Apricots!

Many of my apricot trees got hit with late frosts like normal and lost blooms but this year frost didnt get them all! The last time i had a full crop was over 10 years ago and it caught me off guard because there were many 5 gallon bucketfuls. This time 10-20% of the crop is on the tree.




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What variety? I love home grown apricots.

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Several are seedling Manchurian and i have 2 sweet pits. They are not anything special but they taste very good when ripe!

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Now that is a tree!!! It is beautiful Clark. As far as weather goes you are so far ahead of me, my Tomcots just lost their petals and my Harglow still has flowers. Really late. Enjoy those apricots they are already starting to turn color! You lucky guy!

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Clark that makes me really jealous. I avoided late frost this year and had high hopes for my first apricot harvest and a strong plum harvest. Much to my dismay the cot didnt even send out blooms and the plum fruit-set was very little.

Looks like you better get those buckets ready!

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Cool, no thinning.

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No need to thin!

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Nice, I have the worst luck with apricots. Thanks for sharing and I’m envious.

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I’d rather have a light crop. Way easier to thin then. You’ll still have a ton of fruit.

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We have cots for the third year in a row…at least for now. Our supposed last frost date is 5/14 but we can and do get them later then that.

We have a good set on most trees, but canadian white blenheim I dont see anything.

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I live in Ohio and have an apricot tree. I planted it last fall. It’s about five feet tall. It produced about twenty blossoms. Im hoping to getnat least ten apricots this year.

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Maybe I’m growing the wrong ones. I have one in the ground that has been there since last year and looks pitiful and two newer ones in pots for now… will plant in fall. I had Twocot and Sweetheart both from Stark with no luck. Where in Ohio are you located?

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Very nice, Thanks for sharing! Apricots are on my want list to try. My Japanese set well so apricots just might be a possibility. Randy/GA

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@randy_ga
Japanese plums are very hard to grow in Kansas!

I’m in an interesting area for apricots here in the S. NY region. Some sites they tend to be very productive- until they often eventually die- sometimes rapidly, sometimes after 15 years or more. On my own land they will live but get bacterial spot (I think it is) to the point that they are too weak to produce fruit. I just cut down two such trees today that were over 10 years old, flowered profusely but never developed healthy enough foliage to support a crop.

Meanwhile, against the white south wall of my house, apricots seem to thrive. I started with an Alfred there over a decade ago, and it produces more consistently than any cot I manage anywhere.

Now I’ve added 3 other recommended varieties for my climate- the Tomcot has been there long enough to start to crop, which it is doing for the second time this year. It’s a light crop compared to Alfred but the tree is still young.

I put an Early Blush in last fall- a decent sized tree from my nursery, and it is holding fruit in spite of transplant shock.

I train them like informal espaliers fairly flat against the wall. I suspect they will also help keep my house cool.

The Alfred seems to provide me with more apricots than I need 3 out of 4 years. I will be giving cots away if my wife doesn’t make preserves if and when the other varieties start to really produce.

Alfred’s don’t have a rep for high quality, but thinned they become very sweet, juicy and delicious. Just like the cots I picked from my tree as a boy in S. CA. The Toms are bigger, but not quite as tasty- not as much sugar.

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I wonder if anyone has a Twocot that lived? I really want to try it again, but hmmm. Any other sweet pit white apricot would do, but I don’t know of any.

Sweetheart is finally vigorous here now. It was wimpy when younger. I’ll have wood every year of it, btw.

My Autumn Royal almost made a crop this year. But they fell off when tiny. Maybe next year.

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Hi BobC, I live in Akron Ohio. I planted a Blenteim apricot tree last fall. I did fertilize it twice with a tea compost. I also put mulch around the base. This is the first apricot tree that I have ever planted. It actually exceeded my expectations. I had about thirty blossoms but I only see one pea size apricot so far. It’s still early, so I am sure more apricots will develop.

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What a beautiful tree. I hope my Blenteim apricot tree will look like that some day. It’s only about five feet tall and just planted last fall.

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I’m surprise that one is growing well for you, I believe it is a southern tree for zones south. I just must be holding my ear the wrong way… I can’t get an Apricot to grow. Well… live… more than a year… LOL I have two in pots… we will see. BTW I am just south of you between Cambridge and Zanesville.

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BobC…although i live in Akron, i own 8 acres in Harrison county. I believe thats not far from you. My lot was full of brush that i cleared last fall. After my lot was cleared, i found a pecan tree and several hickory trees. I also came across some wild cherry trees and a sasafras tree. I’ve planted 2 pear trees and a hican tree and another hican on order. If your interested, maybe we could meet up sometime.

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