Planting Dreams...

I've planned since  before we moved here to plant some fruit trees. After seeing how well my plum tree is bearing (now that I have left Texas) I knew that planting some fruit trees would be a priority. Is there anything better than sinking your teeth into an apple freshly picked from the tree? And they are something to get planted earlier rather than later as my plum tree in Texas proves-I planted it about 5 years ago and it was just last year that it really started to bear.

I have heard you can't grow fruit trees here...early thaws will bring the trees into bloom and then a frost will come and make them drop.  The winds are too bad....the dirt is not right.  Yet I see some who manage to grow fruit trees and actually harvest crops. I believe it's all in the selection of the right tree and right place to plant them.

I have done my research and selected just three trees to start-two apples and a cherry.  Though I have high hopes for these trees there is no point in spending the family fortune to be proven wrong is there? I found a very reputable Nursery online, St. Lawrence Nurseries, out of Potsdam, NY.  They have a huge selection of fruit trees, a great reputation and the USDA zone chart puts them as a 4B while they have my zone as 5B-so these plants should be hardy.

I researched success stories, and also read the failure stories and finally settled on the following choices:

For the Apples: 

September Ruby-this one originated from Canada-it should be hardy (I've seen accounts of it growing in Alaska!).  One backyard grower had this to say about the apples "

"I too have September Ruby, mine seem to ripen in late August, early September most years. The taste reminds me of a macintosh, crisp and juicy, sweet, great for fresh eating, but also excellent in pies"

Yum...sounds good to me! 

The other selection I made was is a Norkent Apple. This one is rated for zone 2-another hardy variety.  It's described as "very large apple, sweet crisp, perfumy with excellent flavor".  Keeps well in storage. 

The Cherry Tree-I have always wanted a cherry tree, so I succumbed to temptation and ordered one. Unfortunately it seems sweet cherries don't grow in Northern climates but I did find some pie cherries do, and some are even good for fresh eating.  I chose a Bali Cherry because it was discovered growing near Edmonton, Alberta after withstanding -43F. It's supposedly a vigorous grower and precocious producer yielding large 1 inch fruit. I hope I'll be needing a bird net in a few years...this just sounds to good to be true!

Bali Cherries-I soo want to tast these!

My order came in from St. Lawrence at the end of April-they are ship bareroot and dormant and it is recommended to plant them straight away so I not one to not heed the sage words of those who are wiser than me-I did. I planted them on April 22, the day before we got about 8" of snow.  The instructions said "the weather might not be good for the humans for planting, but it is for the plants".   The first flakes of snow started to fall as I planted

Here are my pictures of the planting.

An Apple tree before planting 

Same Tree in hole ready to fill in

The Cherry tree-I have high hopes for this twig!

I have all the twigs trees wrapped in little cages of poultry wire to protect them from oafish dogs that go by the name of Jasper who I can just see grabbing hold of one and running. I'm faithfully watering them often as per the instructions "5-10 gallons regularly-regularly being every day, 3 days a week or a good soaking every weekend. Dig under the mulch to feel the soil, if it is waterlogged pass for a few days".

It'll be a few years before I get to taste the fruits of my efforts...I hope it pays off!