Fruit Trees Are Not Doing Well

Since I know what are wrong with the tomatoes, maybe we are having the same problem with the fruit trees. All my fruit trees look like this, well now they have lost their fruit all together. Except for one of my pear trees. These are pictures of an apple tree we have. So either this also is a calcium deficiency like the tomatoes or maybe a fungus. I'm not sure, but I have only sprayed the fruit trees with the Neem Oil once. I'll be honest, I haven't been able to keep up with my yard this spring or summer.  Maybe I'll do better next year!

Red Canna Lily

These beautiful Canna Lily's have finally opened up!

Double Rose of Sharon

I absolutely love the Double Rose of Sharon. They look more like a rose and I love roses!

White Rose of Sharon

I love the Rose of Sharon! It always reminds me of the Bible verse:

She:
"I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
He:
As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women."

The Song of Solomon 2:1-2

Such a romantic book of the Bible! 

Sunflowers

We feed the birds black oil sunflower seeds. I have seen large sunflowers in some yards and have always loved them! So when these started growing in my yard from those dropped seeds, I was sooo excited! 

Asiatic Dayflower

I found these around the edges of my backyard and fence. They have pretty blue flowers but look like a weed and are spreading everywhere. Does anyone know what they are? If so, please leave me a comment.

Update: Thanks to my friend, Donna, I now know this is an Asiatic Dayflower!

Strawberries

My sweet niece, Brook, helped me pull weeds a few weeks ago. One of the projects was to get rid of the grass in the strawberry patch. So here is a before and after picture. Strawberries are one of my favorite snacks with Amasai, Ultimate Greenzone, vanilla extract made with glycerin instead of alcohol, and cacao nibs! Right now I buy organic fresh and frozen strawberries from Sunflower Market. I hope to increase my strawberry patch over time and have enough for the growing season and to freeze for the winter! I planted some Marigold and Thyme seeds because they are great companion plants for strawberries!

Tomato Disease?

I am sad to see my tomatoes seem to have a disease. If any readers out there are familiar with this disease, let me know! Also, if you have a natural solution to this problem, post a comment! My fruit trees seem to be having the same problem. I am new to gardening, so it's a learning process for sure.

Update: My father-in-law told me my tomatoes have calcium deficiency. So I am starting over with new tomatoes and spraying them with blossom end rot spray that helps to correct calcium deficiency. 

Blue Birds Nesting In Our Bluebird House

These are photos I took in March. Our blue birds are back again! I've seen them going in and out of the bluebird house I have on the back fence. We have lots of fruit trees and blackberries, so I'm sure they love being near the food! I feel blessed to be able to share my yard with these beautiful birds!

Canna Lilies

Here is another backyard blessing in our yard planted by previous home owner! I love the color of the leaves on these Canna Lilies! I can't wait to see the flower. I believe they are either red or orange.

Update: Here they are in red! 

Lilies

These beautiful lilies are breathtaking when I look through my kitchen window over my backyard. They were planted by the previous owners of our house.  I haven't always been a fan of orange but I'm starting to love the color! These flowers sure promote it. What a wonderful display of God's beauty in creation!

Blackberry Vines

I have been picking blackberries from these wonderful blackberry vines for a few days now. We recently went on vacation for a week and when we came back, we found out something has gotten to the blackberries as well. I have trouble eating something I see worms coming out of. I'm not sure if they just didn't get picked soon enough or if it was inevitable. Comment below if you know anything about keeping blackberries from worm infestation naturally!

Blessings,
Christina

Beginnings Of Our Tomatoes

My husband and I have only started gardening a year ago, well mostly me. My favorite thing to grow so far is tomatoes. Last summer was horrible here in Oklahoma for most everything because of the over 100 degree heat. I'm very excited to see how our tomatoes do this summer! I can't wait for my husband to make the first batch of salsa or rather pico! He usually adds sugar to cut down on the acidity but he will have to figure something else out since sugar is a no no on my Candida diet. I will be eating it with Flax Seed Crackers. I'll let you know how it turns out when the time comes.

Neem Oil On Fruit Trees

Stanley Prune-Plum Dwarf Supreme

Stark Lodi Apple Dwarf

     We were so blessed when we moved into our house about a year ago. The people who lived here before had done so much work on the yard. They put in all these fruit trees. Some of them are not labeled because I'm not sure what they are yet. Last spring I had a 4 month old, so I really didn't get to spend much time outside. I'm trying to do a little more this spring. I have a magazine somewhere that labels the other trees, so when I find it I will label the others. 
       
      I am definitely having problems with worms getting the fruit that has come in. The apple tree is full of apples now. I will have to take more pictures soon and share them. Their are lots of nectarines but all seem to be worm infested. That really grosses me out. Before I found out that I had Candida, I didn't eat a lot of fruit. So I wasn't really planning on trying to care for the fruit trees too much. Now that I'm off of sugar, fruit is so delicious to me and I really want to get fruit from these trees.  I do not want to use chemicals or pesticides, and came across a natural alternative: Neem Oil. 

"Neem oil has many benefits and is used in various ways. The neem oil is actually a vegetable oil that is extracted from the fruits and the seeds of neem. Neem tree oil is made from the extract of the plant."  This quote is from Buzzle.


The research I have read indicates that it is safe for birds and beneficial insects. Here is some more information about Neem oil on Buzzle. It seems that the Neem oil needs to be reapplied several time throughout the growing season and doesn't kill the insects, it just keeps them from reproducing. I have only done one application and I'm sure it will take more to start controlling the insects. I would love comments from anyone who has more information about Neem Oil or has used it before. I know precaution should be used around cats or aquatic areas. Please do your own research before using the product to make sure its the right option for you.   I will provide updates as I continue to use the product. 

"Neem oil is also used as an effective insecticide. This has been used for hundreds of years in controlling plant pests and diseases. It is known that the spray solution of neem oil helps to prevent the problems caused by common pests like bugs, spider mites, locusts, thrips, white flies, aphids etc. This oil also acts as a very effective fungicide. Neem oil is very bitter to taste and this is why the bugs would keep away once the leaves are sprayed with the neem oil."  This quote is directly from Buzzle.  Click on the link to read more about the benefits of Neem oil.                             

Enterprise Apple Dwarf Supreme

Hardired Giant Nectarine Dwarf Supreme

Pear

                  

                                                                                      

  Fruit tree -unknown

                                                           

Fruit tree - unknown

                                                       

    Nectarine or peach tree

 

Fruit tree - unknown

                                                         


                                                               

Plum or prune tree