Fruit trees: what, where, when at your place?

[Hillfarm]

How many and what types do you all plant for deer? Do you plant just for deer; or, are you going to use the fruit at home or do you have other uses? Do you all prefer to grow: apples, pears, peaches, cherries, or any other fruit (or nut) trees? Does anyone attempt to surround their food plots with fruit, and nut trees, or just plant them in your yard, or around your farm, where you want future wildlife encounters? Do you only plant fruit trees that drop fruit during hunting seasons?
Just like I was told as a kid, I probably ask too many questions. I'm just curious how everyone else does things.

 

[Chummer]

What you plant depends on your zone. I have to stick to apples where I am at and zone 3 apples at that. Ideally I would cover hunting season with drop times but I have changed that thinking now that I have had some years with apples. We get deep snow starting the beginning of November so I no longer want to plant trees that drop after that. I am trying to get the most food on the ground in October so they can eat it before it gets covered up. I made my main plot (2 acres) around 15 old apple trees I released. I then planted new trees to fill in the spaces but they are all surrounded by clover now. Your zone gives you lots of options on all kinds of fruits. I am more into growing the apples than shooting deer at this point so watch out for the Apple bug. It can get anyone.

 

[Native Hunter]

How many and what types do you all plant for deer? You've seen my apple and pear list already so I won't repeat that. I have no idea how many, but a lot. Someday I will do an inventory. I can tell you that at one place at the farm I have 3 rows of trees over 1,000 feet long in each row and that's not all of them.

Do you plant just for deer; or, are you going to use the fruit at home or do you have other uses? Not just for deer. We eat lots of fruit and give a lot of it away to friends and neighbors.

Do you all prefer to grow: apples, pears, peaches, cherries, or any other fruit (or nut) trees? I don't do peaches. The following list shows the fruit and nut trees I grow:

• Apples (estimate 50)
• Crabapples (estimate 20)
• Pears (estimate 25)
• Persimmons (estimate 30 females either natural or sex change operation by me)
• Allegheny Chinkapin (Just a few with some seed planted last fall)
• Chinese Chestnut (estimate 30)
• Dunstan Chestnut (Only 2 I think)
• Paw Paw (6 or 7)
• Serviceberry (10 or so)
• Witch Hazel (10 or so)
• Late dropping Sawtooth Oak (I think about 12)
• Many other mixed red and white oaks (about 8 acres of trees planted by me and those already growing in the woods.)

The most important tree in that list about is persimmons. Deer love them, they drop at the right time, they are worry free, and they require almost no maintenance.

Does anyone attempt to surround their food plots with fruit, and nut trees, or just plant them in your yard, or around your farm, where you want future wildlife encounters? Yes, but use some common sense in placement and remember that you have to mow, you may need to spray plots (unwanted chemicals on trees), and also if you ever till the ground, don't get into the fruit tree roots. It hurts the tree.

Do you only plant fruit trees that drop fruit during hunting seasons? No, I want to span the whole growing season. However, the hunting season droppers are more special to me.


Just like I was told as a kid, I probably ask too many questions. I'm just curious how everyone else does things. No, this should be a good thread. I'm interested to hear the responses.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I have about 36 pear and apple trees, plus grapes, raspberries and elderberry. I think pears are the oft overlooked easy to grow deer magnet. Just get varieties that are immune to fireblight.

 

[Hillfarm]

My list is very similar to Native Hunters,
(except younger trees), with these exceptions: I dont have the numbers of any fruit trees and I dont have Dunstan chestnuts. I do have Chinese, Korean and Spanish chestnuts. I have neither Witch Hazel nor Sawtooth oaks yet. I have some plum trees and a few mulbery trees I planted with lots of native blackberry thickets.
I try to surround my plots with fruit trees that fall throughout the season. Since I only have a small farm, I'm trying to make deer visit here every day, by fruit dropping throughout the year. My plan was for lots of fruit trees to surround a couple of garden sized food, since we dont have much land. My hope is the plots will draw deer in daily. My family and I plan to eat, preserve and gift the fruit away also.
This is basically the Paul Knox habitat plan that we use on our farm

