 |
| The standard 4-wire commercial tall-spindle system (click for larger view) |
The tall-spindle trellis system is finally finished and the trees are a'blooming! This is our second year (second leaf) and it is hard to believe that if all goes to plan we may actually get a few apples this fall. Apple trees bear on second year wood, but these trees still are so young it is hard to believe that they will produce anything. But that's the magic of the tall spindle system on dwarf root stock. Last summer after planting (first leaf), the trees did not bloom. That was a natural response due to being in cold storage.
Here we have one Ginger Gold (an earlier ripening version of Golden Delicious), one Macoun (similar to McIntosh), two Winecrisp, and one Dandy Red (a mutation of Paula Red/Summer Mac). This should give us a nice selection of varieties that can cross-pollinate and not come ripe all at once.
The master of the tall-spindle system in the US is the UMass extension agent, Jon Clements. Here he demonstrates a second leaf Honeycrisp planting.
Meanwhile, the winter rye cover crop on The Patch got a bit out of hand this spring. I finally had to weed-whack it so I can do a first till once things dry out a bit. I don't normally let it get over a few inches, but this spring was optimal for rapid growth. It almost was ready to start seeding out. The winter grain fields on local farms are extraordinary this year and our cover group was right up there with them. Lots of good green manure to enrich the soil.
