Connecticut Garden Journal

With the changing season, it’s time to close the garden down. Before the cold weather hits, drain and bring in outdoors hoses, clean and sharpen garden tools and start protecting plants for winter. Wrap young trees with plastic or wire fencing to about 2 feet up the trunk and a few inches below the ground, to protect the young bark from rodents and rabbits. Erect A-frame, snow barriers for shrubs planted near the house to avoid damage from falling snow and ice. And cover tender perennials, such as lavender, with wood chips in late November. Unfortunately, it's also time for me to say goodbye. After a 10-year-run, this is my last Connecticut Garden Journal post. I've enjoyed being part of Connecticut Public and appreciate all the people that made this show happen. Thanks to John Dankosky and Catie Talarski for believing in me 10 years ago to start the show. And to Tim Rasmussen for having me host a series of gardening TV shows during Covid where we won a Regional Emmy. And, of course to all the people behind the scenes, such as Cat Pastor and Robyn Doyon-Aiken, who made the show happen each week. And special thanks to you listeners. For all the emails, questions and comments and greetings I received in person at garden club meetings, flower shows and garden conferences. It's been great connecting with such avid gardeners over the years. So for now, I'll hang up my garden tools, clean off my boots and close the garden shed. You may not be hearing me live anymore on the radio, but the past shows live on at Connecticut Public. Until we meet again, I'll be seeing you in the garden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to think about winter with such warm, fall weather, but spring flowering bulbs need to be planted soon. If you want to enjoy your spring flowering tulips, daffodils, crocus and other bulbs a little earlier in spring or if you don’t have a garden, consider forcing them in containers. You can plant two different ways. Either plant all one type of bulb in a pot for a big splash, or layer different bulbs in the container for a more extended flower show. First, select a container at least 10 inches in diameter. The bigger the pot, the more bulbs you can plant and the bigger the show. Fill it with potting soil. Then plant your bulbs 2 times their diameter deep. For layering bulbs select bulb types or varieties that mature at different times. For example, plant large, late flowering varieties of daffodils on the bottom, mid season tulips in the middle and early season crocus on top. Plant the bulbs at the correct depth and fill in potting soil on top of them before adding the next layer. Water your pots well and place in a dark, cool room, basement or garage that doesn't freeze for 14 weeks. This will allow your bulbs to grow roots and get the winter chill they need. Come late February you can start moving them into a sunny, warm room to grow. Take all the pots out at once or stagger them to extend the flower show. When finished flowering, grow them as houseplants until the leaves yellow, then plant them in the ground for next year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With our warm fall, we're still enjoying fresh tomatoes, peppers, greens, and zucchini from the garden. But it's also time to start thinking about planting garlic and shallots. These two alliums are easy to grow. Unlike other veggies, you plant garlic and shallots in the fall for an early summer harvest. There are two main types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck varieties, such as 'Romanian Red' and 'German Extra Hardy', form a flower stalk or scape in spring that can be harvested and eaten. We make a mean pesto from garlic scapes. Even if you don't like eating the scape, it still should be removed to get larger garlic bulbs. Softneck varieties, such as 'New York White' and 'Inchelium Red', have soft leaves that are good for braiding. They last longer in storage than hardneck types. Plant garlic cloves 3- to 5-weeks before the ground freezes. Planting too early stimulates them to grow this fall, so wait until late October or early November to plant this year. The night before planting, break apart the bulbs into cloves. Leave them overnight to callous on the bottom, basal plate for best rooting. The next day plant, on compost amended raised beds, spacing the cloves pointy side up, 6 inches apart and a few inches below the soil deep. Water well and cover with straw or hay for winter protection. Shallots are another allium that can be fall planted. These small onions have a delicate, milder flavor than regular onions and are favorites in French cooking. Plant 'Dutch Yellow' and 'French Red' shallot varieties the same way you plant garlic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the days shorten and weather cools, somewhat, it's time for some fall garden chores. One of the rules that's changed is around perennial flower garden cleanup. Traditionally, we'd cut back and remove the dying foliage of perennial flowers such as daylilies, peonies, echinacea and rudbeckia. While the look of a cleaned garden might be appealing, it's not the best for the ecology around your yard. The seed heads of many perennials, such as