Hello. I’m hoping to identify a couple pear cultivars which would ripen in a short season (before Redhaven peach) and be hardy in zone 5. As my family isn’t favorably inclined towards pears, another important quality would be taste excellence, although we might be easily impressed as our only experience is with store pears shipped from afar. I saw previous mention of some pears from Russia that might be of interest here in Alaska, but I haven’t found availability of those types, and at my location I’m more concerned with short-season ripening and good taste than extreme cold hardiness. I’d also appreciate rootstock recommendations.
Stacey and Sunrise both reportedly mature in mid August in zone 5. Personally I am a fan of OHxF87 root stock.
hudar suppose to be a hardy, early one.
Thanks TCT, I’ll look into those varieties. I also appreciate the rootstock suggestion.
Hudar looks promising as early ripening. I really think the ripening season is my greatest challenge, as I’ve heard estimates this part of Alaska ripens fruit about six weeks behind mainland northern states.Thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks for the informative article. I’ve come across Bernie Nikolai’s name many times while looking up various fruit possibilities. I think the researchers in your area are doing great work in their efforts to develop cold-hardy fruit trees.
Summercrisp, Golden Spice are two summer pears that are quite hardy.
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I have Lawson’s Early June Sugar pear… originated in north Georgia (USA), so I don’t know about cold-hardiness. It is ripe in early June… small, Seckel-shaped, but, like Yellow Transparent apple, there’s about a 10-minute window of opportunity where it’s tasty (but not even as good, in that respect, IMO, as YT)… then it goes tasteless and mealy.
Sure, it’s nice to have a fresh pear to eat in June, but I can’t recommend it.
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Hi Duane, I have a 12 yr old Stacey (or Staceyville) Pear that started fruiting several years ago. From Fedco on OHxF97 rs. It’s quite hardy (I’m in z3) and has very tasty small (1 1/2 - 2 1/2" so far) pears. But I admit I don’t have anything to compare it to. They were delicious off the tree and even when overripe (waited too long) they were very good mixed in with some applesauce. Nice snacking size. The tree is on the small size for me, 12’ x 12’ with little size pruning so far, upright growing. I also have a Summercrisp but the year after it produced its first, single, pear (small and good flavor also) it died down (don’t know whether fireblight or cold damage). It sent out shoots/branches in the foot above the graft so it’s regrowing now. I’m hoping to get fruit again in a few years. Bob Purvis and Maple Valley Orchards both offer some good sounding hardy pear scions.
Thanks Sue. Turkey Creek also suggested Stacey. Looks like you have a really short season - when does your Stacey pear ripen?
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About the first of September here. The first year I left them on the tree till 9-25 but that was definitely past prime (ate and enjoyed them anyway!). I haven’t noticed any color change so am having a bit of trial and error about when best to pick them.
Hudar ripens its crop annually in Aspen, CO at 8000’ elevation so it ought to ripen for you. Ubileen is another early pear that ripens about a month before Bartlett here (late July) you might want to look into. Also, Harrow 604 (HW604) ripens several weeks before Bartlett.
Do you grow plums? Opal should be worth trying as would Toka, Superior, Black Ice (all pretty early). You should definitely talk to Bob Purvis if you haven’t already. He used to live and grow fruit in Alaska and is a wealth of information.
Cheers!
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Thank you for the additional suggestions! How do the three pear cultivars you mentioned compare to each other? I’m encouraged to try some of these.
Yes, I’ve talked to Bob but more about plums and cherries - great guy. I have most of the plums you mentioned but just planted them last year, so it’s a bit of waiting now. Thanks again.
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I don’t have Hudar. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried the other two yet (maybe this year) but both come highly recommended for flavor (Ubileen is on the “Curator’s Choice” list at the pear repository in Corvallis). I think the bigger challenge is finding delicious cultivars hardy in zones 3 and below as there are so many fewer options. Of the 3 I mentioned, only Hudar is especially hardy (though I’ve heard it is good quality too). I don’t buy many grocery store pears as I think they are much higher quality when homegrown. Its hard to beat a delicious homegrown pear!
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Zone 4 – wet clay soil: Harvest Queen on OHxF 97 vs Krazulya on Ussurian pear
I have room for 1 more tree. Zone 4a/b. Heavy clay that is wet over winter. Debating between Harvest Queen on OHxF 97 vs Krazulya on Ussurian pear.
OHxF 97 will be better for resistance to fireblight, pear decline +/- collar rot. Less cold resistance and Harvest Queen might be at it’s limit for Zone 4.
Ussurian rootstock (Krazulya variety) – Excellent cold hardiness. Very fireblight resistant. Susceptible to pear decline +/- collar rot.
In both cases the tree will have multiple varieties top grafted over the next couple years.
I think with my soil I would be safer with OHxF 97. What do people think?