Hell Strip Fruit Trees?

I’ve looked around plenty and have narrowed my search to American Persimmons in my clay and rock filled soil within my south facing, full sun, zone 6 hell strip. I have about 50’ to plant and and want to fill it in.

Any recommendations for doing so or recommended plants. The only considerations among many are ones that can take the “soil”, sun/heat, cold, and are spray free

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Maypop will likely do well there. I planted it in my own clay-based hotspot.

It does spread by runner though, and does so pretty vigorously.

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Gooseberries, pawpaw, pie cherries, apples, pears, highbush cranberries…lot of options. Honeyberries?

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In full sun? My gooseberries suffered pretty badly the first year, and they only got the afternoon sun.

I don’t have a lot of first hand experience with pawpaws and honeyberries yet, but I heard same goes for them.

I am planting persimmons and maypops in my own hell strip.

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I’m in z. 6b, some years it could easily be called 7…and I’ve experimented a lot in the last 60+ years.

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By Hell Strip do you mean a parking strip? How wide is the 50-foot long strip? What surfaces are on each side of the strip?

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How about Ozark Chinquapins? Apparently they thrive in garbage locations.

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Not a perennial, but I plant okra in my hell strip. It loves the reflected heat from the sidewalk and I donate most of it to the food bank since it makes way more than I would ever need and I only do about a 12 foot section.

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Disease-resistant pears (I’d do a pairing like “Ayers”—a superb pear—and “Turnbull,” maybe also a couple of the more disease-resistant Asians such as “Large Korean” and “Shinko”). Pears don’t mind clay in the least. American persimmon is also a good idea. Interplant trees with bush-type crops that won’t mind some shade as the trees grow, such as hybrid hazelnuts, maybe serviceberry. Yes, gooseberries can work—if planted (or hilled up) deeply, mulched heavily—especially heat/humidity-tolerant “Pixwell,” possibly also “Glenndale.” Clove currants might also be worth a try. Romance series of bush cherries might work, too. Enrich and further cool soil with living mulch plants such as comfrey and rhubarb. Maybe goumi for nitrogen fixing.

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Gooseberries and colored currants suffer in my area terribly in the summer. 7a, in Richmond VA. I lost most of the in ground ones since they didn’t have that much shade and the leaf spot would totally defoliate them by August. The potted ones do better since I position them so they do get afternoon shade from the corner of my garage, but they still basically shut down when it is over 90.

Callery pear is what I would use with highly disease resistant pears grafted on.

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@clarkinks pear shaman could you list maybe a couple to try? Asian or euros are both fine. Also large trees like you like would be perfectly fine there. I have Kieffer’s but 1 of them in 4th leaf left me last year due to anthracnose

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@Jujube

Harrow delight, Maxine, Potomac, ayers, Warren, karls favorite to name a few that taste good and have a higher level of disease resistance. Can name even more disease resistant types if you want but some taste like a green pumpkin.

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