[plumseverywhere]

All the news reports (certainly here in the Vale of Evesham) suggest that we've had some funny weather that will affect our fruit crops.  Our plums are definately coming in earlier, how healthy they will be remains to be seen though..
got some pears that are earlier than last year too.
anyone else noticed anything different?

[egglady]

Lisa, aye something strange here too......... one of my neighbours turned up about an hour ago with a fabby 3 in 1 apple tree for me   so so so delighted as had fancied one for ages but couldnt afford one....AND it even has teeny wee apples on it.........a cooker and 2 eaters (one red, one green).

who would have thought an apple tree would have made me so happy lol

[plumseverywhere]

That sounds brilliant!! I think that apple tree would have made me happy too    the goats have wrecked ours 

[ellisr]

My cider apple tree is laden to the point I am thinking of taken some off to prevent the branches snapping. Next door has cherries for sale already

[little blue]

and strange here too .... I actually have loads of  fruit on my trees (apples, pears & cherry) for the first time!!
despite the heavy rain and high winds....

sorry Plums, thats not what you meant is it?!

Egglady, I too get excited about stuff like that!
there's a running joke at work that when we take the kids to the garden centres, they lose me by the bargain "dead stuff, looking for things to bring back to life!"

[ellied]

Both the plums and the cookers all look pretty laden again this year, despite the gales and my having to hack back some of one plum tree when it was sweeping the floor with plums last year   Another one looks like needing a haircut after fruiting too..

There is one apple tree that was knocked by the falling conifer over the winter, I thought it might enjoy more light and seemed to survive with roots intact, but I don't think it likes the direct wind now so it may not survive another year unfortunately   Loads of others still in the actual orchard and this is a "spare" so not a disaster either way

[Greenerlife]

varied.  That is my summary of this years fruit crop.  Some trees are absolutely fab and laden (especially the plums) but my apples are very hit and miss.  Some like my Bramley are absolutely heaving with fruit and others had beautiful blossom as I have ever seen on them, but no fruit.  some have been eaten right out by unknown beaties and look really crabby.I suspect that our local bee problem (no water/ no nectar/no flying/no pollination) maybe culprit?  Pears all look good - their first fruiting year - quite excited!

[Sandy]

We are OK so far, lots of apples on the tree but last year I left them for a while and then the wee uns over the back took um!!!!!!

[egglady]

bizarre of bizarre...my crab apple tree has started FLOWERING again this week!!! what's that all about??

[benkt]

This is our first year at the farm so I have no track record to compare it to. However, we've had a treeful of cherries that have been and gone with the rest of the cherry trees looking like they'll be ready in the next week or two. We've also got a cherry plum that is getting close to ripe. Apples and pears all have fruit on them, but the little orchard has been neglected for so long I'm not sure how good a crop to expect. The only thing we might be overflowing with is greengages which have self-seeded all over the place!

[suziequeue]

When we moved here in 2009 we had loads of plums and no apples.

In 2010 we had loads of apples and no plums.

This year it looks like we will be getting both apples and plums if the early fruits are anything to go by.

Pears have been a disaster - partly because neither Paul nor I really care for them much and partly due to some sort of leaf thing - Pear Leaf Blister Mite I think....

So - hoping for a bumper harvest - particularly of apples - see my bicycle powered apple scratter thread on Home Brewing!!!

[northfifeduckling]

yes, definitely.  some of my trees are infested with a fungus or virus, will have to get a specialist in soon for diagnosis. The problem with the damson like plum is the same the sloes had a few years ago - deforming fruit. I have less set apples this year, but more pears - we love pears, so I'm not complaining 

[manian]

and strange here too .... I actually have loads of  fruit on my trees (apples, pears & cherry) for the first time!!
despite the heavy rain and high winds....

sorry Plums, thats not what you meant is it?!

Egglady, I too get excited about stuff like that!
there's a running joke at work that when we take the kids to the garden centres, they lose me by the bargain "dead stuff, looking for things to bring back to life!"

i'm sooo jealous....     my 3 apple trees have 4 apples on them in total!!!!!!
they were planted last year so fingers crossed for next year!!!

may have to go scrumping at yours little blue
 

[little blue]

be patient Manian ... we had the same problem (impatience!) the first year with the apples,
then last year, the pears were in their first year, and between high winds and rampaging pigs, we had about two apples from 3 trees!
And the bloomin' pigs ate all the strawberries too!!

Even this year, it wouldn't take you above 5 minutes to scrump the lot!   But I'd fight you for 'em! 

[gem]

for the first time ive got apples on my tree, i planted it 2yrs ago and its finally starting to thrive, my plum tree was only planted last year, no plums this year anyhow