AARRRGGGHHH!!! I may miss my own cherry harvest!!

ducks4you

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@Chickie'sMomaInNH it's a good idea but I tie on throwaway CD's and that keeps the birds away. The problem is that when the cherries are past it they get these little black bugs in them and then you WANT the birds to eat them!!
@baymule I have a neighbor that I hired to help me around the place last year and I invited them over to pick last year. It was just too much for 5 people to harvest!
I guess I will just have to hope that we are back in time to get a lot of them. It's just me venting, bc the two trees are excellent producers and one is always a week behind the other. We will still get plenty.
YOU know how it is...some crops don't give you much, like when I plant peas, so you don't want too much harvest disappointment. My rancor is more about when I FB my cherry picking party.
Btw, I kept reading that you do NOT prune your cherry trees, then I came about a University article that said that you SHOULD. I have not pruned either of them, but I think that I will start next March.
I feel really blessed that the two trees have had no diseases. It's not like I do too much to them, BUT, I think the older one is smaller bc the horses like to poo in the corner next to the taller one when they are mowing the inner sanctum, so maybe I should start fertilizing the other one in the Fall.
I thought that perhaps there was a cherry tree expert here that might be able to help me judge the harvest date.
I have sent an email to Mid American Gardener and they might answer the question for me.
Thanks, all, for reading, and I am open to any other suggestions! :hugs
 

Chickie'sMomaInNH

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just noticed my neighbors 2 cherry trees in the small front yard are about to bloom. if this gloomy forecast would go away they could do it this week! my pear trees opened over the weekend & this year looks like it will be good for them too!
 

ninnymary

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It looks like you are going to be very close. I hope they are delayed. I'm guessing that once they start ripening, that they ripen very fast? I agree with Chickie, your best bet is to have someone harvest them for you and throw them in the freezer. Could you find a student to do that and pay them?

Mary
 

lcertuche

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X3 better half than none. All we have is wild cherry trees which really cherries. We ate a lot as children but I'm not sure how to harvest them. I hope you get plenty. Maybe your trees are 2 different varieties. Sometime you have to plant two different ones to cross pollinate. That may be why they fruit up different times and one is smaller.
 

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