20 acres, eh? Must. Resist. Temptation to fill up empty spaces!
So, what fruit trees do you have besides juju’s, plums and persimmons? I know you have lots of blueberry shrubs. Have you decided on any peach or pluots?
How is the home building project going? Are you close to being done?
Coralstar has produced big crops of very large peaches every year most peaches have produced. It seems to have no problems with fruit set in the NE and I have to thin and thin it just like most I grow- should have thinned it even more this year, but it didn’t affect the huge side that I didn’t. However, it’s never been as good as the first year it bore as far as high sugar and acid goes. Just another good peach that sizes up very well.
Messina didn’t need much thinning this year but still gave a decent sized crop. Indian Free failed to do so and White Heath was also pretty sparse. Most years cropping is not a problem with peaches- thinning is. However, the warm winter with one very cold night indicated that these peaches and a few Nects can be more susceptible to damage than other varieties.
Re: your difficulties with white peaches, have you ever tried Polly? I saw Trees of Antiquity had it and I was thinking about it. It was a peach from Iowa, so I made the assumption it is pretty hardy and adapted to extremes of weather. Love to hear your evaluation if you have experience with it. (Maybe I should move this to a new thread? I don’t know.)
It’s raining here today. I’m working on putting clear coat on a bookshelf we had made earlier this summer. Need a break from smelling that stuff (and denatured alcohol) which makes me nauseous. (I thought the cabinet maker did a good job, btw.)
Like many pests, I think bac. spot pressure multiplies when more trees are added. Unless one sprays for it (which I’ve done some of) there is more inocculum floating around with more trees, imo. Plus it’s much windier at that farm, which abrades the leaves and allows for more entry points.
My best flavored white would be Spring Snow. It’s a white peach, so it doesn’t have a lot of acid, but it has some, and is very good. Lady Nancy can be very good, with plenty of acid, but it can also be plenty bad some years if the fruit is very low or shaded. I like Raritan Rose a lot, and it has some acid.
Some of my favorite varieties right now, based on the 3 main criteria mentioned earlier.
Earlystar (not super great, but the best tasting yellow I’ve found so far for that window)
Spring Snow
Risingstar
Glenglo
Clayton - I don’t have tons of experience harvesting this one, but so far I’m pleased
Saturn
Redhaven
Starfire
Challenger-Just harvested a few peaches this summer, but looking good so far
Blazingstar-Very tasty, but I’ve had quite a few production problems at the house. Out of 8 harvests at the house, it’s had problems about 4. But the last two years at the farm it’s done very well, in spite of both years being partial crop years. It is on the upper end at the farm, which probably helps.
Intrepid-No harvest experience, just mentioning it because I ordered more based on reputation and reviews
Contender
Scarlet Prince-Just one harvest, but the young tree produced loads of fruit this year, when other varieties were wiped out.
July Prince-See Scarlet Prince, except that I’ve had two years of harvest for July Prince. July Prince produces large very red delicious peaches which are very uniform. If it keeps producing this way, it’s a dream peach, from a commercial perspective.
Babygold (edit-I meant to type Baby Crawford)
Madison
PF25
Redskin
Carolina Gold
PF35-007
Victoria
VSOP,
I’ve not tried Polly. Honestly, with all the failures I’ve had with white peaches (and considering they are harder to sell) in the future, I’m probably only going to trial white peaches which are rated almost superstar in the flavor/hardiness category. If you try Polly, please let me know how it performs/tastes for you.
Out of the twenty 20 white peaches/nects, I’ve tried, I’m down to about 3 I really like. I like Spring Snow, Saturn, and Raritan Rose (although Raritan had production problems this year). I also like the flavor of others but they’ve had production problems for me i.e. Silver Gem, Indian Free.
I see you’re in zone 7. Do you have a greenhouse or plan some measures for winter protection? Olives will not survive in the open in zone 7.
you should check out oregonolives
they were told the same thing and
grow frantoio kalamata arbequina cailletier (nicoise)
in oregon
my arbequina took 4 degree temps no problem last year
so we will see with the manzanilla and cerignola
kalamata olives are further south than anything and if they can grow in oregon i have faith that the rest will here too
I know about oregonolives, they’re in zone 8 and did lose some trees. Good luck!
I’ve tried Ginger Gold twice now this fall from 2 separate locations. One was a farmers market and the other a u-pick. I was disappointed both times. One of ths most boring apples I’ve tasted.
Thanks for the report. So, Saturn is your best donut peach? I’ll keep Spring Snow and Glenglo in mind, if I get any more.
Nice job on the bookcase, btw. Looks very sturdy.
Oh I have several peach and plum. Some figs, apricot, mulberries and pears.
Home building project has been delayed a bit but it’s most certainly going to happen. 6 more months of extra payments and we will own the land outright. I want that done before we build. 
Saturn is the best white donut, based on productivity, bac. spot and flavor. TangOs II donut tastes a little better than Saturn, but is not nearly as productive and sometimes is prone to crack very badly. I prefer TangOs I (a yellow peach) to either one, but Saturn is a very good productive white.
