Whether a person is a 'survivalist', or not. Anyone who is self-sufficient and producing all of their family food, would likely be doing this anyway.

 

And doing it without the offensive arrogance of the OP!

 

When I heard the long range predictions of a continued La Nina equal to or stronger than 2011 I didn't bother to pull the tiller out or buy any seeds, plants, or trees this year. We have already had a streak of record breaking high temps and 100+ degree days combined with no measurable rain for two months. As I walk through the yard all I hear is the crunching of dessicated vegitation. I do have some excess palstic barrels. I may cut them in half and try some limited container gardening.

For a little history 2011 was the year of the fire that burned half the county. The weather guessers are making comparisons of this years weather patterns to that year. I really don't want to start over from scortched earth again so I'm hoping they are wrong.

 

When I heard the long range predictions of a continued La Nina equal to or stronger than 2011 I didn't bother to pull the tiller out or buy any seeds, plants, or trees this year.

What do you plan to eat?

 

So-called survivalists. Trees are not permanent. An orchard is continually losing trees.

As I told you previously, when I discussed the lawyer and wife survivalist team that was bragging about 5 bare root fruit trees they just bought. Some trees may take a decade to produce meaningfully...and then they die. If disease or animals don't get em, a windstorm may uproot, or lightning may split it in two.

Consequently, no time to waste. You have to be proactive and not reactive. In other words, you are never finished, you keep planting fruit and nut trees forever and ever...even after you plant the bulk of your orchard.

Now, look at just these 3 issues I had on my trees over the last year.

View attachment 446834

Deer Damage on peach tree

View attachment 446835

Hollowed out trunk from insect damage on plum tree.



View attachment 446836

Black Knot fungus on plum tree.

Better get digging survivalists! Sooner or later, you gonna lose some trees...I guarantee!

Good advice. Our fruit trees are like candy to the deer around here. They leave the citrus trees alone for the most part. Anything else, they destroy. We have probably spent more protecting them than we did on the trees.

I don't know if it is a direct corelation, but it seems like we have less deer problems after I put up an infrared flood light so I could get better video on my cameras. It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has experience with that.

 

I don't know if it is a direct corelation, but it seems like we have less deer problems after I put up an infrared flood light so I could get better video on my cameras. It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has experience with that.

I have 4 outdoor predator cams. I see a lot of skunks, possums, racoons, coyotes, fox, deer and armadillos. They don't seem to notice my IR cams.

 

Oh my....I like the idea but I have NO idea where I would put all those trees! I have planted 3 in the last year and have a 4th potted that needs planting. My grapevines I planted last year failed. I have been adding more berries year by year.
The old yellow plum tree has a hollow trunk and needs to be taken down, I don't have the heart to do it. It was here long before I was.

 

How’s this. Granted they’re not all in the ground yet. Fruit, nut, grape vines, raspberries, blueberries, Goji, and a bunch of other stuff.

Yesterday I planted 10 clumped bamboo and 5 Blue Crop Blueberries. I didn’t get anything done today because it poured all day. Still pouring. In fact tomorrow i need to go move any trees sitting in standing water.

 

The condo HOA has been asking whos planting trees near the pool area. Stupid bastards. They'll thank me when they get a freakin apple pie during zombie time

 

LOL.
Is that your property that you planted on?
If something happens, and let's say that the tree falls when it is fully grown because the soil was not adequate, and it kills a pregnant mon, and her 2 year old, will you step forward and take the blame?
Or is your plan just to take fruit that no longer belongs to you and let others assume the liability?

Enquiring minds want to know.

 

fruit trees make great gifts - if you have the knowledge, labor and maybe even the self generated sapling to be a Johnny Appleseed >>> it could be double value for you - good will gift and you might be able to gather the fruited booty in the future

 

So-called survivalists. Trees are not permanent. An orchard is continually losing trees.

As I told you previously, when I discussed the lawyer and wife survivalist team that was bragging about 5 bare root fruit trees they just bought. Some trees may take a decade to produce meaningfully...and then they die. If disease or animals don't get em, a windstorm may uproot, or lightning may split it in two.

