When most people think of an orchard or fruit trees, they usually think about picking things in the late summer or fall. But there are actually a number of fruit trees and shrubs that you can plant that will provide fruit from early to mid-summer (yay!)
The kids and I usually head out to the orchard a few times a week just to check on everything. It has been quite hot and rainy lately and we were on vacation for a bit so we hadn’t been out in at least 2 weeks. So we were VERY excited to find that most of the cherries were ready for picking! The last 2 years, the birds have beaten us to them so we haven’t gotten any. But not this year! Today we came in with many bowls full of both sweet and tart varieties. Let’s get ready for pie filling, cherry jelly, many many fresh cherries, and hopefully some cherry salsa. 🙂
Here are some fruits that will ripen soon:
Cherries- both sweet and tart cherries can be ready as early as the end of June, extending to early August. We just picked our first baskets today and it is only July 1st.
Blackberries- Expect them to be ready for picking anywhere from June to August, or even in September on occasion, depending on the variety.
Blueberries- July is the month of the blueberry! By late July they should be ready for picking. Get ready to put blueberries on everything, make some yummy jam, or maybe some lemon blueberry cakes.
Raspberries- Again, depending on the variety, expect to be picking anywhere from early July to late September.
Nectarines- Many ripen in July. Like peaches, they will continue to ripen after they are picked.
Mulberries- We just starting picking the first ripe berries and it’s only July 1st.
Peaches- Some earlier varieties are ready by late July! (although most are ready in August and September)
Strawberries- At mid to late June, Strawberries are one of the earliest fruits to be ready here!
