Fruits

From Antivist

Shrubs

• Currants, begin to yield usually, during the 4th or 5th year.
• Gooseberries , begin to yield during the 4th or 5th year.
• Rhododendron
• Raspberry: generally start to pay during the 3rd year and bear annually for 6 to 10 years.
• Blueberries
• High Bush Cranberry
• Blackberry: generally start to pay during the 3rd year and bear annually for 6 to 10 years.
• Dewberries: same as blackberry
• Grapes
• Fig
• Dates
• Mulberry

TREES

APPLE

Apple orchards rarely provide a paying crop in under 7 years, more often 10 to 15 years. Many varieties bear satisfactorily only in alternate years. So they will rarely yield more than 15 crops in 37 to 40 or 45 years from planting.

Baldwin applies are notorious for 'off' and 'on' years.

Yellow Transparent, Oldenburg, and Wealthy are famous for regular annual bearing.

Trees should have regular feeding

During the summer, cull all inferior and worm-infested specimins, which would have to be discarded anyway at or after harvest. This diverts the plants food from the inferior fruits to flower-bud formation for the following year, and enhances the size and quality of the remaining specimins. Thirdly it distributes the fruit bearing area more evenly both over the trees and over the years. The later thinning can be used for vinegar making, and prices of the large apples at harvest will bring higher prices.

ORANGE

Oranges, lemons, and grapefruit require five years to bear profitable crops, but unless injured by frost, they usually bear well annually and for many years.

PEACH

Peaches begin to be profitable in the 4th or 5th year. Some trees may be profitable for 20 years. But most growers only count on 10 or 12. Though the peach would naturally bear every year, an annual yield cannot be counted upon because cold winters and spring frosts often destroy the buds, flowers, or newly formed fruits.

    NOTE: Wild cherry encourages peach borer and tent caterpillars - cut them down.

LEMON: See orange

LIME: See orange

GRAPEFRUIT: See orange

BANANA - only viable in warm climates or in greenhouses

WALNUT

PECANS

HICKORY

ALMONDS

CHERRY - RED and PIE

Rarely become profitable before 5 years, are more regular annual bearers than apples and pears, and are naturally longer lived than peaches - 15 to 20 years for well managed sour cherries and plums and 30 years or more for sweet cherries. Their main objections to them are the cost of picking and their proneness to brown rot of the fruit and foliage.

CHESTNUT

PLUM

PEAR

KIWI

HAZELNUT

BUTTERNUT

MAPLE - See: http://www.greatdreams.com/maple.htm for how to tap these trees.

GENERAL NOTES: Beech, sugar maple, Hickory, Black Walnut, and White Oak trees of large size indicate rich land; White Pine Scrub Oak, and scrawny trees of most species are typical of poor land; extra thrifty willows, poplars, and Alder, and Elder Bushes suggest too much water, and probably need of drainage.

Elm trees are breeding quarters for canker worms, Red Cedars are alternate hosts for Rust disease of Apple and Quince - these can be cut down if you are growing other trees for profit.