Harrow sweet would be a good pear for you to grow.
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Fedco is an excellent resource for cold hardy fruit trees. Even if you don’t order from them their catalogs have loads of info and advice with a focus on cold hardy varieties.
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Thanks
In my experience Honeycrisp, Zestar, and Harralson apples are very cold hardy, able to weather down to at least -30F
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B.118 should do well for you.
Most apples should survive for you. They are tough trees from the Kazahk mountains.
Definitely try Honeycrisp. Frostbite maybe.
I also think Ginger Gold worth a try as well as:
Pristine, Sansa, Williams’ Pride, Gravenstein, Rubinette, Pixie Crunch, Blue Pearmain, Suncrisp, Candycrisp, Kidd’s Orange Red, Black Oxford and Esopus Spitzenburg.
In your climate, you might get lucky with Macoun and Karmijn de Sonneville.
Goldrush might not ripen every year for you… but is still worth trying.
For Pink Lady… try the “Maslin” strain. Earlier ripening, which is key. Sometimes Wafler’s stocks it.
Look at red-fleshed: I have Redfield and Winekist, both good apples and way more winter hardy than is needed here. No disease problems and no codling caterpillars in Winekist (Redfield hasn’t fruited yet.)
Try Wynoochee Early and Bardsey. I have been surprised at how tough they are and think they need to tested in your environment.
Rambour Franc is good to at least zone 4 and mine is getting a first crop this season.
If I had more room here, I’d try Black Oxford, Blue Pearmain and Rolfe. Oh, and Duchess of Oldenburg.
You are certainly right about Wynoochee Early and Duchess of Oldenburgh. They are hardy and if I can get fruit from them way up here, Zone 4 should not have hardiness problems.
Did you find yourself stripping Wynoochee just a couple years after the graft was made? Mine came as a bench graft in '15 and it bloomed all up and down! It is about 3 feet tall, on M26.
I grafted a scion of Wynoochee Early onto a larger crab apple tree. The resulting branch was only 2 years old last summer when it produced quite a few blossoms, but I only let it bear one fruit. This spring it did not set any fruit, I may have let it fruit too early last year.
We have had temperatures as low as -40C on and off during the three winters after Wynoochee was grafted, so the fact that the blossoms made it thru the winter is certainly an indication that this is one tough variety.
Thanks for the recommendations. How about cold hardy pear varietals with good disease resistance? I’m also looking for the Bud118 of pear rootstock. What cold hardy pear rootstock would you all recommend?
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The first thing you need to be aware of is disease resistance and size Rootstocks for Pear | WSU Tree Fruit | Washington State University and a little more information Rootstocks for Pear trees . Finally to the cold hardy pear information http://www.goodfruit.com/in-the-hunt-for-cold-hardy-pears/ . Part of what your looking for has been discussed Euro pears on Ussurian rootstock - #14 by Sue-MiUPz3
I mentioned Bardsey because it exceeds expectation: coming from a mild situation off the coast of Wales, it has proven very drought tolerant in two succeeding record hot and dry summers here. It has not been bothered by early cold in winter (although what passes for early cold here in Spokane might be laughable in the Great Plains!) Someone in Austria reported it handled -17F in the Alps.
Don’t know if you can get it in Canada, as the only source I know if so far is Raintree in my state of Washington. Could I send you scions?
Most likely I will graft again in the fall. In regards to taking cuttings/pruning my apple trees is it ok to do so in the summer. Most of what I’ve read states you put trees at risk for infection
I mean winter/next spring*
I should think Northwest Greening would be worth a look here for the aspects you described.
I will add a few more, Black Limbertwig, Black Oxford, Arkansas Black (is there theme here?), Chestnut Crabapple, Court Pendu Plat that would be just a few on my list.
I hope NW Greening has more flavor in your neck of the woods than has been my experience. Those I have tried grown near town were utterly without merit.
Unfortunately the scions cannot be sent across the Canada US border. But thanks so much for the offer.
If you wish to graft later in the season, try chip-bud grafts in late July/August/early September (in warmer locales.) It is pretty slick! and requires just a leaf and the attendant half inch bark,cambium layer to which it is connected…
Read up on chip bud grafting first to get a feel for what you will need to do and watch for. I did it several years ago and got 50% take.
As to summer pruning, I do it every year when I thin fruits and cover the rest with Kaolin wrapped sockets. (Got 'em from Home Orchard Society online.) Did some today. Of course, I live in a dry climate with little disease pressure.
Your mileage may vary.
Has anyone mentioned Pomme Gris? It’s supposed to be good to eat and good to grow, and has a reputation for doing well in your neighborhood (may have originated in the St. Lawrence region).