Fruit Tree Maintenance: What Are Chill Hours?

When delicious fruit – from your own trees – appears on the table, your labor will be well worth the effort.

By Mike Lang
Published on May 1, 2007
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by David Scheuber

Fruit tree trouble? Our expert answers your backyard fruit tree questions, from “Why won’t my fruit tree produce fruit?” to “What are chill hours?”

Few emotions are as predictable as pride from harvesting a bountiful crop from the garden. Something primal about the harvest is encoded in our DNA; a sense of worth that still affects all of us even though we may no longer rely on this harvest for day-to-day survival.

Unfortunately, some gardeners will be disappointed in this year’s harvest, and this fact may already be apparent this early in the season.

“Why won’t my fruit tree produce fruit?” is a question that will echo from the walls of garden centers, extension offices and local coffee shops, as it does every year. And, just as in years past, there will be no one correct answer.

Producing a good fruit crop from an apple, pear, cherry, peach or other favorite fruiting tree is not as easy as putting out that tomato plant, adding some water and fertilizer, and shazam the fruit starts coming.

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