Figs, figs, and more figs!

I don't know if I already mentioned this or not, but I had my first experience at canning this summer! Unfortunatley, we were not able to have a garden (though I tried my hand at container gardening), but we did have access to fruit trees at my mama's. These trees were planted when I was about 3 years old by my Grandaddy, who passed away a week after I turned 5. That makes them 21 years old! They haven't been fertilized or groomed EVER, but Michael and I are going to make sure that happens when the weather cools down a bit and they quit producing. From the pear tree (with the help of a few pears given to us by a friend who had an over-abundance) we were able to make about 9 pint jars and 12 jelly jars of pear honey (Deeelicious! Thanks to Tammy for the recipe!), and from the two fig trees we were able to make about 15 or so pints of fig preserves. Some are flavored strawberry, some are flavored blackberry. Both taste wonderful. I think there will be one more crop of figs, and I am going to make up peach preserves with them. That should give us another 6+ pints. We have given away so many jars, and still have more than enough to get us through to next season! I owe a big, huge thank you to my Aunt Laura who showed me how to do them. I would have never got it right if she hadn't been there to walk me through it. Thanks, Aunt Laura!

I love knowing that I picked this fruit (with the help of a few loved family members), that we grew it, and that I made it into something really good that will help to sustain us. It makes me feel so awesome! Our plan for this fall is to fertilize the two fig trees (which have really pretty much grown into one HUGE tree -- probably taller than the house!), trim the pear tree down and fertilize it (we're trimming because it's so tall now that you can't pick the fruit, even with a ladder...and it's stopped producing as much, which we were told was probably of a result of it being so big), and fertilize the two plum trees. My Aunt Laura says the plums from the plum tree makes the best wild plum jelly you've ever tasted. Hopefully we'll get to enjoy that next year, as well. ;) There are also several pecan trees that my Grandaddy planted 21 years ago, and they are beautiful and big now. We are going to fertilize them, and hopefully enjoy some fresh pecans from the backyard next year!

Does anyone have any tips on fertilizing or pruning? This will be our first time doing either and we can really use all of the information we can get.