Bit rubbush this year.

[Lardman]

It's looking a bit rubbish this year for the apples The blossom was hit by the late frosts and very little had set. What did set has mainly been dropped over the last 2 weeks as it's been so dry here in my sand pit.

Anyone else in the same boat ?

[Greenleaves]

My plum tree suffered in the same way.....always next year

[burnie]

Luckily I escaped that as my blossom hadn't opened when we had our last late frost, looking good for a good crop if not got at by the scab.

[Guest]

My older trees are fine but it is most of the younger trees that would have had a light crop that have been affected so now I will get nowt. My quince doesn't look promising either for the second year in a row.

[sparrow100]

Mine's looking great. But then it's convinced itself to be biannual bearing and this is the good year. *rolls eyes*

[Jungle Jane]

Ive got pears on my pear tree They could all fall off but there's pears growing over there at the minute. Lots of peaches on the peach tree,gooseberries,apples & tiny grapes beginning to grow all going ok,need to thin some of the apples & thin the grapes on the bunches when they get a little bigger,no pests on the grapevine at all

[Lardman]

My free standing espaliers took the worst of it - just 2 fruit on the 8ft 4 tier Jonagold.

I think you'll all agree it gives me a justifiable reason to buy some more trees which flower later I'm looking at my ever dwindling apple sauce reserve though, roast pork just isn't the same without it.

[BUFFS]

We went on a break at the end of April with the apple and pear trees laden with blossom, but it seems we had a really dry spell which meant that I only see a few apples and not one pear, the finishing touch was the 20yr old conker and two crab apple bonsai, both fruiting for the first time , were shrivelled by the time we got back, been here 16yrs and never seen such a dry warm spring, and we missed it, killed the young parsnips too, so not our best year, but the fig tree loved it and we have 43 very nicely swelling young figs so not all is lost. I am now training some two year old crab-apple youngsters now to replace the bonsai , but the conker had naturally small leaves that were reduced to 2ins across so I doubt if I can replace that one, it was going to be shown in the village veggie show so I will have to come up with something else

[Cadalot]

My cherry trees are full, I spied a half dozen plums and I have not looked at the apple trees yet to see if the frost has done anything.

[MarkPelican]

I've got four apple trees, two cookers and two eaters. Neither cooker looks like they will have many apples (hopefully they'll be large) but the eaters are going to need significant thinning.

[Ocelot]

That's strange. This year looks like the best ever for my fruit! My 7 foot by 7 foot by 7 foot redcurrant looks like breaking all records, my 35 foot damson is laden (can produce 1000 a day during late summer), raspberries good, and here's the strange thing: About 10 years ago I put in a grapevine, which has never done anything. It grows maybe a foot, then dies back, every year. This year I was about to discard it, as it was only 6 inches in march. Now, for the first time ever, it is growing like mad, with fruit everywhere. Even the blackthorn is covered in sloes.

I have done absolutely nothing to any of these plants/trees. I thought it must be a bumper year for fruit, but maybe not, seeing these stories. The only plant that has failed to produce (and has never in 10 years) is the gooseberry.

Do you think this could be down to location?

[Lardman]

Do you think this could be down to location?

I imagine so - I've asked around more and most people around here have suffered, those who haven't are in the towns / city where the frosts were kept at bay. I also suffer very badly when there's a rain issue as I garden on a very sandy slope.

I looked over the apples yesterday, what little fruit there was is now splitting.