Hello all, I have purchased some land in the high desert of Nevada, it’s a great spot with lovely neighbors and a relatively high water table considering the area. I’m moving from zone 9b, so a very different climate! What are your recommendations for varieties of fruits, nuts, and berries? I’m somewhat of a collector of weird stuff at my old place (Roman hyacinths, wild freesias, ancient apple varieties) so I definitely appreciate very old heirlooms but I want to balance it with what will actually grow/produce in my area.
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@HighandDry grows fabulous apples in Reno. Maybe he’ll pop in and offer some advice. His apples are the sweetest I’ve heard about. In a frost free location, the high desert is a great place for apples and likely other fruits.
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@fruitnut might be a little generous in his praise, but I have had some success growing apples and many other fruits in Reno. I can make some recommendations. It would help if you gave me an approximate location and USDA zone for your acreage. Some spots in the Great Basin are significantly colder than my property, so I’d like to tailor my recommendations.
There is also a thread around here for high desert growers that might be helpful. Use those words in a search and you should find it. You can also search me and wade through some of my posts. I’ve made two or four posts talking about some of my favorite apples. Finally, feel free to message me if you’d rather have a private conversation.
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Thanks for the recommendations, I did look through the High Desert Growers page before posting, but it seemed like a lot of the areas mentioned have MUCH longer growing seasons than me, but it was definitely worth trialing some of the mentioned varieties. My growing zone is 5.
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I don’t know if you’re a member of the North American Scion Exchange Facebook group, but Hal Barkdull grew out in Spring Creek for years until he moved to Wisconsin two years ago. He might be a member of this forum, but I’m not certain. You could reach out to him for more specific recommendations. I’m happy to help out in any case.
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I am not a member, but that’s something I can look into. Spring Creek is relatively near my plot, so I’ll definitely reach out.
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