If scion wood is available from those you saw Matt that would be the way to go.
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First harvest, a few more bushes look like they will need another week. Pictured with a few of my last South Dakota plums, these will be made into elderberry/plum jam by my Mom in law.
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Jesse-- Beautiful plums.
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Those look beauftiful. How easy are they to process for making jam? Is there a simple means for pit removal?
Thanks, I bet a cherry pitted would work good, I just squeezed them out and then squished any pulp a off the pit, good thing I only had a couple cups to process!
I ended up using Mrs G’s plum jam recipe for proportions and cooking-
but used my modest beach plum harvest which was supplemented by some South Dakota plums and elderberries, about a third each. Preliminary testing has been quite positve, there is some astringent richness, tart zip, and great color.
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jesse, you only have American elders or some euros too? And how are they for keeping clean?
Here there are enough SWD or similar larvae that the wine we made last year I thought of naming something like Elderberry and Maggot–they just kept popping out of the berry pile in my bucket. This year a few bushes I hit late in ditches I just walked away from also, as literally clouds of fruit flies (I assume SWD) erupted from the umbels when you moved them
SWD are a big issue in my elders, I have sambucus canadensis and s nigra(s rubra too). I get some of the early ripening umbels before the flies find them, then sacrifice(pick green, feed to ducks or compost)) much of the crop so that the flies don’t breed like crazy. If it’s windy and or cool during ripening that is a big help. Just leaving the ripe fruit on the plant can make a bad situation worse, I like my grapes more so I’ve been using the elders as a bit of a trap crop. Also freezing the fruit quickly after picking will kill any eggs or larvae that might be there. Harvest more of the blooms for fritters, tea or wine! SWD sucks bigtime😬
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My later ripening beach plums are getting picked today, so harvesting these goes for around 2 weeks from my early bushes to the latest. Only one needed multiple pickings due to uneven ripening. Some variation in flavor, most have a small amount of astingency that should make for richly flavored preserves, wine. Very little insect or disease issues on the fruit, no sign of SWD, brown rot, curculio, etc making these pretty bomb proof in my yard. Hopefully the two named cultivars ‘Premier’ and ‘Hancock’ produce fruit next year so I can compare them to my seedlings.
I am saving seed to replant in the nursery.
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How long does it take for seedlings the fruit I have about eight of them
5 yrs to bear in earnest for me, I might have set them back a bit by doing some early pruning to get mine into more of a tree form rather than the spreading bush they naturally make.
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I can spare some seed if anyone wants to try growing these…
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Our two beach plum experts @JesseS and @clarkinks. Have either of you noticed any deer resistance on your beach plums? I am about to give them a permanent home today. They did great in pots this year. Deer pressure here in KY/TN is awfully high not sure how bad it is where you guys are at.
Trying to decide whether to put them inside my fenced blueberry orchard that has 8 foot high deer fence or put them near other plum trees exposed to the elements and possibly cage them.
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Not an expert by any means!
My bushes have been lightly tipped by deer browse during the winter, but not as bad as nearby app,e trees.
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Just a guy growing beach plums. Please dont give me more credit than deserved. I have deer pressure on many things but beach plums have not been one of the items they like.
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Thanks fellas @JesseS and @clarkinks , I went ahead and put them in General population of my stone fruit area.
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Excited to be planting out seeds of a new John Meader prunus maritima selection, ‘Ultramarine’. The ortet, a 7 yr old bush has borne heavy annual crops (50-100lbs) the past several years, and is prized by a local preserve maker for the rich flavor. Also hardy- grown in a zone 4 location.
Uploading…
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I put in two beach plums to try last year from Hartmann’s and Hirt’s. I’m originally from Cape Cod and my grandmother used to make beach plum jelly. She gave me her recipe so I decided to give them a try.
I’m interested to see how Ultramarine pans out for you. @JesseS - does your yellow variety seem like a hardy plant? Would you say that is the best tasting one that you have?
My yellow fruited BP seems hardy enough for my z4b location, taste is okay but not my best. It is a bit on the bland side…not as full flavored as some others I grow.
What variety is your favorite thus far?
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