Disappointing yields, except for perennial berry bushes.

I started a lot of plants, that were eaten to the ground.
I bought a lot of starts , they are not producing well, despite ammendments.
The blackberries,  blueberries and raspberries have produced rather well, considering I did little pruning, mulching or weeding.

I think its all about the roots.
We had a rainy spring, and now things are dry.
I finally broke down and watered the other day, well after the point I should have.
Im just not in the habit,  nor do I really want to be.
I like to set up a deep, rich bed, plant something,walkway and cime back later to reap the rewards.

The berry bushes can tap the depths for water, other plants, not as much.
In addition,  I use subirrgated containers for a lot of my vegetables.
They are great for a week at a time without heavy rain, but not for many weeks at a time.
I'm not great with routine, plus my garden hose infrastructure had been destroyed by my dog, so my plants suffered.
I have rebuilt the hose system, but Im still bad at routine.
I think I need an irrigation system.

I have rain water catchment, city water and a grey water filter.
The greywater filter is ready, but nothing is plumbed to it.
Connected to my kitchen sink drain,  it could provide water everyday, with no concern for overflow.
Making that connection will be tricky, and it must be easily returned to conventional use, for the winter.
I would use it to feed the in ground beds.

My rainwater collection system suffers from small storage capacity and little space for expansion.
If I expand as much as I can, and that might be enough for the containers, since they have their own built in storage.

My city water has fluoride and cloramine, plus it costs money.
I think I might use it to top off the rainwater , but not automatically,  just on a case by case basis.
Maybe I'll spike the reservoir with vitamin C, or maybe  finally install a whole house filter.
That's probably the right amount of responsibility for me!

Chances are my attention will be diverted to other projects, but it is usually valuable for me to start on a project, even if it takes years to come to fruition, or never does.
Its like planting seeds, that may grow or may rot into compost, but either way better in the ground than wasted.

I hear you, William.  I also am a hands-off gardener and the berries are the most reliable producers with no fiddling.  I had to break out the sprinkler after weeks of no rain, but not before some seedlings for fall crops withered.

So my back is messed up and the weather has broken.
Its hot and wet again, instead of just hot.
Because Im feeling fragile,  Im staying out of the yard, I need to heal up for work.

So Im scheming instead.
I want to murder one or more of mulberries and replace it with a more desirable fruit.
I also want to  expand the fruit season.
Right now, everything is mostly eaten.
My mom in law does have apples on the tree, edible but for a few spots, but this is the first time that has happened-apples seem disease prone and not reliable.
Grapes are good for this time if year, but disease has been a problem with these as well.
Im looking for better varieties.

My youngest is into cherries.
Which ripen earlier in the year,but  still, cherries are awsome.

Spring is also a sparse time.
Im thinking honeyberries.

Any suggestions are good, bushes are better than vines, but i need vines as well, and trees im iffy on, because of harvesting/pruning.

William you might look into hugelkultur.  It soaks up water , and makes it available for the plants when it's needed.  Permies has tons of information on hugelkultur.  It's hard work to build, but once it's done there's very little maintenance.  Totally worth the effort.
Also there are ollas.  It's a clay container you put in the ground by your plants. Only the top few inches are out of the soil. You fill it with water. Because clay is porous the water slowly leeches out keeping your plants well watered.  This way the water doesn't evaporate, or just drain away.  They can be expensive, but easy to make with terracotta pots and food grade silicone.  
Mulching your plants is also very helpful to reduce the amount of water needed to grow healthy fruit and veggies.
Good luck to you.

I suggest to install a water pump that uses zero energy: a big and tall shade tree. It takes a few decades to work at full spec, but hey, better today than tomorrow. This tree will lower the temperature, reduce wind strength and increase air humidity, helping every plant around to survive without irrigation. If you want to be able to produce crops under it, choose a tree with a light shade copice.

About your ill apple trees, there are usually two radical reasons: stresses coming from a change in the local climatic conditions or imbalances in the ecosystem. Have your trees been stressed this year, lack/excess of water/heat/sun/nutrients?