SAALFELD, Germany (AP) -- You thought Easter eggs don't grow on trees? Check out Volker Kraft's garden in eastern Germany, and think again.

Kraft's apple sapling sported just 18 eggs when he first decorated it for Easter in 1965. The number increased year by year; and by last year, the sturdy tree was festooned with 9,800 eggs, artfully decorated with everything from sequins to sea shells.

This time, Kraft has reached 10,000 - and he says he's stopping there.

The 76-year-old retiree says: "There will be no increase because I do not have storage capacity anymore. I would have to sleep with the eggs otherwise."

Kraft's tree in the town of Saalfeld has become a tourist attraction, drawing thousands of people every year. Decorating trees with colored eggs at Easter is a tradition in Germany - though usually on a smaller scale.