Riverbottom Orchard and Vineyard

Well this afternoon I assembled some tools and things to protect trees from rabbits put it on my sled and set off into the orchard.  Found that most of my trees had minor damage.  However, there was rabbit poop around the trees so those that where still in a snow bank I dug out.  I went out like a foot so they could not reach up and still get the lower branchs.   Its to cold to but a pole in the ground but I got creative.   I used a self adhesive bandage so sun scald would not happen and then put a trees sleeve around them most of these trees are to big to put this on.  So I split the sleeve and duct taped it back.  Its not a perfect solution but I hope that it keeps anymore damage from happening.  Now at the back of my orchard I have 6 apple trees 3 where ready for procuction this year.  but not now they are devasted beyond belief.  I think that the damage was high enough up in the tree that if I just top it I might be able to get buds to produce new branches and start over.   At the very least I may not loose the whole tree.  The interesting thing is they killed my peaches but I had a wild cherry and it was not touched just as a precaution I fixed that one to.  There was bunny poop around it I thought better safe then sorry.  I should have went with my instincts this summer and bunny proof them.  It was a really hard summer my dad was sick allot this summer so I never did get to it.  Now I could just kick my self all the money I put into it so far and the time.  Plus half would have porduces fruit this year and I was starting to salvate over the thought of fresh fruit from my own trees.  Lesson learned you have to be 5 steps ahead to the rabbits. 

Yestarday I went to inspect my fruit trees after a brutal couple of weeks of winter weather.  We have had three blizzards and I lost count on the ice storms.   We received 40 inches of snow I now that other place get more.  We live on the prairie so when you get much snow with wind in makes drifts.  normally we don't get that and haven't really had a problem.  So when I put my trees to bed for winter I did the usual things put trees guards on them to protect them from animals.  There dormancy spray all that.   Who new we would have 4 to 5 foot drifts.  The rabbits just climbed right up and had a feast.  I have 42 fruit trees.  The only ones that do not have severe damage is the really small plums that I had trees sleeves over and the very mature ones.  The rest are eaten up.  I am going to go out to day dig the ones still in drifts out and attempt to prevent any further damage.  I am not sure they will survive.  But I have hope.  When I first moved to this farm and didn't know a peach tree from a pine tree.  I had a great experiece one that has stuck with me. I had three peach trees and three apple trees all mature full size.  One tree in the corner of the yard was a stub.  I kept whacking it off thinking it was a scrub tree that wouldn't go away.  One day it had grown back enough that it had leaves on it.  I whacked it again and at the moment that the blade hit the tree I finally realized it was a peach tree attempting to come back from the dead.  Of coured I had just whacked lt again.  So I left it alone put a guard around it to protect it from rabbits.  Honestly though I was its biggest threat.  Now it is this big beautiful tree and every year it gives me more and more peaches.  Last harvest was about 200 peaches that came from one stubby litte tree.  Of course this is the reason I decide to start raising fruit trees.  This year I think is going to be painful.  Most of the damaged trees where just coming into production.  I am sick to my stomach.  All the work and all the money put into this orchard one bad winter and so much damage.