There are so many delicious fruits growing here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Fresh fruit is one of nature's most delicious products. In midsummer, we pick boxes and boxes of raspberries, blueberries, and currants. In late August, we pick delicious peaches fresh off my trees. And soon, we'll be picking bounties of apples, pears, and other autumn fruits. Here at Cantitoe Corners, I have an orchard around my pool filled with a variety of more than 200 different fruit trees. I also have fruits growing on espaliers and in groves - on trees I've planted and on trees that are original to the farm. It will be a very fruitful fall.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. I wanted it filled with a variety of apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, peach, pear, and quince trees. Many were bare-root cuttings when they arrived and now they’re beautiful mature specimens producing an abundance of fruits.
I planted several types of Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, which is native to East Asia. My trees include Hosui, Niitaka, Shinko, and Shinseiko. Asian pears have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture, which is very different from the European varieties. They are most commonly served raw and peeled. Some of these are ready for picking.
This year, the trees are laden with beautiful, sweet pears. Here’s a close look at just some that are weighing down the branches on this tree.
The other pears in this orchard are ‘Bartlett’, ‘Columbia’, ‘D’Amalis’, ‘Ginnybrook’, ‘McLaughlin’, ‘Nova’, ‘Patten’, ‘Seckel’, ‘Stacyville’, and ‘Washington State’.
The pear trees, and all the other fruit trees in this orchard are planted in full sun, with good air circulation and well-drained soil.
In another area of the orchard are the fruits of the medlar, Mespilus germanica – a small deciduous tree and member of the rose family. These fruits are not ready yet – we’ll pick them in late October or early November.
Many are not familiar with the medlar. This fruit is about one to two inches in diameter, and ranges in color from rosy rust to dusty brown. Medlars are native to Southwestern Asia and Southeastern Europe. The fruits have to be eaten when almost rotten in a process called “bletting”. And, because of this, they either have to be eaten right off the tree or picked early and put aside for a few weeks to blet. The medlar is very pulpy and very sweet. Its taste is similar to an overripe date with a flavor similar to toffee apples or apple butter.
And of course, I have a large section of apples. I already grow hundreds of apple trees here at the farm – some of my apple trees were here when I acquired the property and others I planted soon after moving here. These newer apple trees include ‘Baldwin’, ‘Black Oxford’, ‘Cortland’, ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Esopus Spitzenburg’, ‘Fuji’, ‘Golden Russet’, ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Redfield’, ‘Roxbury Russet’, and ‘Windham Russet’.
Just outside the orchard and near the old corn crib are quince trees – three of the many.
Are you familiar with quince? Quince is a fall fruit that grows like apples and pears, but with an unusually irregular shape and often gray fuzz. These fruits turn a golden yellow when ready to pick in fall.
Next to the quince trees is this “ancient” apple tree, which is original to the farm. The upright supports on the left are holding up old, heavy branches.
Last year, I decided to plant a maze of hedges, espaliers, and shrubs in the pasture across the carriage road from my Winter House terrace. My living maze is a puzzle of tall plantings – tall enough to prevent those walking through from seeing the paths ahead. The maze includes rows, openings, and various dead ends, but only one true route leading to the center. These apple espaliers are planted in one row of the maze – look at all the fruits.
Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework.
This espalier is filled with green apples – one can walk through the maze and pick a fruit.
Outside the maze are six Gravenstein apple espalier trees. I planted these in 2010 when they were about five or six years old. Malus ‘Gravenstein’ – is well known for cooking, sauce, cider, and eating out of hand. The fruit is large, with crisp, white flesh and a distinct, juicy flavor.
These apples are in the dwarf apple espalier behind my carport. These trees are also very productive this year. Apple trees need well-drained soil – nothing too wet. The soil also needs to be moderately rich and retain moisture as well as air. And the best exposure for apples is a north- or east-facing slope.
Behind the main greenhouse, I have a grove of pawpaw trees. Asimina triloba, the American papaw, pawpaw, paw paw, or paw-paw, among many regional names, is a small deciduous tree native to the eastern United States and Canada.
These are the developing pawpaws – greenish-blackish fruit, usually three to six inches long.
The taste of a pawpaw is a mix of mango-banana-citrus all in one. It’s a big favorite for some here at the farm.
There is always something growing here at my working farm. I am so very proud of how it has developed over the years. I’ll share more photos at harvest time – it won’t be long now.
Tucked away in a bed behind my large vegetable greenhouse, this year's dahlias continue to bloom with gorgeous colors and forms.
Dahlia is a genus of tuberous plants that are members of the Asteraceae family and are related to the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. They grow from small tubers planted in the spring. And from late June through October, if the weather is mild, these flowers give off a breathtaking show with blooms ranging from small to giant dinner-plate size. I grow a rich variety of dahlias - I like the big ones best - but they're all so pretty to look at, and so easy to maintain.
Enjoy these photos.
With autumn officially starting in just a few days, many of the summer flowers are past their prime or already gone, but turn this corner behind my big glass vegetable greenhouse, and there is still a gorgeous show of dahlia flowers blooming. This area provides just the right conditions for these dahlias – full sun, protection from winds, and just enough heat to allow them to winter in place covered with hay bales and tarps.
There are about 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. The genus Dahlia is native to the high plains of Mexico. Some species can be found in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica as well as parts of South America where it was introduced.
I have decorated my home with so many different dahlias this year, but there are so many still to enjoy.
Here at my farm, we see the first blooms in June and they last right up until the first frost. One year, we were still picking dahlias on Halloween.
