I sure did order one, Mike. Waiting for it to show up. I’ll have to site somewhere I can keep a close eye on it, just in case I get an FB strike. I’ve been very lucky so far. But this has been, and continues to be, a very wet winter, so going to watch everything a little closer this spring.
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Good luck with that Abate Fetel variety. I would love to try it out but I’m in Ohio. So having that one here would probably not work out. The FB with as wet as we get in the spring would probably be a sure fire tear out in a year or two. It does sound delicious though plus it is an heirloom variety which, to me, is a plus. Love those older varieties of fruit.
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I ordered one, zone stretching I guess.
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The zone issue worried me, I do not need just another tree to take a spot in my orchard if it does not produce fruit. I live around a forest so I have plenty of trees that just do that. The scab and fireblight issues are what scared me away with as much spring rain and poor weather we get here. I hope you have good luck with it though. Sounds like a delicious pear. Plus I like the story behind it. I’m sort of a sucker for the story behind the fruit or if it has an interesting name.
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I know I have posted about this before but I had Abate Fetel on Quince in Austin area for several years. It never had any FB even in years when others did. I think the dwarfing stock really helped by slowing down its vigor. It is however not known to be FB resistant so it must have had issues with it other places. It was the prettiest and maybe the tastiest pear I ever grew.
Drew
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Anybody tried that Cold Snap pear? it’s also sweet, melting, non gritty and yummy…hardier too. It used to be Harovin Sundown, till it was discovered that it came out of controlled atmosphere storage really well. it tastes a bit like a Bartlet, but more fragrant. it also doesn’t have trouble with fire blight or core breakdown, bears annually too. You can get the pears in stores now, yummy…haven’t looked into a mailorder tree, but might, grin.
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I tried it. It’s a big fruit. The skin is a bit bitter and thick. The flesh is very juicy, fragrant (lemony) and sweet, but also acidic and a bit gritty around the core. I liked it… but didn’t love it. I would say it’s a completely different fruit than say, Abate Fetel. I am hoping that Harrow Sweet is different.
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Jessica,
You will like harrow sweet but I didn’t care for the skin so I recommend peeling it. The flesh is very good.
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In my experience, homegrown pears are much better than commercially grown, but YMMV. Never tasted this fruit though.
What does YMMV stand for? (frenchie over here)
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Your Mileage May Vary. Meaning you may experience different results than I did.
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I am in zone 6b but our winters get down to the coldness of zone 5 easily. I am not familiar with the type of pear you are discussing but I can say that my husband’s family has had a Keiffer pear tree for over SIXTY years! And it has LOTS of delicious pears every year. It DID try to die once but my husband poured gasoline on the termites in it and it just started growing again! Have you tried any of the Asian pears? We have planted those also and I really like their flavor! Before they get really ripe and sweet, their flavor is like a delicious APPLE! We have tried an Ayers pear but have had lots of problems–it budded right before winter once, its pears start rotting before they even ripen. We also have a heirloom Honeysweet that has much smaller pears but they are deliciously sweet! Sorry I don’t know about the pear you discussed but maybe some of this info will be helpful!
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I am happy to hear about Honeysweet, I never read anything else about it! If you get the chance one day, post a picture!! 
Thanks!
I’ll be second in line for scion wood from that great pear!! If ever…
I have grafts of it on OHxF 87 if you want one for 12 bucks + ~8 bucks shipping
They’re in about 9" tall Stuewe Tree Pots and are 12-15" tall. They’re last years grafts with the perfect root mass to plant this year.
I did notice the bud scales have split. They’ve been in my hoophouse all winter and nothing else has advanced except those. @clarkinks any ideas on why? It does get hot in there on sunny days but oaks, pecans, persimmons, pawpaws, etc-etc no split scales or plumping buds anywhere else to be found.
Just an option, Mike.
Dax
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How much earlier is Early Seckel from Seckel? Are there any other differences?
I imagine pecans need heating hours for buds to swell. They are always one of the very last trees to break dormancy here in Georgia.
Do you have a picture?
The harvest date of early seckle is the third week in August https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/accessiondetail.aspx?accid=%20PI+541184
