Crimsonsketch's Backyard - Cherry Tree garden

I didn’t seems to have the same level of ant / aphid infestation that plagued us last year.

Last year I got about 11lbs of cherries that were edible, and probably another 10lbs that were disposed because they fell off the tree before we could get to them.
Not as many cherries but I’ve heard that was because the season was especially rainy and a bit chilly.

The aggressive pruning this year seemed to have the exact effect I was looking for; we now have small new branches sprouting up from lower limbs on the tree and the grass did better as well.

I will likely call the arborist in next spring as well to see if we can trim a bit more of the height and trim some of the spread over the neighbours yards.

I was wrong. We got some cherries. But I could only gather about 3lbs.
far from the 11lbs last year.

I made a cherry tart, which was very nice.

I think I’ve figured out this cross-pollination thing…
Last year’s haul might have been just a fluke. There is no 2nd cherry tree in my yard, though there may be in a neighbour’s close by.

I know there are other cherry trees a few blocks away. So maybe I just need to try harder to attract pollinators to my yard.
I wonder if it matters if the cross-pollination happens with another cherry, or if it could be any fruit tree.

Some are getting big and some are just dropping off. I think this happened last year too, but I hope it’s not a sign of no cherries this year.

All the blossoms are done. The stems have little the beginnings of little green cherries starting to peek out.

The blossoms are falling and the leaves are coming out.

I hope I still have a good amount of sunlight in my yard to stick with my original garden plan!

Al Miley & Associates came to do some major pruning on the tree.
Objective was to get more light into the yard and to “train” the tree back down to a more manageable size.

Making the tree smaller will require a few years, but my research has show it’s possible.
Currently it shades most of the yard.

The pruning job, unfortunately left all of the cherry branches out of reach – but it does look better and cleaner.
It has been topped by 6’ and some pruning done to the top branches to let in more light.
I have already noticed new branch growth starting lower on the tree – as opposed to tall, unreachable branches that had long reaching & swooping ends.

I may not be able to reach many cherries this year, but it’s only temporary and it will be worth it in the long run.