Consequently, no time to waste. You have to be proactive and not reactive. In other words, you are never finished, you keep planting fruit and nut trees forever and ever...even after you plant the bulk of your orchard.

Now, look at just these 3 issues I had on my trees over the last year.

View attachment 446834

Deer Damage on peach tree

View attachment 446835

Hollowed out trunk from insect damage on plum tree.



View attachment 446836

Black Knot fungus on plum tree.

Better get digging survivalists! Sooner or later, you gonna lose some trees...I guarantee!

Are you a real survivalist? If so, how many trees did you have to plant to become one?

 

So-called survivalists...

What happened 6 hours after I wrote this post? A storm hit. I lost 3 more trees and the neighborhood had tons of trees down as well. But from what I see, they are not so-called survivalists, and their trees are not of the edible nature. I only plant food bearing trees as I am not a gardener and hate gardening...I just want food. So just this season I lost 6 fruit trees. That is 1 more tree than the lawyer and wife podcaster team bragging about with their 5 pitiful bare root fruit tree haul.

Here is some of a tree carnage from a 10-minute storm...

Apricot tree. Not much of a loss. Have numerous Apricots. In Z6 they seldom produce. Once or twice in 14 years. Frost gets the flowers.

White peach tree got a haircut. White peaches are the best! But white peaches are delicate to grow. If you are out west Babcock is the best white peach.

Asian pear. Luckily got lots more. But supply is not limitless.

Lots of carnage around the neighborhood.

Many homes suffered some damage with trees one way or another. Some had multiple huge trees down. But they are useless trees that don't bear food. That is how I judge trees and plants. I won't plant anything that doesn't produce an edible crop. As I said, I hate gardening. The trees have to be able to produce on their own with no upkeep. And if not and they are too finicky, as was the case of white donut peach tree, I cut them down. They had better be survivalists. I don't **** around with trees, racoons or people.

Hah! I got a free water can out of the deal. Some neighbors can took to flight in the storm!

So-called survivalists...don't forget what I what I told you. You are never done with planting your orchard!

 

So-called survivalists...

What happened 6 hours after I wrote this post? A storm hit. I lost 3 more trees and the neighborhood had tons of trees down as well. But from what I see, they are not so-called survivalists, and their trees are not of the edible nature. I only plant food bearing trees as I am not a gardener and hate gardening...I just want food. So just this season I lost 6 fruit trees. That is 1 more tree than the lawyer and wife podcaster team bragging about with their 5 pitiful bare root fruit tree haul.

Here is some of a tree carnage from a 10-minute storm...
View attachment 446956

Apricot tree. Not much of a loss. Have numerous Apricots. In Z6 they seldom produce. Once or twice in 14 years. Frost gets the flowers.

View attachment 446959


View attachment 446960

White peach tree got a haircut. White peaches are the best! But white peaches are delicate to grow. If you are out west Babcock is the best white peach.

View attachment 446961

Asian pear. Luckily got lots more. But supply is not limitless.

Lots of carnage around the neighborhood.

View attachment 446962

Many homes suffered some damage with trees one way or another. Some had multiple huge trees down. But they are useless trees that don't bear food. That is how I judge trees and plants. I won't plant anything that doesn't produce an edible crop. As I said, I hate gardening. The trees have to be able to produce on their own with no upkeep. And if not and they are too finicky, as was the case of white donut peach tree, I cut them down. They had better be survivalists. I don't **** around with trees, racoons or people.

View attachment 446963


View attachment 446964

Hah! I got a free water can out of the deal. Some neighbors can took to flight in the storm!

So-called survivalists...don't forget what I what I told you. You are never done with planting your orchard!

The first one isnt a complete loss yet. Winch it back up vertical and steak it out. Then let the garden hose trickle on the area for a few hours a day.

There are many reasons to plant trees becids them baring fruit. For instance firewood and privacy screening are just two.

