Fruit Rebel

I am going to become a secret fruit rebel.

I’m going to plant apple and cherry trees.

At two different nurseries, they told me it wouldn’t be cold enough for traditional varieties such as Granny Smith and Jonathan, but that tropical varieties of apple were so far untested in the area.

At an online gardening forum, they told me that even if it WAS cold enough, I’d have to spray my darlings, once a week after fruit set, with Evil And Deadly Organophosphates.

An old lady who has been operating an orchard in the Valley for 60 years swore blind that I’d never get a single cherry – and as for apples, she reiterated the My Spray Or The Highway theme.

You’d think I would bow before all this accumulated wisdom.

You’d think I would accept that I am not in a suitable area for apples or cherries.

To quote Robert Frost:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less travelled by
And that has made all the difference.”

NO BOWING TO WISDOM TODAY!

Besides, I have a bizarre, half-formed plan that involves hunting down tropical varieties of apple and cherry (less than 500 chill hours) which don’t get too big (so I can cover them with nets for flies and moths) and which fruit really early in the season (fruit fly numbers don’t become really established until the end of summer).

Pessimists, the Fruit Rebel has no time for your snide (or, more likely, your sincere efforts to persuade me to relinquish the madness) remarks! Begone!