If the cherry does not produce good fruit or the birds get it all - I'd cut it down. Same with the apples that don't taste good.

Put in a mixed orchard of *disease resistant* apples, asian pears, maxine pears, jap plums, Redhaven peaches. Possibly some nectarines, seckel pears and persimmons.

Plant some brambles such as Heritage, Anne, Caroline, Autumn Brtiton, Kiwi gold. Triple crown Blackberry.

...and go heavy on the asian pears. They don't fool around. they produce and are hardy. But check them all out for what works in your zone.

UPDATE: the cherry is flowering. I really do not want to cut these down but would like to know what's going on with them. Are they just younger than I thought?

If the trees have been unattended, fruit will be small and poor quality. Apples can over-produce one year and then produce "crabapples" as you described the next year -- some varieties just do this but usually it is due to underthinning the fruit. Fruit size and quality depends on pruning, thinning the fruit, and (in many places) adhering to a spray schedule. I would be tempted to postpone the decision until you have been taking good care of the trees for a year -- starting from scratch with new trees might mean going several years without fruit!

What do you recommend for maintenance? How should I prune, thin and what spray/fertilizer do you use? as I said, this is my first experience with fruit trees!

Keepitlow,

Why Redhaven peaches specifically?

Do they have better disease and pest resistance than other peaches or is it a matter of being better-tasting or more likely to succeed in Zone 4?

Thanks!

I don't grow cherries, but I grow apples. The most important thing is keeping the tree healthy, and I think the biggest factor is keeping the root zone (all the way out to the drip line - which is the farthest branch tip) free of weeds and competition. The best way to do this to to put down a weed barrier (such as corrugated cardboard) and compost on top of the weed barrier. This keeps the trees growing strong. The next thing to do is protect the apples you want to keep, and thin them at the same time. To thin, you want to remove almost 90% of your fruit! Most experts recommend leaving no more than one apple every six inches unless the tree is big/old and can support more weight. By thinning, you will get nice full size apples. To protect the apples from insect damage, you can either spray them repeatedly with toxic chemicals, spray them a few times with caolin clay, or do what I do, and bag the fruit. See link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit Bagging

Pest and diseases are region-specific, so you want to find someone from your area -- your state university may have info on their web page, and there may be a university extension service that can help.

I am also new to fruits -- I have cherries and pears that range from 2-4 years old so I am just now getting blossoms and fruit (I had 2 cherries last year, didn't use netting and lost them).

If you can buy a book on fruit trees, that would be a great start. Pruning is complicated and you need to see pictures... I'll attach some web links below. 10-10-10 fertilizer is often recommended. Like tradergordo, I hope to use physical barrier methods and avoid insecticides, but only time will tell if that works for me.

Clemson University: Pruning Apples and Pears

Clemson University: Pruning Peaches and Nectarines (cherries also use open center)

Dave Wilson: Backyard Orchard Culture explained