Fruit trees.

[Jake Smith]

This lemon tree is loaded with lemons again in 2025. We're still eating the ones out of the freezer, from 2024. Got to pick them and freeze them, for next year.

 

[Marie Mallory]

This lemon tree above produces a lot of lemons.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I wish we could grow them here, but it just gets too cold in the winter for them to be outside. We tried having lemon trees in large containers and brought them inside in the winter, but they took up a lot of room in the living area, and they still were not large enough to have lemons. I think we might have gotten one lemon from the tree.
I ordered a dwarf red Rome apple and it should be here next week, and we will pant it out back. We have another red apple (don’t remember what kind it was anymore) but it never has apples, so i thought maybe it was one that needed a pollinator. So, maybe with the two of them, we can finally have apples.

Bobby put up stakes out front where we just planted the blueberry and bush cherries, because they are pretty short and hard to see, and he does not want to accidentally walk on one or mow it along with the grass.

 

[Jake Smith]

I wish we could grow them here, but it just gets too cold in the winter for them to be outside. We tried having lemon trees in large containers and brought them inside in the winter, but they took up a lot of room in the living area, and they still were not large enough to have lemons. I think we might have gotten one lemon from the tree.
I ordered a dwarf red Rome apple and it should be here next week, and we will pant it out back. We have another red apple (don’t remember what kind it was anymore) but it never has apples, so i thought maybe it was one that needed a pollinator. So, maybe with the two of them, we can finally have apples.

Bobby put up stakes out front where we just planted the blueberry and bush cherries, because they are pretty short and hard to see, and he does not want to accidentally walk on one or mow it along with the grass.

Our lemon and pear tree, really produce well here. If you can see by that lemon tree, we make compost in that black composter, and just move it around the tree each time we turn the compost. That seems to really help it be healthy. There were so many pears on the pear tree this year, after picking enough for 28 quarts to can, and Marie, cut up many in slices, to freeze, and there were still a lot on that tree up at top, so we just left them on, it's a bit scary climbing up to top of the ladder to get them; but I saw on YouTube, a man using a net on a long pole picking his, so maybe will try that next year. They say that pears are really good for seniors. Need to check ph on the raised bed where we put three blueberry plants, which grew slow this year, only one produced a few berries.

 

[Smithy]

I have a crab apple tree growing in my garden it's about 13 foot tall I planted it last year.
It's for the wild birds to eat the crab apples but they don't seem to eat them.

 

[Jake Smith]

I have a crab apple tree growing in my garden it's about 13 foot tall I planted it last year.
It's for the wild birds to eat the crab apples but they don't seem to eat them.

As a kid we used to go down to Buddy Pools house, one of our neighbors, before Mama fed us, and ate all kinds of fruit off their trees. Once and I will never forget I ate as many crab apples as I could, and had my worst stomach ache ever; thought I was going to die. That reminds me too of Mama putting her laxative feenamint gum out on table, I was about 4 or 5 and I chewed the whole pack, I thought it was bubble gum, , "mistake", I stayed in woods " long time", trying to get over that one; was scared to tell her because of the whooping I would get.

 

[Jake Smith]

Our pear tree; Maisie keeps squirrels out and eats some of the pears and acorns off the oaks.



Fig tree, beside the lemon tree.

 

[Don Alaska]

I have a crab apple tree growing in my garden it's about 13 foot tall I planted it last year.
It's for the wild birds to eat the crab apples but they don't seem to eat them.

Berries would be a better food source for the birds @Smithy, but the birds may eat your crabapples if they rot first. There is the problem. You can use the crabapples to make vinegar, cider, or jelly. I don't think you do much of that stuff though, right?

 

[Jake Smith]

I have a crab apple tree growing in my garden it's about 13 foot tall I planted it last year.
It's for the wild birds to eat the crab apples but they don't seem to eat them.

Wonder if they did, if it would hurt their stomach, like it does ours?

