Dew Drop Pear

[northof53]

Has anyone heard of it? This one showed up at a local Walmart an I am wondering if it goes by another name. I would like to know if it is a hardy pear, my area is very limited in pear production.

[clarkinks]

Yes I know it is as HW623 and have been keeping a close eye on it for awhile. http://vinelandresearch.com/sites/default/files/dewdrop_fact_sheet.pdf. It is part of the harrow series of pears https://www.goodfruit.com/pear-breeding-north-of-the-border/ so it’s very likely a good one!

[marknmt]

I think I like “HW623” as a name better than “Dew Drop”! Sounds kinda like the cutesy tourist trap motel back home- the Dew Drop Inn …

:-)M

[clarkinks]

@hungryfrozencanuck4b will be interested to see this thread. This was the follow up thread New Harrow pear release to come (HW623). @TheFluffyBunny brought it up some time ago ReplytoOlpea-topic Harrow Program Pears

[northof53]

Thanks to both of you for your quick replies. Clark I will go with your instinct and try this one, it is not often we get different varieties like this locally. At the very least I can bud graft some this summer on a hardier rootstock to hedge my bets.

[BlueBerry]

The pear I bought at Walmart on Sunday that I’d never heard of before was like eating a bland tasting pear that had been through a juicer and all the juice removed! Just dry pulp left. (I’ll check to see what variety it was.)

[mamuang]

Ursula,

This is the pear your son, the enabler, bought for you? If so, could I adopt your son, please?

I am look forward to growing this pear since I’ve read about it. I also agree with @marknmt that they should drop Dew Drop name. Name it with the word Harrow in it would be a better than a local motel sounding name .

[northof53]

I am cultivating his enabling but there is a method to my madness. I started using the excuse I am too old for ladders so I had him up on it grafting some pear scions. He was fascinated with the process and I think I will win him over to our side.

Yes he bought me Dew Drop

ETA the tree came with 2 lables, each from a different place one said Dew Drop the other was HW623) so I am hoping this means that the pear is the variety the tags say they are.

[clarkinks]

@BlueBerry
That sounds more like a quince than a pear. That would be a mean trick to pull on someone to switch quinces and pears around.

[mamuang]

Ursula,
Now that you’ve trained him to be a grafter, please send him out to hunt for Harrow 624, too.

You will probably be the first one among GF members who will fruit both 623 and 624 pears. I admit I am very envoius!!!f

[northof53]

Well let’s hope this tree survives, and I will get him looking for 624.

[mamuang]

I forgot that you are in zone 2!!!

Do you know what zone Harrow station is in? 5 or 6?

[northof53]

I am not sure the zone of Harrow. I am pushing the zones on some fruit and doing espalier step overs so the snow or a mulch of straw will protect them. Seckle lived last winter with this method, but I do know that it takes more than a few winters to evaluate if a fruit tree will survive.

[BlueBerry]

It was a “Forelle” pear. Not one I’ll ever buy from Walmart ever again! (In fact I seldom go to Walmart…maybe 5 times a year.)
I think a good quince would have tasted better, even if overly firm.

[northof53]

Just an update.
I was afraid that this pear would not survive the winter out in the elements and I wanted to make sure to get some viable scions this spring so I planted it in my greenhouse last fall.
My greenhouse is just a plastic roll up one with no heat from Nov. till the end of March. Today the leaf buds are starting to emerge, this is one tough cookie. It may not keep flower buds at our minus temps. but hope springs eternal and if this tree shows itself to be this hardy I might have to rig up a system to add a little heat during the very coldest nights in the winter.