Hardy apricots for zone 4a or even z3

General Fruit Growing
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Wow! I’ve tried Contender twice. They started out growing robustly, but they both winter killed.

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I’m trialing a Harcot apricot in Z5A. I planted it last Spring. It is growing ok so far, I have no idea if it will ever fruit…

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I live in 5a with a lot of freeze/thaw during the winter. I’ve tried contender two different times, but neither survived my winters, even though contender is supposed to be very hardy and suitable for my zone. I’ve grown PF -24 Cold Hardy for the last 10 years successfully, get some winter kill on top but often get peaches on the lower branches. I keep my trees at about 5 feet tall, which seems to keep the tree healthier in my climate. You don’t get a lot of peaches this way, but you get enough to keep it interesting. The fruit quality for fresh eating with PF 24 cold hardy is very good, my family looks forward to them each year.

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I tried PF24c, too, and it died the first year.

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A total outlier, but u/RubyRedYoshi on Reddit has been growing peaches in Manitoba for a few years now with some specific management. I believe they are Redhaven or Reliance.

https://www.reddit.com/user/RubyRedYoshi/

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That’s in a greenhouse. Peaches and apricot do well in greenhouses even in zone 3. Far fewer pest and disease issues. It can even be profitable. Dan Shield of Stone Creek Farm has developed effective systems for this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PooQT-znqEY&list=PLtP2qZb8IQ0hY8-OHvpJzsltQWLFURdd0&index=4

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I haven’t seen any evidence of a greenhouse. Maybe you read something that I missed? That being said, they obviously recieve some planned out winter protection. You’re not pushing zones without some effort.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Winnipeg/s/ILHs6fOuGV

https://www.reddit.com/r/Winnipeg/s/pjSzgLrFXf

https://www.reddit.com/r/Winnipeg/s/2POQ0ajQZk

Based on the last link, I assume an insulated teepee type structure and additional snow or hay cover. If he removes a greenhouse for photos in May of zone 3, it would seem counterproductive. He’s a bit quiet about his exact overwintering process (which is too bad), but does reference some videos I have seen from Bernie Nikolai, who shares some very inspiring techniques (sometimes alongside Dr.Evans of the Evans cherry). I believe Bernie also uses these forums.

Thanks for the Dan Shields link. It was a nice watch. The silage tarp implementation was a smart move.

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I definitely miss the warmer Winnipeg weather. The microclimates in the city make things easier, but the trade-off with being north is that I have so many more acres to plant on.

I intend to expand into apricots over the next few years, and your post provides some inspiration. I have a couple Manchurians on the way from T&T seeds to expand rootstock. Any idea if your apricots are on manchurian or sandcherry rootstock?

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Thanks for posting the additional links. On the original I could only find photos of hydroponic strawberries and a text reference to peaches.

The peach trees RubyRedYoshi posted look pretty small, although too tall to snow mound. Maybe they’re on a dwaft rootstock so he can tarp and light-heat them. Or maybe they’re on a normal rootstock and only on their second leaf. Not every year hits peach-killing temperatures, but if they’re not protected, Manitoba winters will eventually kill them. Generally, I think they need to be covered with something, whether its snow, tarp, or a greenhouse plastic.

I’ve tried Nikolai’s snow covering method, but the rabbits got to the branches the first day I pulled them down. So I put a fence around the tree, but by the second year the tree was too big and stiff to get under snow. Luckily it hasn’t gotten that cold here in 4b for the last decade, so the tree is doing fine. My neighbor has a peach that’s 15 ft high that was full of over a hundred big red peaches this fall. Not sure what variety.

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My apricots are mostly on Manchurian. Where I live I have a few options, including myrobalan, Krymst 1 and Krymst 86, but for anywhere colder manchurian and wild plum are probably the only safe choices. I have some sandcherries and they stay very small. They would be a good rootstock option if you wanted to grow more-tender varieties in pots to overwinter in an attached garage.

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You all may be interested in what Buzz @ perfect circle farm has been experimenting with. He’s in zone 4 Vermont. He grows a few selections including ‘coffee pot road’ which was found growing @ ~8000 ft in the Colorado Rockies by Eric Johnson. Supposedly quite hardy. Eric was kind enough to ship me a tree this fall so I can trial it here in Maine and propagate for the nursery if it proves it’s merits. I will likely have wood in the future for any interested.

Eric’s site:

Buzz’s site:

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I don’t know if it’s your grafting skills. I have had minimal luck with scion wood from that source.