Pix, my apple orchard

[California]

Instead of cluttering up Ginormous's thread about HIS Yanmar, I started this new thread to answer him.

California -- Is that your orchard you're digging around in?

Apple Orchard. Here are a couple of pix I've posted here in the past.

It slopes down to the ravine in back.

There are abandoned rows down in the ravine, now just terraces gone to blackberry jungle. The ravine is the last refuge for wildlife as neighboring orchards get sold and converted to vineyards.

Winter chores. I used the backhoe to clear out the jungle around old trees in the last cultivated rows. These trees were abandoned when the blackberries overwhelmed them. I found redwood 2x4's nailed across some of them. My grandfather probably did this 60+ years ago as reinforcement against the limbs spreading outward and splitting the already-mature tree.

And a new year begins, transplanting a tree into a spot where last year I backhoed out the stump of a fallen tree.

 

[284 International]

Those sure are neat pictures, of a neat place. Vineyards are pretty, but I like orchards better; I really like a mixture of the them and other agriculture. Thanks for the images.

I think you've said elsewhere and I forgot, but what type of apples are those? I remember semi-dwarf, but the rest eludes me...

After I looked at other photos of your orchard, I got ambitious and decided to try a few apple trees in my area. It used to be exclusively cherry orchards, but the local climate has changed over the last 80 years or so, and that, combined with the aging trees, has really impacted productivity. Some of the new cultivars, especially from Israel, are said to work well in this semi-desert environment.

 

[California]

Thanks!

The original planting about 1900?? was Gravenstein with some Golden Delicious. There are also some old Jonathan, Rome, and Red Delicious along with younger Golden Delicious all scattered randomly, probably old replacements.

Starting 40? years ago semi-dwarfs were planted as replacements because they bear as much tonnage/acre but the smaller size means less pruning and harvest labor. There is one block, about 10% of the acreage, that was ripped out and planted in the 60's with close rows of semi-dwarf Granny Smith (see the second mowing photo above). They may give as much as 20% of the tonnage harvested.

Modern scattered replacements were mostly semi-dwarf Golden Delicious (harvest-time photo above) and a few Fuji and Gala in the 90's. There have always been a few family fruit trees in the orchard - pear, cherry, peach, persimmon etc and we are planting more. And a couple of big walnut trees down in the wettest part of the cultivated area. My Grandfather was an engineer (mining) and my theory is he planted these water-absorbing trees there to blot up that wet spot as early in the season as possible. It's still an area that can bury a crawler.

Since we have owned the place (2001) we have been replacing down trees with full size Gravensteins. First, this is an excellent tasting classic apple, mostly grown only in this area, so we are maintaining a tradition. Also, we chose full size trees to make the place become more like a secluded forest as more and more parcels we see from here on the ridge lines (first two photos) are converted to wide open vineyards with big showy weekend houses.

 

[California]

New photo: I took this last Friday. I was up early, looking out at heavy fog. Something moved. It's a Great Blue Heron.

He's huge. After he vanished I went out and saw that the knot in the limb above his head is as high as my armpit.

We're 10 miles inland from the Pacific Coast where he would normally be.

 

[Ginormous]

Very neat. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

 

[Johndeere3720]

Man, i really like your orchard. very scenic area. :thumbsup: My Yanmar gets to see plenty of trees right now at "base camp" which currently has about 20 cord of wood in 6 different stacks waiting to be processed into firewood.

 

[284 International]

That's a sharp looking outfit at your logging camp. Good stuff. :thumbsup:

 

[Johndeere3720]

That's a sharp looking outfit at your logging camp. Good stuff. :thumbsup:

Thanks 284 International! :thumbsup:

 

[Marveltone]

Absolutely beautiful! I'm officially jealous!

Joe

 

[California]

Johndeere, that forest is beautiful country! You are fortunate.

I'm surprised that your logs are going for firewood. That's nice looking wood. I would have expected for lumber.

Everybody: thanks for the comments!

I didn't realize how many pictures I had posted here over the years until I searched for these. Someday I'll look for critter pictures. Or maybe even Yanmar pictures on some specific theme.