Pomona

[Ken Schramm]

I hate conventional apple growing, but it is just about the only way you can grow apples in Michigan without having them end up as Frass Fest '10. Just about. You can put your apples in individual bags to insure that the coddling moths and Ragolitis pomonella don't end up ravaging your precious Kandil Sinaps, Sweet Sixteens and Tydeman's Late Oranges. So I did. If all goes well, there will be many cool apples sans bug shit this year.

Roxbury Russet

Fuji

Calville Blanc d'Hiver

On this tree: Scaffold is Jonagold, plus Yellow Bellflower, Winter Banana, Red Cox

Spigolds

Just a stupid amount of work. Was it worth it? I'll tell you in October, but I've already had one Gravenstein, and it was pretty satisfying.

 

[Rahsaan]

The second photo from the bottom is a freaky visual.

Looks like lots of clear plastic bats.

 

[SFJoe]

Wow.

They don't get moldy?

 

[Ken Schramm]

It's a freaky visual in person, too. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm from Kraldon in the Neepek sector, but at least I'm not spraying chemicals around the 'hood. I remembered that that scaffold also has a branch of Belle de Boskoop (good addition to a pie blend, and adds acidic pop to the cider). Wait'll they find that out.

No, Joe - you cut the corners off the bags so any condensation can drain, and they all seem to be fine. The bugs are just too dumb to figure that out. I damaged a few nicking them with a stapler before I figured out you really don't need the staples. Those look nasty, but the rest of them look great so far. Japanese growers have been using an upscale version of this to grow their fabled $5 apples for years now.

 

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

Interesting photos, thanks. Good luck.