Apple Tree: suddenly apples

We've lived in our house for 5 years. There's an old apple tree in the backyard. Usually it produces a few tiny inedible apples that the squirrels take care of, but yesterday we harvested about a dozen apples which were not perfect but quite edible and delicious.

Why now all of the sudden?

Could be because of the drought.

We've been here 10+ years. This is also the first year our backyard apple trees have given us a nice harvest. (We had so many, we even gave away a few bags of them in the free thread).

Us too! We have an apple tree that we planted 30 years ago, and this is the first time ever that we've had apples! Great tasting apples, too. Usually we just get a few tiny little green ones, and the squirrels eat them before they ever get ripe. What's going on?

Some apple trees bear every other year. But the weather usually plays a role. It seems to be a good year for all fruit. You can help your apple tree by trimming it in late winter to thin out tall branches and let the sun reach lower ones. May just be a really good year this year. My tree did ver well also.

Apple trees need to be cross polinated. So you need more then one tree in an area to get nice fruit. So , the trees near you were in bloom at the same time or maybe someone planted something in the vicinity were you live.

Not apples, but this year for the first time we got lots of nice chestnuts from the chestnut trees we planted almost 10 years ago. (We had to check the yard about five times a day, every day, to stay one step ahead of the squirrels and deer...)

My neighbor's apple tree is bursting with bright red apples, I haven't seen that in the 16 years I have lived here. Although pollination can be performed by birds, wind or insects, the most common fruit-tree pollinator is the honeybee. I am hoping the increase in beekeepers in town has contributed, or maybe the bees are recovering from the honeybee blight?

Just found this: http://www.agprofessional.com/news/bee-population-rising-around-world

mem said:
Just found this: http://www.agprofessional.com/news/bee-population-rising-around-world

Read the comments. It appears that this was written by a group with an agenda to make the bee situation look rosy.

Jim, I knew that. The data they used is from USDA statistics, although the USDA most likely has an agenda as well?

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1191

I take ALL comments and sources with a grain of salt. But, we have spotted more honeybees around this year.

Have not noticed more bees than usual. However, my solar electric system recorded record high production in August and September. So it must have been extra sunny. Maybe that had something to do with it

suddenly apples would be a cool band name

We're still enjoying cherry and beefsteak tomatoes from our garden. At the Summit farmer's market last Sunday we bought an 8-pound cabbage for two dollars. Not two dollars a pound, either. Farmer said that it's been the best year for cabbage that he can remember. [Yes, we really like cabbage; no, it's not easy to eat eight pounds of it over the course of a week or so.]