echinacea, rudbeckia and salvia, are important bird food. Also, beneficial insects and pollinators overwinter in the dead stems and leaves and will be ready to emerge in spring to help our plants. The one exception I'd make is if the flowers were heavily diseased. Then it makes sense to remove them from the garden. You might be noticing some spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, lilac and weigela, blooming again! This is unusual, but can happen with weather stress and warm falls. This year many shrubs lost their leaves early due to fungal blight diseases. That, combined with the warm autumn, has tricked the plants into blooming. This won't harm the shrubs, but you'll have fewer flowers in spring. Other tasks for fall include chopping and dropping healthy vegetable and annual flower plants once they go by, instead of removing them. But remove diseased plants such as tomatoes. Add chopped leaves, grass clippings or straw to bare beds to protect the soil in winter. Leave asparagus ferns until early winter and add lime to asparagus beds to raised the pH to around 7 based on a soil test. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October is spring bulb planting time. While the tulips, daffodils, and crocus head the list of popular bulbs to plant later this month, don't forget some of the more unusual bulbs such as the alliums. Allium or flowering onion plants range in sizes from 5 inches to 4 feet tall. The tall varieties make a statement in the garden rising about the foliage of perennials such as daylilies. The smaller growing bulbs are great in front of the border or as rock garden plants. Alliums are trouble free. They come back consistently each year and deer, rabbit and mice don't seem to bother the bulbs or flowers. Many bloom in late spring and early summer after the daffodils and tulips finish. For a big flower show nothing beats the tall, large, purple flowered types such as 'Gladiator'. A large white flowered version is 'Mount Everest'. 'Purple Sensation' is a little shorter and smaller flowered, but it multiplies readily over time. Some shorter alliums add more color. The drumstick alliums have red and green colored blooms. Allium caeruleum has blue colored flowers and Allium moly is a short, yellow flowered type. Whatever varieties you choose, plant later this month in a full sun location on well-drained soil. Plant in groups or pop some of the tall, large flowered types in among the perennials for a surprise effect. After they're finished blooming consider leaving the seed heads. They're interesting to look at and add a different texture to your plantings. You can cut them for use as indoor flower arrangements. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the temperatures dip, it's time bring some of your favorite herbs indoors. Some of the best herbs to move inside to grow and cook with include parsley, rosemary, geraniums, chives, thyme and oregano. The advantage of bringing a mature, potted herb plant indoors is it will continue to send out shoots and leaves into November. If you grow it under grow lights, it will continue into winter. First, harden off your herbs in a cooler, outdoor location with less light for about one week. Spray insecticidal soap or Neem oil to kill hitch hiking insects. Bring the plants indoors to grow in a sunny window away from cold drafts and reduce watering. Annual herbs, such as basil, can also come indoors, but unless you have grow lights, the leaf production will quickly slow down. It's best to enjoy this herb for a month or so before composting it. Parsley is a good indoor herb, but will form flowers in spring. Compost this plant once flower stalks form. Chives will benefit from periodic cutting of their shoots and will continue to send up new shoots in fall and in spring. Scented geraniums, rosemary, thyme and oregano are perennials and easy to grow in a sunny window. If you don't have room for your big pots, take cuttings from the mother plant to root. Take a 4- to 6-inch long cutting. Remove the bottom leaves and dip the cut end in a rooting hormone powder. Stick it in a pot filled with moistened potting soil. Place in a bright area out of the sun. Check after a month or so for roots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fall is for asters. Asters are reliable native plants that give us color in our autumn gardens. But there are other natives that are equally as beautiful and trouble-free. One of the best is boltonia. Boltonia, or false aster, is related to asters. It features plants that grow 5- to 6- feet tall with white, pink or lavender colored flowers. Like asters, they flower in full or part sun in August and September. While asters are clumping plants that slowly enlarge over time, Boltonia is a rhizomatous plant that spreads by underground roots. This makes boltonia a favorite meadow, slope and cottage garden plant. The species version, Boltonia asteroides, is the most aggressive spreader and care should be given where it's plant. This species type is best planted in meadows or wild areas. For perennial flower gardens, select some of the less aggressive varieties. 'Snowmound' is a white flowered type that is more compact only growing 3- to 4- feet tall. 