 

Wow, glad you are here to tell me how I'm doing it wrong!

 

It breaks my heart to see trees being taken down, I live in wine country and orange groves are being replaced with vineyards.
I have lemon trees but they don't do well in this soil .
Years ago there was a completely eatable plant being promoted that was being encouraged all over the world especially in arid lands. I can't remember the name of it but it supposedly can grow in any kind of soil. That is the one I'd like to get ahold of.
I don't have a well so this means a lot.

 

It breaks my heart to see trees being taken down, I live in wine country and orange groves are being replaced with vineyards.
I have lemon trees but they don't do well in this soil .
Years ago there was a completely eatable plant being promoted that was being encouraged all over the world especially in arid lands. I can't remember the name of it but it supposedly can grow in any kind of soil. That is the one I'd like to get ahold of.
I don't have a well so this means a lot.

I agree with you 100%. That is a very dangerous trend. Profit over health.

 

So-called survivalists. Trees are not permanent. An orchard is continually losing trees.

As I told you previously, when I discussed the lawyer and wife survivalist team that was bragging about 5 bare root fruit trees they just bought. Some trees may take a decade to produce meaningfully...and then they die. If disease or animals don't get em, a windstorm may uproot, or lightning may split it in two.

Consequently, no time to waste. You have to be proactive and not reactive. In other words, you are never finished, you keep planting fruit and nut trees forever and ever...even after you plant the bulk of your orchard.

Now, look at just these 3 issues I had on my trees over the last year.

View attachment 446834

Deer Damage on peach tree

View attachment 446835

Hollowed out trunk from insect damage on plum tree.



View attachment 446836

Black Knot fungus on plum tree.

Better get digging survivalists! Sooner or later, you gonna lose some trees...I guarantee!

K.I.L.,

I am a survivalist and second and third parties say this also. Nothing really "so called".

In my entire life I don't think I planted more than 10 trees throughout the world.

My preparedness philosophy is to take out the inflatable for net fishing and harvesting a maritime botany named "eel grass". It's AOK when baked.

"In general, one should not generalize". Anon.

 

When I was growing up, we lived on some land that had been homesteaded around 1915-20. 60 years later there were multiple fruit trees still around and still producing fruit. Apples and plums, not to mention a raspberry patch. Nobody had lived on that land since the 1950s before my parents and grandparents bought the property in the mid 1970s. It was just used for grazing cattle.

The constant planting idea comes from orchard farmers who are looking for high yields and keep their trees apart to maximize that. Planting fruit trees that are in and among other trees (which provides protection) can keep them going for a long time. I'm not saying you should just plant a few, just that at a certain point you probably have enough for more than enough food to last you and your family. The plum tree in my backyard produces far more plums most years than I or my neighbors have any interest it.

 

When I was growing up, we lived on some land that had been homesteaded around 1915-20. 60 years later there were multiple fruit trees still around and still producing fruit. Apples and plums, not to mention a raspberry patch. Nobody had lived on that land since the 1950s before my parents and grandparents bought the property in the mid 1970s. It was just used for grazing cattle.

The constant planting idea comes from orchard farmers who are looking for high yields and keep their trees apart to maximize that. Planting fruit trees that are in and among other trees (which provides protection) can keep them going for a long time. I'm not saying you should just plant a few, just that at a certain point you probably have enough for more than enough food to last you and your family. The plum tree in my backyard produces far more plums most years than I or my neighbors have any interest it.

Make plum wine.

 

As I looked closer at the damage from the storm, I noticed an interesting break in this white peach tree. This tree was twisted, with corkscrew type of stress, and it developed a crack on opposite sides of the tree.

This photo shows both sides of the damage.

 

What you are going to need will vary by your circumstances and that may be more than someone else needs for theirs. That's why the OP's "plant 2-3 every year" argument isn't valid. Not everyone will need that. Looking at the OP's photos, I see trees by themselves in a mowed yard. That kind of cultivation makes those trees more prone to problems.

