear trees already on the property? why don't black berries get along with my apple trees? Why don't ceder trees get along with them? When do I prune? and on and on and on...and it' s ALL FUN!! God told Adam - "by the sweat of your brow." These things require input from you. You can't just show up in the orchard one crisp fall day when the leaves are falling and pick up your cool bushels of apples!!!
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Quoted:
Oh, don't talk like you're "done."
You'll be back. You'll have many questions. How far apart to plant? amend the hole? too late to fertilize? what do I spray? central leader or open center? what is fireblight? what is this disease on the two pear trees already on the property? why don't black berries get along with my apple trees? Why don't ceder trees get along with them? When do I prune? and on and on and on...and it' s ALL FUN!! God told Adam - "by the sweat of your brow." These things require input from you. You can't just show up in the orchard one crisp fall day when the leaves are falling and pick up your cool bushels of apples!!! Uncanny how you read my mind. Okay, so is planting an apple tree too close to my blackberries a problem? Whats with the cedar tree thing, cause I've got a few of those on my property too. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Not with a crossbow... Quoted:
I have two pear trees & a cherry tree. The pear trees are old (20?) & they look like willow trees. I think I need to cut them back but I don't know when or how far. The cherries get almost ripe & then the day that they do, deer, birds & every other manner of critter wears 'em out. Is shooting a deer eating off your tree considered "hunting over bait"?
Shhhsh...
I guess venison does grow on trees... 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Oh, don't talk like you're "done."
You'll be back. You'll have many questions. How far apart to plant? amend the hole? too late to fertilize? what do I spray? central leader or open center? what is fireblight? what is this disease on the two pear trees already on the property? why don't black berries get along with my apple trees? Why don't ceder trees get along with them? When do I prune? and on and on and on...and it' s ALL FUN!! God told Adam - "by the sweat of your brow." These things require input from you. You can't just show up in the orchard one crisp fall day when the leaves are falling and pick up your cool bushels of apples!!! Uncanny how you read my mind. Okay, so is planting an apple tree too close to my blackberries a problem? Whats with the cedar tree thing, cause I've got a few of those on my property too. brambles, cedar trees and apples...... brambles in a seperate planting are OK, especially your typical homestead cultivars like triple crown, heritage raspberries, doyle, apache (all the indian releases) they are probably OK. The cautionary advice is to not let them grow in the rows - for they can overwinter cedar apple rust. the real culprit with cedar apple rust is cedar trees. fortunately all the varieties you mentioned should not have a significant problem with CAR. but if you plant a "yellow" variety of apple then you will likely have some troubles. Surely you have more questions than that? 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Oh, don't talk like you're "done."
You'll be back. You'll have many questions. How far apart to plant? amend the hole? too late to fertilize? what do I spray? central leader or open center? what is fireblight? what is this disease on the two pear trees already on the property? why don't black berries get along with my apple trees? Why don't ceder trees get along with them? When do I prune? and on and on and on...and it' s ALL FUN!! God told Adam - "by the sweat of your brow." These things require input from you. You can't just show up in the orchard one crisp fall day when the leaves are falling and pick up your cool bushels of apples!!! Uncanny how you read my mind. Okay, so is planting an apple tree too close to my blackberries a problem? Whats with the cedar tree thing, cause I've got a few of those on my property too. brambles, cedar trees and apples...... brambles in a seperate planting are OK, especially your typical homestead cultivars like triple crown, heritage raspberries, doyle, apache (all the indian releases) they are probably OK. The cautionary advice is to not let them grow in the rows - for they can overwinter cedar apple rust. the real culprit with cedar apple rust is cedar trees. fortunately all the varieties you mentioned should not have a significant problem with CAR. but if you plant a "yellow" variety of apple then you will likely have some troubles. Surely you have more questions than that? So you're saying that any bramble type bushes will carry the cedar apple rust during the winter time and it will cause my apples problems in the spring? Well I guess since I didn't plant any yellow apples I shouldn't have a problem, but the bushes are within a few feet of the trees  . And the cedars are about 25-75 meters away from the whole orchard. I am thinking of cutting them down, but we shall see. Ok so pruning: when, how, and what not to do: go
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| haha, pruning. you don't have to worry about that for a while. first,research open center v. central leader to see the difference. Chances are your area has folks doing central leader. Here some do open center due to the risk of fireblight. I normally prune around february. As far as "don'ts" when I figure that out I'll let you know! |
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