'Pink Beauty' is a pink colored version and 'Jim Crockett' has lavender colored blooms on 2 -foot tall plants. Boltonia likes well-drained soils on the dry side and does well in clay. It is drought tolerant, once established, but will also thrive in wetter soils as well. Divide plants every 3- to 4- years in spring. Boltonia is a pollinator favorite often visited by butterflies, bees and other insects. It has few problems. In part shade areas it may need staking to not flop and sometimes can get powdery mildew. But otherwise it's deer and rabbit proof and a delightful fall flower for your garden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for some color this fall in your perennial flower garden, certainly mums are always a nice addition. But here is a carefree, native perennial to grow for fall color and food for the pollinators. Helenium has the unfortunate common name of sneezeweed because it blooms when ragweed is flowering. It's the ragweed that causes the allergic reactions, not Helenium. This hardy, aster-family perennial grows in the wild in meadowy, damp areas. But it will shine in your full sun, flower garden as well. It grows 3- to 5-feet tall with hat-shaped, small flowers in yellow, orange or burgundy colored clusters that cover the plant when in full bloom. We grow the Mariachi series variety 'Salsa' for the colorful red flowers and long bloom period. There also is a dwarf selection named 'Short N Sassy'. Because of its penchant for moist soil, Helenium is tolerant of seasonal flooding and makes a good rain garden plant. Helenium is also not a favorite of deer, rabbits or woodchucks because of the bitter tasting foliage. Plant tall varieties of Helenium in the back of the flower garden to compliment other fall bloomers such as Joe Pye weed, boltonia and tall rudbeckia. Grow shorter Helenium varieties to compliment asters and sedums. Helenium is also a favorite of butterflies and pollinators, so mix it into your pollinator garden as well. Helenium is a clumping perennial, so is well behaved, not spreading quickly. However, after 3- to 4-years the clump gets large and will benefit from dividing. Divide Helenium in spring making smaller, new plants to grow in other parts of your yard. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's apple and pear season and time to start harvesting. Actually some varieties are already ripe, but most will be harvested this month. If you're growing apples or pears in your yard, going to a pick your own orchard or just foraging for wild trees, it's good to know when to harvest. If you harvest too early the flavor isn't great. If you wait too long, the texture can be mealy or mushy. Pears are unusual because they should be picked when ripe, but still hard, to finish ripening indoors. Here's some tips to harvest apples and pears. First, try to remember the variety you're growing. There are early, mid and late season varieties that will naturally ripen at different times. This will help you know when to start checking. Check the background color of the fruit. Many varieties will turn red in fall, but it's the background coloring that you need to check. When it goes from a green to more yellow, the fruit is probably ripe. Of course, if there are fruit on the ground, that's a sign of ripeness. Also, gently lift the fruit so its horizontal. Twist and give it a slight tug. If the fruit comes off easily, go head and pick. Fruits on the outside of the tree canopy will ripen sooner than those in the center of the tree, so don't feel like you have to pick them all at a once. Finally, if you have lots of fruits, pick one and cut it in half. If the seeds inside are brown, then it's ripe. If they are still light colored, wait. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've had a rough year battling Japanese beetles, now is the time to control them. Many gardeners are familiar with Japanese beetle adults that cause damage to many flowers, vegetables and fruits. While there are chemical controls for these and other ground dwelling beetles, there are effective ecologically friendly controls as well. Remember only 1 per cent of the insects in your yard are ones that will cause significant damage to your plants. One of the best controls attacks the Japanese beetle not when it's an adult, but at the c-shaped, cream colored grub or larval stage in the soil. It's at this stage that it's most vulnerable. If you can kill the grubs, you'll have fewer adults next year. There are a few products that are safe for the environment and effective. Beneficial nematodes are microscopic, worm-like creatures that parasitize or prey on the grubs. Spray the nematodes now on the lawn and soil areas where the adults were feeding this summer. That's where most of the larvae are located. Water the area well and keep the soil moist for a number of days so the nematodes can travel to prey on the grubs. The nematodes don't overwinter so need to be sprayed annually in early or late summer. The other product in milky spore powder. This is a bacteria that has been used since the 1940s to control Japanese beetle grubs and it only attacks this type of grub. This powder or granule works best in areas with high concentrations of grubs, such as 10 to 12 grubs per square foot. With fewer grubs, it is not as effective. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the trends I've noticed in our region is longer and warmer falls. This is an opportunity to garden more and now is the time to start planting quick maturing, cool weather loving veggies. The easiest veggie to grow for a fall harvest is greens. Spinach, lettuce, arugula, escarole, kale and Swiss chard can all be sown now from seed or purchased as seedlings from local nurseries. These veggies have a few advantages. You can start eating them while they're small so you don't have to wait for them to mature. They love the cooler temperatures in September and October. And they can hold well in the garden when the shorter days slow the grow of all plants. Look for fall or winter adapted varieties to grow, such as 'Winter Giant' spinach, 'Winter Density' lettuce, and 'Winter Bor' kale. They all can take a frost and keep on growing. Prepare a raised bed in full sun by removing old plants that have finished producing such as squash, cucumbers and tomatoes. Amend the soil with fresh compost and sow seeds or transplants into the soil. You can also start seedlings in pots on a porch and transplant the seedlings in 2 to 3 weeks. Seedlings are more likely to survive than seeds. Cover the whole bed with micro-mesh or a floating row cover to keep pests away and keep the bed warm. Check under the cover regularly to make sure slugs and other critters haven't snuck inside. Harvest when leaves are large enough to eat. Pick the outer leaves so more new leaves will grow from the center. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hot, wet summer has been particularly good for growing melons. Cantaloups, honeydews and watermelons all seem to be enjoying the heat and humidity, more than I am. Once the melon fruits form and start to grow big, the question always comes up about when to harvest the fruits. So, let's talk about harvesting melons. The easiest melons to know when to harvest are the muskmelons or cantaloups. These are the netted melons. When the skin netting turns brown and the fruit easily slips off the vine when gently lifted, you can harvest. They also will have a sweet smell. Cantaloups are unique in that you can harvest a little earlier than when fully ripe and they will continue to ripen indoors. Honeydew melons tend to have a smooth skin. There are many types of honeydews, but most do not continue to ripen after harvest. So, you need to wait until the fruits are fully mature to pick. Signs of a mature honeydew melon include a sweet smell and a change in skin color. Watermelons are another melon that doesn't continue to ripen after harvest and it can be hard to know when they're fully ripe. The old folklore method is to thump the fruit with your thumb and listen for a hollow sound. That technique takes practice. A more reliable method is to look at the tendril or curlycue closest to the watermelon fruit. When it has dried up, check the watermelon belly. If it's turning a yellowish color, it's time to pick. After harvest, store melons in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator if you won't be eating them soon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late summer is often a time with little color from shrubs in our yard. That's why I love Rose of Sharon. Rose of Sharon's name is misleading. It's neither from Sharon, Israel or a rose. It's in the mallow family haling from Asia and is the National Flower of Korea. It came to Europe in the 1600's and North America during the colonial era. Thomas Jefferson particularly loved this shrub. This deciduous, hibiscus-family shrub has beautiful, white, pink, red, lavender, blue or bi-colored flowers that bloom now until fall. The flowers are edible and used in making foods and tea. These shrubs grow 7- to 12- feet tall and make a statement with tons of colorful blooms. The 'Chiffon' series features white, pink, blue, lavender, or red flowers. The ' Pillar' series grows 10 feet tall, but only 4 feet wide, making it a good choice for narrow, side yards. There are dwarf varieties, such as 'Lil Kim' , which grow only 3- to 4- feet tall, and 'Sugar Tip', which is also short with variegated foliage. Rose of Sharon flowers best in full sun, but can take some afternoon shade. Grow plants in well-drained, fertile soil. Prune in late winter to keep the shrub short and remove errant branches. Rose of Sharon flowers off the new branches formed in spring. Some selections are grafted with a different variety as the rootstock. If your Rose of Sharon magically turns a different color one year, it may be the rootstock is growing and flowering. Rose of Sharon is drought tolerant and deer proof, but remove self sown seedlings in spring. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few animal pests as clever as the raccoon. With their dextrose hands and feet, they can get into garbage cans, sealed compost bins and gardens with relative ease. I avoided growing sweet corn for years because of raccoons. Then I thought I'd try popcorn. I figured popcorn doesn't have sweet kernels so the raccoons would leave it alone. That worked for a few years, then they found my patch. As usual, the night before I was ready to harvest they struck, munching only bits out of multiple ears and pulling down the stalks. I've seen similar raids on melons, beans and tree fruits! So, what to do about raccoons. First of all, don't leave any standing water in your yard such as birdbaths and kiddie swimming pools. Raccoons love to clean their food before eating it. Most fencing is not going to stop a nimble raccoon. They can scale even a tall wire fence. They can even use their hands to open up chicken wire fences cobbled together around a garden. The best fencing is wire cages with tops that completely cover the planting. Stake the cage down well. Of course, that won't work for my 6 foot tall corn stalks. So, this year I bought a portable, solar, electric fence kit. By setting it up early around the corn patch, I hope to train the raccoons to stay out. It has a solar panel that charges the wires during the day and a battery to keep it charged at night. I just have to keep weeds and grass from touching the fence. Wish me luck! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One type of perennial flower that I really love is shrub-like perennials. These are plants that quickly grow large in one season and even when they aren't flowering, put on quite a show. The one that's blooming right now is hardy hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus grows in zones 4 to 9 and is different from the woody, tropical, shrub hibiscus. The hardy hibiscus is a perennial, but dies back to the ground each winter. That doesn't stop it from being a showpiece! The 8-inch diameter, colorful flowers appear on shrubs that can grow 3- to 6- feet tall. The colors range from pure white to deep red in the 'Luna' series. This series only grows 2- to 3- feet tall. There are varieties with burgundy colored leaves as well such as 'Midnight Marvel' and 'Evening Rose'. There are bi-colored varieties, such as the pink and red 'Perfect Storm', and even a light yellow colored variety called 'French Vanilla'. For best flowering, plant in full sun on well-drained, moist soil. Add compost in spring once the plants emerge and keep plants well weeded. The plants die back to the ground in fall, but leave the stems into winter as beneficial insects sometimes overwinter in them. Cut back the stems in spring and be patient. The new shoots are often slow to emerge from the ground. Hardy hibiscus has few pests, but the hibiscus sawfly can defoliate leaves in late spring. Check for these small caterpillars on the underside of the leaves and handpick them or spray with an organic product such as Spinosad, in the evening when bees aren't active. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re lucky, around mid-July, warm weather loving veggies are thriving. I recently returned from a trip to find our okra had grown a few feet while I was away. Okra is a traditional Southern vegetable that should be grown in Northern gardens, too. Plant dwarf, quick maturing varieties now and harvest in 2 months. Dwarf varieties, such as 'Jambalaya' and 'Baby Bubba', only grow 3- to 4-feet tall and produce okra pods quickly in the summer heat. Try planting okra where lettuce or peas have gone by in your garden. The dwarf varieties are also great to grow in containers, too. Okra is a vegetable that some people love and others hate. The pods have the best taste and texture harvested when they're less than 4 inches long. Young okra pods are more tender and have less of a “slimy” nature. Eat them in soups, stews, fried or sautéed. Okra is in the hibiscus family, so the flowers are edible and delicious stuffed, fried or used as a garnish. Plant okra in full sun in the hottest spot of your yard on compost amended soil. Like the song by the duo Hot Tamale sings, “the okra don't grow if the water don't flow,” so keep the soil moist. When harvesting, wear gloves and a long sleeve shirt as some gardeners can get a skin rash from the okra leaves. The pods are attached strongly to the woody stems so use a hand pruner to harvest them. Harvest every few days as the pods grow fast and furious in the heat. The more you harvest, the more pods you get. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With our warming climate comes many challenges. But one advantage is the possibility of growing some plants that normally would not thrive in Connecticut. This is true of crepe myrtle. Known as the “lilac of the South,” crepe myrtle has traditionally been successfully grown in zone 7 and warmer climates. But now with new hybrid, sterile, varieties from the National Arboretum and warmer winters, we can grow crepe myrtles in zone 6, and even zone 5, which opens up the possibility in all of Connecticut. Crepe myrtle varieties come as shrubs or small trees. Choose the right type for your yard to avoid drastic pruning. Some of the best shrub-like crepe myrtles include the 2 foot tall 'Chickasaw' with small purple colored flowers and the 6 foot tall 'Caddo' with bright pink flowers. For small trees, try varieties such as the 10 foot tall 'Tonto' with red flowers and 'Natchez' with pure white flowers on 20 foot tall trees. Crepe myrtles flower best in full sun on well-drained soil. They bloom in midsummer on new spring growth. Prune in late winter to encourage more growth and flowering, reduce the plant size and improve the structure. The midsummer flowers are a treat when few other large shrubs and trees are blooming. Also, the bark exfoliates creating an interesting tree for winter viewing. Crepe myrtle are good city trees because they tolerate pollution. Crepe myrtle has few pest problems other than powdery mildew and fungal leaf diseases during our humid summers. If powdery mildew is an issue in your yard, try growing disease resistant varieties such as 'Caddo', 'Hopi' and 'Tonto'. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm always looking for the most recent techniques to help protect our plants from deer and other critters. Deer browsing our shrubs, vegetables, and flowers is a constant source of angst for home owners. Fencing deer out of your yard is often not practical for a suburban homeowner, so repellent sprays are really the next best option. Recent research at the Connecticut Agricultural Research Station, reported by Connecticut Gardener magazine, highlights the best repellents. Essential oil based repellents, containing oils such as mint, thyme or pepper, often evaporate quickly. Odor based sprays, such as those containing rotten eggs or blood meal, are more effective, but eventually wash off plants after about 5 weeks. In their research, the best deer repellent sprays were fat based. Fat based sprays don't smell bad to humans, don't need reapplying after rains and gave plants months of protection. Fat-based repellent sprays were discovered in Austria when farmers noticed that deer avoided plants that had raw sheep’s wool hanging on them. Raw sheep's wool has lanolin-based fats that repel deer. Lanolin is a byproduct of wool processing and is safe for people, wildlife and the environment. While their research showed three months of protection from lanolin-based sprays, these commercial products, such as Trico, are very expensive. A less expensive home remedy alternative that proved as effective as lanolin-based sprays is milk fat. Mixing Half & Half with equal parts water in a sprayer worked as well as the lanolin sprays. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The warm, wet spring and now summery weather has encouraged our summer squash and zucchini to thrive. But we're not the only ones enjoying these plants. Squash bugs are here and laying eggs on the undersides of summer squash, winter squash, and melon plants. You may not see much damage yet from the squash bugs, but if allowed to thrive, your squash patch will be a mess come August. Squash bugs are brown or grey colored with a shield shape on their back. They emerge in spring after overwintering under dead leaves, rocks, wood, and other garden debris and start laying copper colored eggs in organized clusters on the leaf undersides. The eggs hatch into miniature squash bug babies that continue to feed on leaves and flowers. The population usually explodes come August when it's too late to really control them. So, let’s do a little prevention now. Companion planting seems to help. Research from Iowa State University showed that interplanting nasturtiums among your squash deterred egg laying. The nasturtiums emit a fragrance that masks the squash so the squash bugs can't find the squash plants. Grow the trialing type of nasturtiums to have a good mass of plants. You can also check the undersides of the leaves every other day for egg clusters and squish them. You can also cut them out with a scissors if squishing isn't your thing. Finding and squishing the adults is good also. The organic spray, Spinosad, can be used to kill the adults and young. Spray when the squash aren't flowering and in the evening to prevent harm to pollinating insects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're potentially going to have an abundance of tree fruits this summer. With the mild winter and spring and the right about of sun and moisture, our cherries, plums, pears, apples and peaches have set lots of fruit. While I'm excited about the potential fruit glut, I also know that trees might be too enthusiastic. Too many fruits can lead to the branches breaking from the weight and the fruits being small and not as flavorful. That's why I'm thinning some fruits from my trees. Thinning is removing some young fruits so the remaining ones thrive. Nature does a good job by doing something called the June drop. That's when trees naturally drop some of their excess fruit on their own. However, you still may need to hand thin fruits now. Some fruit trees are okay with a big crop. Mature cherries can handle the load. But plums, peaches, apricots, apples, pears and all young trees can stand a little help. Thin plums to 4- to 6- inches apart. Peaches, apricots and nectarines should be thinned to 8 inches apart. Apples and pears set fruits in clusters so remove all but one of the fruit in the cluster and make sure the clusters are at least 6 inches apart. For dwarf trees or young trees be more aggressive. We have a few 3 year old peach trees that are loaded with fruit. I may leave 6 or 8 peaches on each tree since they're too young to support the weight of all those fruits. The sooner you thin the better so the remaining fruits will plump up nicely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.