 

The funny thing is of the twenty fruit bearing trees on the property only six survived the 2011 fire. The survivors did not produce for about three years after the fire. Then there was the lesson learned not to replant too soon after a scorched earth event. Only 10% of the trees planted in the first few years after the fire survived. It is essential the soil be given time to recover before trying to restore the orchard. Trees planted five years ago are doing the best of all I have.

an example. The Forrest service wanted to get the lost pines started on the road to recovery. They started handing out seedlings six months after the fire. Again those had a projected survival rate of 20% which turned out closer to 10%. They are about 10 feet tall now. A second batch of seedlings were distributed at about three years post fire. Those had a 50% survival rate and are growing faster than the first year trees. BUT, the trees that spontaneously sprouted from parent plants native to the property are already over 20 feet tall and growing like weeds. Nature has a way of self recovery man can’t match.

 

Currently living on an acre, roughly 1/3 of which is covered by a building footprint. I cannot literally keep planting trees. But the point is still valid. I planted 4 trees several years ago. Two could not withstand the damn suburban deer pressure, and are dead. The other two are struggling.

 

Plant smaller varieties like figs and trim the fruit trees down by cutting out the central leader. You can often fit two trees with 6-8 foot spacing and a gap between those or an ornamental planting that way. 2/3 rd of an acre should be able to hold about 25+ small 15 foot trees with close spacing. The benefit of doing it that way is everything that drops becomes mulch or ferilizer. You can chop amd drop unwanteds, it doesnt resemble anything of a traditional orchard, ornamentals hide the edibles from street view, there is less mowing around trees only need to weed eat once a month during the summer, and a much higher survival rate because its more natural. I used to get a 90% survival rate with watering and care. Now i get around a 70% because the added 20% cost and water and maintenance isnt worth it and i believe in natural selection. Heck even the dead trees so long as they are blight free and clean make good smore sticks, firewood, or woodworking wood. We have tons of pecans here people are always throwing out due to splitting and storms so I never buy charcoal. I have 2 but they take 30-25 years to start producing. 4 trees wont get you much is the point the op was making. For the aveage 1/2 acre lot id say 2 figs, 2 peaches, a plum or two, pear, and either a couple citrus or apple depending on location. Thats about 10 trees so build up the soul first by burrying chicken/turkey/fish heads in the next spots before planting. Youll be amazed.

 

I recently lost a Japanese persimmon to a freak thunderstorm that had 60mph gusts. It snapped just above the graft point. The root lives but the tree that recovers will likely be wild persimmon not domestic persimmon. I can probably regraft it, but the overall point of the OP stands. That was a year wasted due to a few minutes of sustained severe weather. The time investment put into a fruit tree can be gone just like that.

 

I have planted trees everywhere I have lived. This was difficult in the mohave desert, but I lived there 30 yrs, and sold the place with a mature fruit orchard.

Now I live in Eastern Oklahoma, and I have a dozen nut trees, and a dozen fruit trees. This year I planted 5 Chestnuts, 5 Pecans, and 2 more Apples. I bought a small ranch so I have plenty of room.

 

I have 70+ fruit and nut trees on my 5 acres. White and black walnuts, hickory, pecan, hazelnut, chestnut, apple, apricot, peach, pear, cherry, paw paw, white and regular mulberry. I don’t have any more good land on this 5 acres. I can’t grow any more.

Have 80 acres more untouched that needs to be planted but that is going to be a lot more work due to poor soil. 12-18” of wet high organic then 70+ feet of hard clay.

Can I be a super prepper yet?

 

Do you have a still

 

Moringa trees are both beneficial for food but are herb-like in supplement value and the seeds can be used in water purification and these trees are drought tolerant. I bought 5 and one survived. I found that my city water is detrimental to them and other plants I've tries to grow.

 

We have over 50 fruit trees on our 25 acres. We also have many fruiting bushes as gooseberry, currents, cranberry, bush cherry, blackberry, blueberry, bozenberry, grapes, etc.