 

[Native Hunter]

My list is very similar to Native Hunters,
(except younger trees), with these exceptions: I dont have the numbers of any fruit trees and I dont have Dunstan chestnuts. I do have Chinese, Korean and Spanish chestnuts. I have neither Witch Hazel nor Sawtooth oaks yet. I have some plum trees and a few mulbery trees I planted with lots of native blackberry thickets.
I try to surround my plots with fruit trees that fall throughout the season. Since I only have a small farm, I'm trying to make deer visit here every day, by fruit dropping throughout the year. My plan was for lots of fruit trees to surround a couple of garden sized food, since we dont have much land. My hope is the plots will draw deer in daily. My family and I plan to eat, preserve and gift the fruit away also.
This is basically the Paul Knox habitat plan that we use on our farm

I forgot all about the mulberry and plums. We have those too. I don't have to plant any blackberry. They sprout like crazy on their own. I also forgot to mention elderberry, and shrubs like Arrowwood and Cranberry bush.

 

[Hillfarm]

I forgot all about the mulberry and plums. We have those too. I don't have to plant any blackberry. They sprout like crazy on their own. I also forgot to mention elderberry, and shrubs like Arrowwood and Cranberry bush.


I dont have high bush cranberry yet. I was considering those and currants for next years list.

 

[Native Hunter]

Also forgot the native lowbush blueberry, and how the heck did I forget hazelnuts.... I have a bunch of those.

 

[Hillfarm]

Hey Chummer, the bug has already injected me with the tree planting poison. I have planted about 25 apple trees, and about the same number of pear trees, over the last two years. As well as, hundreds of oaks, arrowood, cornelian cherry, chinquapin, hazelnuts and other wildlife plantings.
I guess I was trying to rank my tree planting addiction, with others here.

 

[Hillfarm]

Any native lowbush blueberry must be a treat. I dont recall ever seeing one. Native you are truly blessed.
We are also blessed with plenty of blackberry thickets.

 

[Chummer]

Hey Chummer, the bug has already injected me with the tree planting poison. I have planted about 25 apple trees, and about the same number of pear trees, over the last two years. As well as, hundreds of oaks, arrowood, cornelian cherry, chinquapin, hazelnuts and other wildlife plantings.
I guess I was trying to rank my tree planting addiction, with others here.

With that list you are right there. When you are screening and painting tree trunks during the rut instead of hunting you will know you have joined the dark side.

 

[Hillfarm]

I was tempted this season, but the force was with me.

 

[catscratch]

I have apple. crabapple, pear, and persimmon.

And Che, jujube, mulberry, sawtooth, Concordia, SWO, burr, DCO, Chinese chestnut, and some stuff I've probably forgotten about.

At first I only wanted stuff that dropped in season. Now I just want stuff and can't seem to stop planting. Careful... it's an addiction.

 

[Hillfarm]

I have apple. crabapple, pear, and persimmon.

And Che, jujube, mulberry, sawtooth, Concordia, SWO, burr, DCO, Chinese chestnut, and some stuff I've probably forgotten about.

At first I only wanted stuff that dropped in season. Now I just want stuff and can't seem to stop planting. Careful... it's an addiction.

 

[Hillfarm]

I am far beyond the careful stage. I am way closer to the intervention stage.

How do your jujube and che grow, do they grow and fruit, fast like a hazelnut?

 

[catscratch]

I am far beyond the careful stage. I am way closer to the intervention stage.

How do your jujube and che grow, do they grow and fruit, fast like a hazelnut?

Jujube is a Tigertooth (I have others started in pots). Its growing great but only produces 1 fruit a year so far. I planted it 3yrs ago so I'm still ok with it putting on wood instead of fruit. The Che's are growing well and they make fruit every yr but they abort. They're young too. Deer absolutely love the leafs and push through my cages at least once a year to get to them. I currently have 3 posts on each cage to keep them out, hope it works. My plan is to convert a bunch of my native osage orange to che once they are big enough to start stealing scions from. I don't have any hazelnuts... but they are on my "someday" list.

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