Thanks. We had a bookcase made about 20 years ago and wanted a matching. I don’t like MDF (i.e. sawdust board) which is the mass production stuff they sell at big box stores, so I’m glad I hired a local guy anyway. The guy was able to make a match, which impressed me.
It has to be the “Hoyt” strain of Montrose. That’s the one Scott has observed blooming late. Along with Zard.
Thinking about ordering Spring Satin from Adams or Stark Bros. Stark’s is cheaper for one tree but i could order the Tangos from Adams and make ordering a little more feasible (as i hate to order just 1 tree and pay all that shipping). If I order from Adam’s, what can i expect as compared to ordering a supreme SS from Stark’s? Adams seems $ too me but if it’s worth it; i will consider it. By the way, Saturn does well for me so I’m guessing Tangos will produce in my low chill area.
I know you directed your answer to @Olpea, but I could offer a response to your question. This year, I ordered a Supreme Standard Blushingstar peach (Lovell rootstock) from Stark’s, and it was about 4ft tall, and very thick, maybe a 3/4" caliper. It has done fair, it’s put out a few decent scaffolds. It had decent roots.
I also ordered a Contender peach (Lovell RS) from Adams County, and it was about the same height and thickness, but had a larger rootball, and more feathers on it, which I pruned. It has put on more growth than the Stark’s tree, which may be because of the better roots.
I ordered one other tree from both nurseries, so to ship two trees, ACN charged $20, and Stark’s charged about $18, I think. ACN will waive the shipping cost if your order 5 or more. If less than 5, they charge different shipping fees depending on your location. For you in AL, it’d be $20:
https://www.acnursery.com/pricing-info/retail-pricing
BTW, both trees cost about $31, so no price difference. Hope this helps.
thanks for your response. I ordered Blushingstar from Starks also and got the Supreme Dwarf. Over the years, I’ve order several trees from Starks and i do see a noticeable difference in caliper when ordering Supreme (seems to be worth the extra money). But, I also see a noticeable difference in the initial growth of my Starks trees as compared to trees ordered from other nurseries. Thought it was interesting that you seem to have seen the same. I was blaming the lackluster Blushngstar growth on Citation (or whatever dwarfing root stock they use) but i have noticed same on plums and apples from Starks. If I order from Starks again, i might stick with their standard versions but i really like trying different nurseries - particularly for small orders.
I’m thinking lovell is the best root stock for early vigor in peach trees (which are the slowest to get started for me).
I had never ordered from Stark’s before. I ordered a Supreme Standard Starking Delicious pear from them as well. It has put on some decent scaffolds. The other tree I got from ACN was a Harrow Sweet pear, and it’s put out more leaves than the Stark tree, but they are different varieties and different rootstock. Stark’s has a pear seedling RS, and ACN is OHxF87.
I avoided a dwarf peach rootstock as our local university’s data does not recommend Citation for KY. All four of my peach trees are on Lovell.
I know some folks have issues with Stark’s, but as far as delivery time and size of trees I was pleased, as well as ACN. Time will tell how the trees do. It’s hard to compare different varieties from different vendors. I don’t like not knowing what RS Stark’s trees are on, but they did tell me when I emailed them.
If I had to buy the same tree, I’d prob prefer ACN, as I thought they had better feathering and roots. But, like I said it’ll be a while to see how those four trees do.
I already ordered a Precose Marigoule hybrid chestnut for fall planting. It replaces a poor performer from this year. Hoping for fresh chestnuts within 3 years, maybe. Reportedly fast growing and a pollinator for other chestnut cultivars.
I also ordered a peach leaf curl resistant Nectarine, Kreibich, for fall planting. PLC and canker make peaches a very iffy proposition for me but I keep trying.
Maybe Frost or another peach leaf curl resistant peach, although I have not had much luck with those.
More deer fencing and posts. Taller, stronger, and smaller openings.
Probably some apple scion, maybe Honeycrisp, Fameuse, Firecracker if I can find it. Or wait for Home Orchard Society scion fair.
Thinking about Babycakes blackberry but maybe it’s just a gimmick?
From Englands Nursery has anyone had a chance to try the new “Lehmans Delight” persimmons? Sounds promising. I think I will be getting one. England's Orchard and Nursery, alternative cash crop specialists
“Lehman’s Delight From the Breeding work of Jerry Lehman of Terra Haute Indiana, one of his newest creations. Very large fruit, smooth flesh, clear pulp, and made to be loved. While not a large tree it is one of the heaviest producing persimmon I have ever witnessed. With very good flavor and smooth flesh, this fruit is all about taste.”
I have 100-46 “Lehman’s Delight” but haven’t got fruit yet. im really looking forward to the day I do.
Was this its first year? 
![KIMG0406[1]](https://d55v7rs15ikf5.cloudfront.net/original/3X/4/c/4c789e29a96cb64488a0c3520a033302501d0465.JPG)