Today in the orchard
Bagged branches of Frostbite, May 18, 2025
Finally completed the topworking for the year. (Well, I might do a few more…). I also began a breeding project. I bagged branches of Frostbite with fine-netted, paint-straining bags. The bags will prevent the flowers from being pollinated by bees so that I can hand pollinate them with pollen from one of three selected cultivars - Gray Pearmain, Westfield-Seek-no-Further or--what else?--Black Oxford. If all goes well, the arranged sexual encounters will produce apple offspring with two known parents (Frostbite and one of the three pollen donors). I’ll save the seed from these crosses to plant next spring in hopes of “creating” new apple varieties for the future. This is what apple breeders do every year on a massive scale. Although I’ve grown many apples from seed over the years, I’ve typically only known the fruiting parent (the mom). Now I’ll know both. Stay-tuned.
