Cherries

The good news. THIS is what you get when record-breaking rainfall in the early part of May is followed by a month of continuous unbroken sunshine and temps in mid to high 70s.

  

The bad news. These pics were taken from an upstairs window and the tree is so big we will hardly be able to get any of these.  Any ideas on how to get these little beauties down and into our gaping mouths?

Comments

[fert]

It's time to train those raccoons in the neighborhood....

[Jackie Lee]

What about using something like they use to harvest avocados? It's a telescoping trimmer with a net under the trimmer to catch the fruit? It could work?!

[kv]

i would do anything to have a tree like that....and i would probably just learn to levitate to get at those beautiful cherries.

[my favorite and my best]

shake that beast!!

[siiri]

our neighbor has the same tree in their backyard, (you're not my neighbor, are you?!?!?!) and the wife makes her husband use a huge ladder, climb up it, hold a 10 gallon paint bucket and empty the cherries into that. He does the whole tree, but it takes many days to do so. I hear it's totally worth it, as they make a million different things every year.

So, big ladder, and a trustworthy person to hold it steady for you!

[fert]

not to get ahead of anything but:
http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2009/06/for-cherries.html

[Marion]

In my garden every year birds will be there before I do

[tula]

that is the most gorgeous thing i've ever seen! yum :)

[paola]

Hey T, it's the most FRUSTRATING thing you've ever seen.

I think shaking may be in order. We've been reading online that the buds for next year are already forming on the tree, so you're not supposed to chop bits off it (we might do that though and call it 'pruning'). We've already got a ladder but this baby is about 50 feet high, so that makes it difficult.

Siiri, I don't think I'm your neighbour, but I'll certainly be sending the husband up there.

Marion, the birds are already having a field day and my car is covered in bird poop...

[Bethany Pearce]

I've totally found you by accident tonight... and I HAVE to comment on this post!

we used to have a very large cherry tree growing up. My dad "invented" a cherry picker using:

1 tin can
1 long pole
duct tape

First take the can and pinch a "spout" on it. Try to pinch mostly the rim.

Tape the can to the end of the pole.

Lift the pole with can on end towards the cherries. Make the cherries drop into the can. Then pull the can (with the long pole) so that the cherries get stuck in the pointed "spout" thing - and pull down!

BINGO - you have a can full of cherries :)

Hope this works for you! Email me if you need a drawing or something. It should be fairly straightforward however....

[Bethany Pearce]

OH - and for the bird issue - put a plastic owl in the tree. It works for our current cherry tree.

[paola]

Bethany, it's for comments like yours that I write this blog. I had NO IDEA that you could get plastic decoy owls, but some are being ordered as we speak. And your father's contraption sounds fabulous.

Thank you!