Good to know about the blueberries. I'll certainly plant some hardy cultivated raspberries, probably heirlooms, under the tree. And I already have some *ahem*
escaped strawberries from an old garden experiment waiting to be transplanted. And I have a wet area somewhere else that I was saving for some willows... maybe blueberries will work there. Just gotta test the soil...
As for grafting, I honestly am intimidated by the idea. The tree is so big and beautiful and
old. I would hate to see some sort of disease introduced... But it's a vigorous and healthy tree. It would probably be fine. And it would
be nice to have some apples that are good for more things than jelly, even though the jelly DOES taste really good.
Right now we have a pair of pileated woodpeckers living in the tree. Every morning we look out and see them pecking at apples and feeding on the bugs in the sick elm tree nearby. And a herd of
deer will walk through once in a while. Yes, I definitely
feed the wildlife. It's a nice sight.