Therapeutic enabling!!! We make you feel nice and happy about your addiction!
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Hello everyone,
I’m Oepfeli from Switzerland. Right now I am looking for robust fruit varieties for higher altitudes and while doing this I stumbled over this forum. I’ve always been looking for first hand accounts of varieties to balance the overly enthusiastic ones of the nurseries.
I think I found that (and much more information) here!
I’m exited to join you!
Edit: Thanks for the likes, people. It’s good to feel welcomed.
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@Sue-MiUPz3: I see that you produce fruit in an even harsher climate than we do! Thats quite impressive !
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Welcome to the Forum Oepfeli! You will find a lot of information and great advice here. Looking forward to hearing more about your orchard!
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Hi- I’m Francine. I live mid Maryland, on the edge of zone 7a(was recently 6b), Sunset zone 34/32. I figured I should actually join after reading for so long. Will find the right place to ask them after I poke around some more. Generally looking for information on rootstocks for apple- what Geneva stocks look good for my varieties. I have a few grafts I did last year on V1 and M26, not sure I want to keep up with those and fireblight possibility. Starting to move my mulberry, blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry, goji varieties out to final locations.
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Welcome @LinzOrganicToronto, @Oepfeli and @franc1969.
In case you have not read this helpful guides. FAQs For New Members
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Welcome Francine! I am also in mid-Maryland. I have used many apple rootstocks, the only real failure was G16, it was the hot thing when I bought a bunch of trees and now its not hot at all. So my opinion is to pick based on vigor and try to stick to the tried and true. There are many good threads to read here on apple rootstocks - Search results for 'apple rootstock' - Growing Fruit
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Welcome Francine. There are a lot of great suggestions and helpful people here on this site. I hope your enjoy your time here.
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Thanks Scott. I did notice you are close- G16 is not on my list. I have no idea of the virus status of my scions- and it seems a bit more dwarfing than I want. I will check out your comments on varieties too. I had wanted to try out some of the French and English cider apples, but it sounds like they won’t be great here. Summer is getting pretty hot and steamy. I am trying some of the varieties I have gotten in the past from Distillery Lane Ciderworks, and Albemarle Ciderworks, and checking southern types.
Hi Oepfeli, welcome. I am in the montane area (upper foothills) for the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, at about 8300 ft elevation. Not sure, but it may be similar here to your climate/locale. Be glad to compare notes/info with you about fruit growing here.
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Hello Steve,
Thank you! This could be very interesting. (After discreetly checking on a map where exactly Colorado is :blushing: ) I guess your climate is continental?
And precipitation? How long is your growing period?
About our climate: we get about 1200 mm/ 47 inches rain and snow. Last snow typically falls in early may, earliest snow can vary between september- november. The snow doesn’t normally stay but comes and goes the whole winter.
Average tempratures in January are -3° C to 3°C. In August 11°C to 20 °C.
This doesn’t propably sound like z5, but since Switzerland as a whole is categorized as z6 and we are 500 m/ 1500 feet higher than the main comercial orchards it felt fair to downgrade our zone.
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I guess I will really start posting about it in the Spring when the trees begin to bloom 
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Hi everyone,
After visiting the site frequently for over a year I decided to finally create an account and formally join the community. I live in the suburbs of Chicago and grow a variety of fruit in containers (figs, peaches, apricots, grapes) due to the limited space in my yard, the harsh/unpredictable winter months outside Chicago, and the ability to take the trees with me when I move. I’m fully aware that last reason may make me crazy to some (my wife) which is perfectly ok. I tend to agree. I’m also an avid gardener.
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Sounds like you will fit in perfectly with the rest of us with spouses who sometimes think we are crazy! Welcome!
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A few differences between our locations. Not sure what a continental pattern would be, but in general the SW of the US is semi-arid. Even in the higher mountain areas most agriculture is done using saved water from spring run-off or from wells. In my location we typically get 13-15" (33cm-38cm) of precipitation a year, more or less evenly divided between snow and rain. Humidity is quite low on average (storms aside), and one result of that is we have fewer insects and diseases. We are classified as z5 but it has been trending warmer, with min winter temps around -10F (-23C) the last few years. There are some fruit growing areas (and other agriculture) in the mountains (not near me), but they are in locations which tend to be warmer in the summer (more southern) and have access to irrigation water from the high mountain run-off. Interestingly at roughly the same elevation as me, just in a different weather pattern.
It will be interesting to compare notes.
Are you talking about the areas around Alamosa in between the San Juans and Sangre de Cristo ranges? A vast, relatively flat area, but at high altitude. Don’t they call such areas “parks” in Colorado?
Since my last post about the climate of various areas was off topic, I will create a new thread. In it, folks like @Steve333 and @Oepfeli and others can compare notes about what and what doesn’t do well in similar locations.
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Similar. Alamosa is more a general ag area, although I suspect there is some fruit grown there too. And yes, those big flat-ish areas between the mountain ranges are called parks here. Paonia is more the “local” fruit growing region in our state, peaches being a big crop there.
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Hi I live in Southeast Michigan near Ann Arbor. I just ordered apples, medlar, persimmon, peach, tart and sweet cherry, and paw paw, super hardy kiwi, grape, and quince. I put in 300 strawberries and 75 raspberries last year for family eating and a little roadside stand. I’m a horticulturist by trade (private gardener-primarily maintenance with some design and install) and am enjoying learning about the fruit production side of plants and incorporating a visually appealing design to our back yard. I’m learning about the rootstock and think I should go with a couple different ones m7 and m111 and see what works here. Slight hill, full sun, sandy clay loam. I do not want to stake in the end if possible. By the time I find the variety it seems a company doesn’t have a rootstock and I my lose my mind lol! This is where people just graft their own isn’t it? Or, maybe just get more trees lol. Looking forward to searching threads here and learning. Thanks.
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Welcome Shere!
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