Larry Blanchard wrote in message ...
In article , simy1@my-
deja.com says...
I do believe that things are different in different parts of the
country. On the west coast, I have seen unsprayed plum and apple trees
from Seattle to the Bay Area (including Portland and Eugene) producing
prolifically. In the Bay Area itself, I have seen countless citrus,
also unsprayed.

Many years ago, I moved from Louisville KY to Los Angeles. The
"natives" would ask me what was the biggest change, expecting me to rave
about the climate, the cultural stuff, etc.. My answer was always the
same "You don't have any bugs!".

So yes, things do vary from one part of the country to another.

So does the variety of yellow jackets and their agressiveness :-).

When I lived in California, perhaps one mile from my place there was
an abandoned Red Delicious orchard. It kept pumping out, year after
year, the sweetest apples I have ever eaten. They were too sweet, in
fact (I much prefer the tart, complex northern varieties, such as
Northern Spy or Liberty. And even when it comes to sweet apples, the
Michigan Golden Delicious are superior to anything I have tried). No
bugs, no blemishes, no spray, no irrigation (no rain for five months
before harvest) or fertilization. Incredible. It would take minutes to
go there and pick a bushel for the week (I am much the fruitarian in
season, ten apples a day is not too much if they are at their top).