There were two fruit this time on my little tree for 2018.One fell to the ground about a week ago and so the other was picked then.
They tasted a bit sweeter at 20 brix,this time.I’m still waiting for that great flavor that some people are writing about.The skin sure is thick on these. Brady
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Yes it does lok different, It could be not ready. The red coloring is the last thing to develop. Brix is usually over 25, even in my cold zone. The skin is thick, and the fuzz is thick too, tends to fall off like a dog shedding. I skin them. Blanching helps… I still have one batch left from last year.
Cool!! I was bummed I lost them. I lost about 15 plants to this frost. Well you just do it again! I like growing from seed, it has been fun. I just wish I had more time. i lost a lot of seedlings due to not having the time to properly care for them. In the future, I should have more time once fully retired, and I’m going to play match maker a lot!
I have only one special seedling right now, and that is a morus nigra seedling from a tree in Bulgaria in zone 6. I had two, one died, it could be male, that would suck. But I then can try and cross it with alba and other mulberries. So it may be a win-win. If female, and really grows in zone 6, wow! It would be a very valuable mulberry, as nigra is the best. And nothing we have will fruit in zone six or survive more then a 2-3 years. Small trees too, good for backyards. Slow grower compared to other mulberries. It has to survive though in the garage this winter. I’m wary of planting out as I’m not buying it’s hardiness as of yet. I will graft from it to outside trees, and see if it survives. I’m willing to garage it in a container to have a nigra here. I keep it at 25 in the garage for my figs.
The first post on this thread is mine. The peaches in that photo were picked on October 1, 2017.
Below is a photo of the peaches that were picked on September 30, 2018, FROM THE SAME TREE, exactly one year later.
Flavor is fantastic. No heat wave right before harvest this year so a little firmer. I will see if it gets redder if left on the counter for 2 days.
Those here who have the meteorlogical/ weather data for the last 12 months have an opportunity for a perfect comparison.
See below.
Mike
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Nice! Yes the first post, wow, a good year. Mine at best are like yours in this recent photo. Notice how inaccurate or meaningless zone info, I’m 6a, mine are not ripe yet. Last year I harvested sept 27th, in 2016 Oct. 5th. This year, i’m thinking about the 10-15th of October.
We pontificate and mother nature laughs.
You are a scientist… I am a lawyer. We are both trained to think of the possible events in the past that have led to what we observe.
So I am Z5b and you are in 6a.
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Zones only indicate the temperature range over the year. They are like bookends on a shelf. They hold a whole bunch of different books within. They don’t really describe what goes on within.
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How long does the low temp last? How early or late does it come? Is it a steep decline to the low or a slow gradual decline? Are there wild swings throughout the year? Is it generally cold and sunny or cold and overcast? What is the seasonal rainfall and when does it come?
Just a handful of variables without having to think too hard. Even within the same zone designation or temp range these parameters could have huge variations. It is an analysis that requires looking at both the quantatative as well as the qualitative aspects
And… the living trees can’t help but react.
We talk about micro-climates in our own gardens and orchards. Imagine variations across a continent.
Mike
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Growers in the west are talking about a different kind of fruit than those of us that live where we got 7" of rain in just the past week and probably something like at least 30" over the last 3 months. I doubt I will ever taste a peach with 20% sugar from my orchard.
It’s a good thing the palate adjusts, or I’d be addicted to large amounts of refined sugar to make up the difference.
I’d also probably be out of business if that superb fruit from the west was produced commercially. Imagine destroying your perfect spheres of sweet pleasure by over irrigating- and in a region where water is often scarce. It is strange that this is not a widely discussed and controversial subject.
Fruit grown in drier conditions even has longer shelf life. The down side of using less water appears to be only a matter of reducing yield per acre. If they were using needles to force water into the fruit to make it weigh more it would probably be illegal, but it would be a much more efficient use of water.
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Here rain was scarce all year, one of the driest years I remember. It has rained a few inches lately though, at last, we need it so badly. Our average yearly rain is almost 30 inches. It was lower this year.
At least your drought helps you get the brix up.
Yes, I agree. We are due for a year like you had, the jet stream or something kept the rain away. Not like you are that far away, but darn if the rain kept ducking south into Ohio. My Indian Free are decent size this year for this smaller peach. The color which is usually boring are brighter than usual. I need to go take photos…
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Sweetness is one thing and flavor is another.For example,Shiro Plum can have a fairly high brix,but to me,the overall taste isn’t that great,compared to others,even with lower sugar.
This is only the second year fruiting,so maybe things will improve. Brady
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Yeah don’t give up on it yet. 3 fruiting years for just about everything is wise. I have changed my mind more than once that third year.
Sure, easy for you to say, but try enjoying the flavor of my late 10% sugar Victoria peaches- IF is mediocre this season but still enjoyable- I just bit into and threw away 3 straight Victoria peaches. What can one expect- peaches are a warm weather fruit and we’ve been cool and grey for most of the last 3 weeks with frequent rain. The first Vics to ripen were quite a bit better and at least pleasant to eat. .
Ate my first 2 Indian free peaches today, both were good, but not at the same level as my late Rio Oso Gems. 17 brix, look forward to many more of these, seem to ripen well off the tree.
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None of us have perfect control of our growing environments,well fruitnut gets close.But really,out of all my fruit this year,only one,a single Arctic Star Nectarine really impressed me with sweetness and flavor.There were some that I liked very much,but none that stood out.
Maybe if we had the exceptional all the time and no blandness,there might not be any reason pursuing the best. Brady
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I agree with that statement completely. It is the contrasts that make life interesting- when I get a nectarine with over 17 brix it is an experience, for FN it’s another day at the office (OK, probably better than that).
One curse of the human condition is the way we adjust to the norm, no matter how great the norm is compared to what we had a few months ago. Of course, we also tend to adjust to downturns well- although researchers do say that gamblers suffer more from losses than they are elevated by wins.
Is growing fruit like gambling that way? I don’t think so- being in my orchard tending the trees is uplifting all by itself.
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I disagree with the “another day in office”; I’d call it another day in heaven… well fruit heaven at least. That’s how I feel when I eat 30 lbs of 20+ brix fruits over 2-3 week period. For fruitnut, his fruit heaven probably extends 8-9 months of the year 
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We forget that fruitnut took a lifetime to be where he is now. We are all on similar journeys.
I must say almost all of my stone fruit was outstanding. The last two years I have had multiple comments from people I have been handing fruit out too. Like maybe ten times, “the best fruit i ever ate in my life!!” The last time was 2 weeks ago from a 75 year old woman neighbor. She’s been around the block, yet made this statement. Added Oh my God to the start of that quoted sentence. I don’t grow fruit to give away, I just don’t want to be wasteful, yet the compliments made me feel great and successful at this endeavor. My wife works in a large ER and it’s a great place to give a lot of extras away. One morning during the morning meeting all the nurses were slurping from the Arctic Glo nectarines my wife passed out, so juicy you can’t stop the drips! She said it was funny.
Our store fruit is so bad. I ran into a number of people who never even ate a nectarine before, Store stock is so bad their parents stopped buying certain fruits, and many had no idea what a nectarine was. Very interesting and sad too.
I wanted to mention I have become good friends with Steve, and he is advancing in age. He may get mad at me, but he is thinking of selling his operation, contemplating it. So if you’re looking into buying (and moving) your way into nirvana you may have your chance. If serious approach him.
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What fruitnut could do,is set up a deal with a local school that had a horticultural or agriculture program.Students could come in and help a few times a week,learn things and he gets some heavy lifting done.Brady
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