[mrsmith]

Jis biggest lesson learned after “the next four years”...

Should have planted more fruit and nut trees!

Glad to see someone mention blackberries, raspberries are just as easy. Heck the only work is stopping them. Love my Mulberries though the birds love them more.
The hazelnut I planted 3 years ago is a joy, this will be their first ‘full=production’ year. The persimmon should yield this year , Chinkapins won’t start yielding for a couple more years (all free from the local ‘extension’). Plant them near but not next to the house. They draw game and varmints.
They require practically no care.

[Bigg Red]

How do you keep the dang birds and squirrels from eating your blackberries and raspberries?

[Ellendra]

I've been planting fruit and nut trees every year since I bought my property. Some years I get more survivors than others, but I'm too far away to give them daily attention, so that's expected.

If anyone wants more fruit trees, but is on a tight budget, you can get fruit tree seeds online. I'm going that route this year just to see if I get more survivors than I did with bare-root trees. I'm not too picky about varieties, even the wild kinds are great. There are wild plums in the area that taste better than the ones in the store, and they're free!

There's a horse ranch near me that might be coming up for sale soon, I'd love it if a FReeper could buy it. I'll post more details when it's announced.