Thinning Plums

Another update from Al in late-June:

THINNING. After apricots and peaches it is the large plums: Yellow, Green Gage, Yakima and Bradshaw. I cannot remember such a heavy set on the GG and Br, as I have this year. Look at the attached photos: first 2 “before”, the last 2 “after”. You can imagine the number of bird songs I have listened to while thinning a couple of large trees, each taking me about 5 hrs. Ah, the labour of love… Next will be pears and apples. By the time I finish (my endurance is still rather limited), it will be time to start picking the Yellows.

Plums before thinning

Plums before thinning

Plums after thinning

Plums after thinning

Mid-June Update

Hi all,

Apologies this is late, but Al sent these photos of the orchard (and your growing fruit) a couple weeks ago:

A light crop of apples this year. More than a half of my well producing trees are taking a year off. Those which bear this year have a nice set.

A promise of a nice crop. Yellow plums set is a bit on a light side, but will be so much nicer.

All other plums look promising.

Pears rarely fail. They look good.

Al also updates that all fruits are now in the process of self-thinning. Most inferior fruitlings will fall off. The rest of the excess will have to be thinned manually, starting soon and going on till end of July.