Lost in zone 5

[City Girl Farms]

I have spent several years learning about growing vegetables. I would literally just plant something, and be surprised how it grew when it came up. I mean like that I didn’t know that tomatoes needed staked until they needed it. Pumpkins are quite funny when they cling to you suddenly, and green beans were interesting too!
I think my biggest challenge is the trees. Apple, plum, and supposedly wild pear, black cherry and black walnut. I don’t know if they are dead, being eaten by deer, or not getting sprayed properly.

 

[Nyboy]

Yep fruit trees can be a night mare. I am surround by apple orchards yet any apple tree I plant is history I just dont spray enough for them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Once again welcome. It can often help on here if you modify your profile to show your general location, that way it is always available. Your general climate can be pretty important info. From your other post I think you are in New Jersey but that's just a guess.

I think my greatest pleasure is just growing things. There are all kinds of side benefits, like getting something that actually tastes good instead of what you buy at the store, but just planting something and getting it to grow is great to me.

Trees can be a challenge. You usually have to water them a lot the first couple of years before they get established, I've had deer walk past apple and peach trees to get to pear and cherry trees. How can you spray them properly when it is windy and raining a lot, let alone timing a spray to miss the pollinators. But I've yet to get a decent plum from the store that has any flavor and the texture is horrible compared to a tree ripened plum. I think they are worth the effort if you have a climate where you can grow them.

 

[City Girl Farms]

Since this form is all about growing things, I did realize that people would need to know what kind of climate I was in. Saying zone five is as specific as I’m willing to get though.
I think I did a good job planting my trees. I bought extra hoses when I got the first saplings (the peach tree was killed by pests, and the cherry tree met the lawn tractor. The grass/weeds were that tall), and connected them to reach close to the trees. Then I filled one of those lawn carts that are so popular up with water to get the last stretch. The extra hoses came in handy when I got ducks. Their pen is a ways from the spigot.
The deer are eating the bad apples one at a time over the past month. Since they are not suitable for human consumption, I’m all for it. Next spring a fence will go up. Sadly, that’s more because of neighbors.
My neighbors have no issue with walking right through my property to get to my food. The reason I will never know when the Plum tree stopped producing healthy fruit is because they were always picking it. This was the house my dh grew up in, so I was on the property before living here. I know there was fruit in ‘10, and I saw some fruit the next year.
The “I was told this is what I have” trees:
My understanding is that a wild pear tree will not grow fruit in this climate.
I have seen fruit on the Black cherry tree, but I couldn’t identify whether not it was actually cherries before it was all gone. That was about two years ago, and we had some nasty storms. All the buds were blown away.
The black walnut was cut down, but a sapling has emerged. It’s about two feet tall now.

 

[Nyboy]

Not saying your neighbors are not guilty but wildlife can strip a tree of fruit almost over night