Scouting for Pest Problems

Scouting for Pest Problems

Scouting One of the most important tools a gardener or orchardist has are his or her eyes. Scouting is the act of observation, with the intent of recognizing disease or pest hazards before they become critical. The idea is to act before too much damage is done. This...
Upright Fruiting Offshoot (UFO)  Sweet Cherry Training

Upright Fruiting Offshoot (UFO) Sweet Cherry Training

Many visitors to Cloud Mountain are intrigued by our ‘cherry tunnel’. This upright fruiting system (UFO) is an unusual way of growing sweet cherries. It was initially developed for commercial growers, but can be adapted to home gardens and market farms as...
Pruning Sweet Cherries

Pruning Sweet Cherries

One important note: always prune cherries when you will have at least 2 days of dry weather. This can help reduce canker. Most people grow sweet cherries as freestanding ‘bush’ shaped trees.  In a future post, we’ll talk about growing sweet cherries...
Pruning Stone Fruits

Pruning Stone Fruits

Traditionally, we have been pruning most of our stone fruits in late January along with the rest of the orchard for quite a number of years. A few years ago, we discovered something interesting in our Peach Plum. It has been my youngest daughter’s favorite plum since...
Frost and fruit buds

Frost and fruit buds

With our mild winter and early spring, most fruit trees are breaking dormancy a bit ahead of normal. This time of year when the forecast is for sunny days and clear nights, it’s possible we’ll get some frost. Should you worry about those fruit buds?...

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