I have spent some time the past couple of days perusing the nursery catalogs and internet. We have decided to replace the maple tree we had to cut down with apple trees. We love apples and eat tons of them as well as applesauce. Looks like the winners are going to be Fuji and Grannysmith. They both store well and have versatile uses. Now, it is time to figure out where to get the trees and whether to get semi-dwarf or standard size trees.
One resource I have found invaluable the past couple of years as we have been planting fruit is the local extension site. If you live here in the USA you will find yours by googling the county and state you live in plus the words extension service. Our state extension service actually has testing areas where they try different varieties of fruits as well as other crops. They then post the recommendations based on what grows the best for them. I have had better success with my fruits since I have started planting their recommended varieties.
We have decided to plant apple trees because we can still get the shade while producing fruit for our family. This is known as edible landscaping. It is unbelievable how much food you can produce for yourself while still having pretty landscaping. For trees, it is a matter of thinking fruit and nut bearing trees versus regular shade trees for your yard. Although there are many varieties of nut trees that can produce wonderful shade for your yard, we have chosen apple trees instead. Mary and I both have tree nut allergies.
We are hoping to order trees in March sometime and get them planted so they benefit from the great spring rains we have around here. I will let you know how it is going.
One resource I have found invaluable the past couple of years as we have been planting fruit is the local extension site. If you live here in the USA you will find yours by googling the county and state you live in plus the words extension service. Our state extension service actually has testing areas where they try different varieties of fruits as well as other crops. They then post the recommendations based on what grows the best for them. I have had better success with my fruits since I have started planting their recommended varieties.
We have decided to plant apple trees because we can still get the shade while producing fruit for our family. This is known as edible landscaping. It is unbelievable how much food you can produce for yourself while still having pretty landscaping. For trees, it is a matter of thinking fruit and nut bearing trees versus regular shade trees for your yard. Although there are many varieties of nut trees that can produce wonderful shade for your yard, we have chosen apple trees instead. Mary and I both have tree nut allergies.
We are hoping to order trees in March sometime and get them planted so they benefit from the great spring rains we have around here. I will let you know how it is going.
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