This tree has been a blessing and a curse! Like most everything in life, there’s good and bad. Some days the bad outweighs the good but most days, the good wins out. This tree is hollow and is split and every year we’ve been here, I’ve thought we should cut it down but it still produces lots of shade and lots of mulberries. The shade was nice for the chickens and they loved the mulberries. I made mulberry/blackberry jelly and it was nice to be able to make it from fruit grown in or around our yard.
There’s a line of about 10 of these trees across what was the back of our property line before we bought the back lot. This is the biggest though it’s in the worst condition.
This photo was taking a week or so ago and the berries were just starting to get ripe. Now they’re really ripe and they’ve fallen all over the ground so any time we walk back there, we’re tromping on berries and have to be careful about not coming in the house with berry juice on our shoes.
The raccoons, ground hogs, rabbits and deer have moved in by the dozens to munch on the juicy berries. Since I don’t have a garden and am not worried about critters bothering the chickens, we haven’t even set out the trap. The critters can eat as much as they want this year . . without interference from us!
glen in Louisiana says
I have never thought about mulberries or mulberry trees before. I like them! I am sure the Smelly Bassets would gorge themselves on the fallen berries though.
glen: mulberry wine would make them crazier than they are now!
Doe in Mi says
I have a couple of these trees and yes, they do make a mess. The birds love them yes, there fore, purple poops on the deck, on the windows, the deck furniture, the car, etc. Yuck. And, yes, they are a pretty tree. Oh well!!!
Karen says
we have one that our daughter planted when she was in 4H. It makes a mess every spring and my husband keeps talking of cutting it down but hasn’t because he thought it meant a lot to her – we recently found out she could care less about the tree and I think it will be cut down soon 🙂 — of course now I found another growing but it is far from the house so I don’t care it that one stays or not – I’m sure it grew from some of that purple poop the birds drop!!
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
Patti Tappel says
We have some on the back forty. (Really the back 15) I will have to check them out, I didn’t know they would be ripe this early.
Brenda says
Thanks for sharing, I have never seen a mulberry tree before.
Charity says
I have a mulberry tree, and we seem to be having a similar talks about it lately. I really would like to keep the tree, because of shade. Mine has gotten to the point that I couldn’t reach any of the berrys, even if I wanted to. I know they say it’s not healthy for a tree but I would love to top ours. It’s allready a scraggly thing. Seeing as how me and hubby can’t agree on what to do with it. It is just left alone till get gets to the point that we have to do something.
Linda says
With all you have to do this year, it’s probably best to just relax and watch the wildlife enjoy them. I hope you find a place with some fruit and good garden space in Texas.