Apple variety once thought extinct confirmed on NSW farm
By Brooke Chandler

The Rymer variety of cooking apple, once believed to have died out, has been found on a rural property in the NSW Southern Tablelands.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-20/rare-rymer-apples-on-nsw-property/106330716

#FruitGrowing #FruitTrees #FoodandDrink #BrookeChandler

Where Did That Come From? Dept.

Last fall, I start cutting down on old, diseased lilac (25+ years old). Didn't cut everything down since the yard waste bin was full.

Just noticed today that what I thought was all lilac wasn't! A volunteer apricot tree had grownup among the lilac. And was it blooming. See photos.

Cleared out the rest of lilac, kept the apricot. Probably seeded by the other apricot tree near by.

#Gardening
#Backyard
#FruitTrees
#Bloom

Our pluot fruit tree is in full blossom. There will be lots of fruit produced by this tree 😁

#WellandCommunityOrchard #nonprofit #CommunityOrchard #OrchardPark #Stewardship #FoodSecurity #FoodSystems #ViewRoyal #YYJ #Saanich #VictoriaBC #VancouverIsland #PhotoDocumentation #GrowFruit #FruitTrees #Pluot #HybridFruit #FoodEquity #CultivatingCommunities #LifecyclesProjectSociety #Spring #GrowFood

Popular mango farm forced to sell as compliance measures pressure producers
By Claudia Sullivan

Mango industry representatives say addressing mounting compliance requirements is like "trying to turn back the Titanic".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-16/horticulture-industry-struggles-with-costly-compliance-demands/106450552

#AgriculturalandFarmingPractice #AgriculturalPrices #FruitTrees #ClaudiaSullivan

#Backyard report:

Only a few small stick blown down from last night's wind storm (20+ mph sustained, gust at least to 45 mph).

#birbs: A flock of goldfinches is cackling a way in the trees and bushes.

Looks like the budding blossoms on the apricot have have survived the wind storm. 🙂

#Garden
#FruitTrees
#Birds

Interest in installing solar panels in vineyards is growing. Here's a paper from Australia that examines their impact on pear trees & fruit.

tl/dr Panels created shade, which reduced yield, sugar concentration & color, but lessened impacts of extreme weather (heat and hail).

This study used fixed panels at 45° and 5°, with the latter causing greater crop losses, but power production was similar.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304423826000555

#Agrivoltaism #SolarPower #Orchards #FruitTrees #Research