Category: Northeast Fruit Grower’s Journals & Logs
December 2014 at Walden Heights
Icy Days
Freezing rain can wreak havoc on trees and plants, but more often than not they come through undamaged. Indeed there are few more beautiful sights than to take a walk through the aftermath.… Read more
Wild Plants in the Orchard
More in the growing list of plants to keep in the landscape. Along with acting as nectaries for beneficial insects, native and other wild plants are crucial to the ecosystem due to their ability to accumulate and distribute a multitude … Read more
Apple blossom opening
This is a very brief time lapse. The apple branched was forced into bloom in a jar of water, indoors in order to shoot the sequence.
Sunset in the Northeast Kingdom
Dusk at Walden Heights
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Bald Faced Hornet Observation Hive
We were lucky enough to have a nest of bald faced hornets select the outside wall of our apple house as their site. We were also lucky enough to have zero stings. It survived all season, even after heavy rains … Read more
Pileated Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
At least one couple takes up residence here each year, likely due to their great fondness for grapes. We are happy to have them, despite their appetite, since they eat almost exclusively from … Read more
Mutant Strawberry
This mutant is the result of goodness knows what. Although fruits can fuse with one another during growth, it is likely a genetic mutation. And yes, despite its gruesome physical appearance, we ate it.… Read more
Bird Mending
Leo trying to help out a fellow resident of the farm that had been injured. It is hard to restore these little guys, but protection food and water can go a long way.… Read more
Turkey Chicks in the Orchard
We stumbled upon this happy little clutch of chick this past summer, happily lounging right on the orchard path. Keeping from overly manicuring your farm allows all kinds of furry and feathered folks to feel secure. Mother was nearby, trying … Read more
Ants attack caterpillar – video
We shot a few minutes of footage of ants attacking (and eventually killing) a caterpillar many times their size. Ants are problematic in the orchard in many instances, from farming aphids to biting humans. They do occasionally shine, however, as … Read more
Lecture and Discussion in Peacham
We held one of our workshops on the 25th of July (2013) at the Peacham Library here in Vt. “Growing Organic Fruit in the Northeast Kingdom” was the focus this time around. We had a nice turnout, and a lot … Read more
Holy Harvests
Big year this year for fruit. After months of berry picking the freezers are chockablock full, so folks can order frozen fruit directly. It never seems to end though (in a good way). Picking tree fruit and grapes now. Most … Read more
Bloomin' Snow
It was a beautiful sight Sunday morning, a dramatic display of white amid the apple trees. Blossoms galore, right Todd? Um, well yes, but they were barely discernible behind the blanket of snow. So on the eve of the 25th … Read more
A bloomin good scene in 2013
The first off the mark for apple blooms this year are the Selkirk crabs and the sister trees Norland and Parkland, all showing 100 percent bloom on the 18th of May. Selkirk is a gorgeous purple blossom, Norland and Parkland … Read more
Scionwood 2013
We have collected scionwood for this spring’s dispersal. We will keep it available- in cold storage- for about a month. Be aware some varieties sell out quickly, the list will be updated on the scionwood and seed link as often … Read more
Climatic Changes
Climatic change is becoming a large part of the discussion of fruit hardiness. I have been looking at records this week and found some interesting stuff. Here in Vermont we had the wettest year (2011), unprecedented periods of low snow … Read more
Monarch
These are pictures of the stages of the Monarch. The first one is a chrysalis we collected on a little tree and brought onto our porch. The next picture is of the adult. We let her go after her wings … Read more
Scionwood Collecting
Collecting scionwood properly can increase the success rate of grafting. This post will identify the type of wood you are looking for, and why scrutiny is important.
This first photo shows the final product, a length of new growth wood … Read more
Farm Polyculture Imagery
Here is a Walden Heights Nursery and Orchard view from a couple of years back. Taken from a precarious position of the peak of our house roof, it does offer a decent example of mixed species. We are looking at … Read more
2014 Call for membership
We are making a more active effort to put together a northeast kingdom growers network to exchange ideas. If interested, please email us through the CONTACT box on the website. No fees, no pressure.… Read more
Weather Log Walden Heights
1-3-13 : low of -14.8 early am , day high 7.4 clear, became cloudy
1-4 : low 9.2 high 23.3 15 inches snow on ground, nearly all in last 2 weeks.
1-5,6,7-13 : low 3.3, hi 25.7 another inch or … Read more
Weather anomolies 2
Ok it is Jan 10th (2012) and we are waiting for the bill chills. We saw about 15 below last week, but that was the roughest of the season. There is still time for the deep temperature plummets, but it … Read more
Apple Tasting 2012
This past October’s apple tasting was another success. At rough count we had around 200 guests, maybe more. At hand were 125 plus apple varieties to taste, 15 varieties of grapes, as well as a wide selection of single variety … Read more
Weather Anomolies update
The premature growth on most species has led to some marginal damage. Following record breaking warm temps this spring, some freezing temperatures ruptured cells in new growth. Leaves damaged were on most species, but not all individual plants. Pear, apple, … Read more
First blooms of 2012
May 7th is the 2012 date for the first apple blossom, though on a single tree so far. The rest of the apples are still in wait. European Pears and American Plums have their first blooms out or are close. … Read more
Weather Anomolies
The unprecedented warm weather over the last two weeks has initiated premature budbreak in nearly all the fruit species here in Walden. Temperatures tonight of 6 degrees will spell trouble we fear. We have greentip on a fair amount of … Read more
Apple Powdery Mildew
Apple Powdery Mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha) (image : Jonathan Billinger)
… Read more