Apple Clean-up

Before we got this lingering snow,the crew and I did a little apple clean-up. REAL apples are the only kind I put in the field to be plowed in. Horse manure is not a good choice for gardening, it can initiate scab diseases in the soil.....that never go away. Ever seen 'scabby' looking potatoes? Might have been a fresh horse donation.

Gavin and Jace filling the buckets with apples to dump in the field.
To my surprise, they even picked up rotting ones!

The apples don't have a huge fertilizer value in the plowed field, but removing them from the base of the tree is good. Sanitation in 'top fruit' (trees) growing is essential. Not only would a slimy apple mess persist, but also all the disease, insect eggs etc, are right below the tree, waiting to infect the tree again next year. You might not really notice the problems, but they are there! A good source for organic controls can be found at http://www.gardensalive.com/ If you can take time to do only ONE thing for your fruit trees do this: spray them with a 'dormant oil.' It is the single MOST beneficial thing to do (while the tree is still dormant) The oil smothers egg casings, insects, and other problems.