Dahlias were first recorded by Westerners in 1615, and were then called by their original Mexican name, acoctli. The first garden dahlias reached the United States in the early 1830s. Today, dahlias are grown all over the world.
Dahlias vary in height, leaf color, form, and shape. This is because dahlias are octoploids, meaning they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two. Flowers come one head per stem. The blooms can be as small as two-inches in diameter or up to one foot across.
Here in the United States, dahlias are considered a perennial in hardiness zones 8 and higher. in colder regions, zones 7 and lower, dahlias are treated as annuals. We’ve been lucky here at my farm. It is in USDA hardiness zone 6b and our dahlias come back every spring.
The Dahlia is named after the Swedish 18th century botanist Anders Dahl, who originally declared the flower a vegetable, as the tubers are edible.
Dahlias come in white, shades of pink, red, yellow, orange, shades of purple, variegated and bicolor – every color but true blue.
Here is another white dahlia with a tinge of light pink in the center.
Here is one in dark burgundy. Like many flower varieties, there is also no pure black variety—only dark reds and dark purples.
This large bloom is burgundy with white tips. Consider their size at maturity when planting. They grow best in rich, well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Amend heavy clay soil with aged manure or compost to lighten and loosen the texture for better drainage.
Dahlias also do not tolerate cold soil. Plant when the soil reaches at least 60-degrees Fahrenheit after any danger of frost has passed.
The majority of dahlia species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars, but they are brightly colored to attract pollinating insects.
This dark pink dahlia looks great in arrangements. To prevent wilting, cut only in the early morning or late afternoon. And only cut them after they open to mature size – dahlias will not open after cutting. Once cut, place the vase in a cool spot and out of direct sun. They should last about a week.
Dahlias are common wedding flowers, not only for their looks but also for their symbolic meaning. During the Victorian era, dahlias were a symbol of commitment and everlasting union. They are also used to represent inner strength, creativity, and elegance.
Another fact – before insulin, the tubers of dahlias were used to balance blood sugar due to their high fructose content. The petals were used to treat dry skin, infections, rashes, and insect bites.
Always wait until the foliage has turned brown before digging them up at the end of the season. This is important so that the plant can gather energy for the following year. It will store starches in the tuber which will fuel initial sprouting in summer. The best time is a couple weeks after the first frost when they’re well into dormancy yet haven’t been harmed by the cold.
For more blooms, one can deadhead as the flowers fade; deadheading keeps the flowers blooming for months.
I always enjoy visiting the dahlia garden to see what new blooms appear. There are so many different kinds of dahlias and every one of them pretty.
This time of year can be very hectic - my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew are busy keeping up with all the growth in the garden beds.
Summer is coming to a close, but there is still lots of work to be done - weeding, pruning, and grooming the many perennial plants and shrubs. Recently, Phurba Sherpa tackled the boxwood border along one side of my clematis pergola.
Enjoy these photos.
These boxwood shrubs along both sides of my winding pergola were grown from small saplings nurtured right here at the farm. There are more than 300 boxwood shrubs planted here.
I love boxwood and grow a lot of it around the farm. Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The leaves on boxwood branches are arranged opposite from each other, making pairs.
Some of you may recall, I planted the boxwood in September 2017. I decided this area would be great if planted with a row of boxwood on both sides. This photo shows the area all ready for planting.
The boxwood we used had been growing in this patch for about three years. Finally they were ready to transplant to their more permanent spots under the pergola.
Each shrub was placed in a plastic pot and then groups of potted boxwoods were carefully transported.
Every boxwood was positioned perfectly, two-feet apart from the next. It was a big project for the entire crew.
These were some of the first ones planted. Boxwood can grow in full sun and partial shade.
At the time, these shrubs were only about a foot tall, but every one in excellent condition.
Exactly six years later, they are all more than double the size and every one is touching. It is amazing to see the growth difference.
Here, one can see the newest growth. Boxwoods are slow growing compared to many other shrubs, with growth rate depending on the variety. Typically, the growth rate for most varieties is three to six inches per year. These needed a thorough grooming.
The crew does most of the hedge pruning around the farm by hand. Everyone uses Japanese Okatsune shears specially made for trimming hedges. These shears are user friendly, and come in a range of sizes.
To groom the tops and sides, Phurba keeps the shears close to him with his hands midway down the handles. This allows the best control.
I prefer this method of trimming because the cuts are very clean and smooth when done by hand. Look closely here and see where some of the leaves have been clipped. It is also very important that the tools be sharp.
Here, one can see the right is pruned while the left is not. We groom and prune the boxwood at least once a year.
As Phurba works his way down the border, he stops occasionally to check his work and to make sure the boxwood looks evenly done.
Once a large section is done, the entire space looks markedly different. Here is a row of mature boxwood after trimming – they look so much better.
Behind the pergola is this giant weeping copper beech tree – I love these trees with their gorgeous form and rich color.
In the back bed, I also have Perovskia atriplicifolia, commonly called Russian sage, growing. This plant shows tall, airy, spike-like clusters that create a lavender-blue cloud of color above the finely textured, aromatic foliage. It is vigorous, hardy, heat-loving, drought-tolerant, and deer resistant.
It looks so pretty planted in masses.
Mixed in is catnip, which I have grown for many years, especially for my cats. Catnip herb grows best in well-draining soil in the full sun but will tolerate part sun and a wide variety of soil types.
And here’s a closer look at the newly groomed boxwood. I am so pleased with how it’s developing. My gardens are constantly evolving. The entire border is just so beautiful – in spring when it blooms with gorgeous purple and blue; in summer when it features all the bright orange lilies; and, in autumn, with all its bold greenery.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