 

[Yvonne Smith]

Years ago, we had a crabapple tree at one house where we lived. It only had fruit every other year. We did eat the little apples, and I think I made applesauce and maybe apple butter with them. The horses and goats enjoyed them, and so did the rabbits, but I don’t remember if the chickens ate them or not; so maybe birds would not like them either.

 

[Don Alaska]

Years ago, we had a crabapple tree at one house where we lived. It only had fruit every other year. We did eat the little apples, and I think I made applesauce and maybe apple butter with them. The horses and goats enjoyed them, and so did the rabbits, but I don’t remember if the chickens ate them or not; so maybe birds would not like them either.

Our chickens eat them, but they don't eat a lot of them and they have to be either soft or mashed. They wouldn't be the ideal food for birds, but we use them all the time here for ourselves. In Europe I am told they are the ideal fruit to use for vinegar and are treasured for that purpose. Here they are usually used for jelly.

 

[Jake Smith]

Our chickens eat them, but they don't eat a lot of them and they have to be either soft or mashed. They wouldn't be the ideal food for birds, but we use them all the time here for ourselves. In Europe I am told they are the ideal fruit to use for vinegar and are treasured for that purpose. Here they are usually used for jelly.

Vinegar's good.

 

[Jake Smith]

November 25 2025, started picking the lemons because they've started to fall off by themselves. We're still eating the ones from last year. Still plenty left on the tree; but too sore from working on the truck, to take a chance, going higher up the ladder; will get them later, after I take a day off.

 

[Jake Smith]

I know I've been saying that I need to get the rest of the lemons off that lemon tree; but I have to make myself do it today.

 

[Jake Smith]

Ok they all off that tree, except some green ones. Anyone know an easier way to get them off, than climbing to the top of a 10 ft ladder, then reaching as high as you can with the snake grabber, hard to do but I did it. Lemon trees, so very special, we will have to make fresh squeeze lemon aid. 12 - 10 - 2025 .

 

[Don Alaska]

Ok they all off that tree, except some green ones. Anyone know an easier way to get them off, than climbing to the top of a 10 ft ladder, then reaching as high as you can with the snake grabber, hard to do but I did it. Lemon trees, so very special, we will have to make fresh squeeze lemon aid. 12 - 10 - 2025 .

View attachment 1575

You could get or make a fruit harvester.

Link

 

[Jake Smith]

You could get or make a fruit harvester.

Link

Will have to check that out, what you're talking about Don. Is that something that reaches really high, and retrieves the fruit?

 

[Don Alaska]

Will have to check that out, what you're talking about Don. Is that something that reaches really high, and retrieves the fruit?

It is on the end of a pole, and how high it reaches depends on the length of the pole. If you use a shorter pole but stand on a ladder, it is more controllable. Then, of course, there is something like this

 

[Joe Riley]

@Jake Smith When life hands you a lemon tree....... go get a ladder!

 

[Jake Smith]

It is on the end of a pole, and how high it reaches depends on the length of the pole. If you use a shorter pole but stand on a ladder, it is more controllable. Then, of course, there is something like this

View attachment 1578

That would be "overkill", buying a big tractor like that for a lemon tree; "not to mention" that I could never afford one
Don, this pole will work for pears and lemon trees. Thanks


@Jake Smith[/USER] When life hands you a lemon tree....... go get a ladder!


Right; I was on top of my 10 ft, standing and reaching as far out to get the lemon with my 4 ft snake grabber; it worked but I do know it is foolish of me, or careless, taking a chance of falling. The lemons were totally ripe and falling every so often and some would slit from fall. So I felt I had to get them off. Last year we had Heleen the storm with 140 mph winds so it had the tree limbs leaning down so that it was easier to get them off. We still have a gallon bag of those frozen in the freezer.
. But the pole you spoke of; you have a photo of that?

Here is the lemon tree last year after Heleen.