Less than stellar fruit that you or I grow

Through several years I have accumulated many pear varieties and most are really good to me and have consistently given fruit in most years. My two exceptions are Moonglow and Ayers. These two tend to get heavily reduced by late cold weather and when they fruit and develop it is difficult to determine a good picking time. I’m currently reducing the amount of these but keeping a few limbs for cross pollinating purposes. Are you growing any fruit that your not pleased with and plan to reduce or eliminate. Adding why would be good information for others thinking about adding these varieties.

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I am waiting on a bunch of stuff to finally fruit. By reputation if I have a dog in the bunch it may be methley or perhaps loch ness, can’t say anything about either one yet. Or Consort, I like mild black currants for fresh eating and Consort isn’t that, but I also like currants in jam, and wine, both areas where consort might actually shine…

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Bill,
My experience has been the same as yours on those types being delayed producers though I will keep a place for a couple Ayers trees in my orchard. Moonglow I have a few limbs of only right now. Many pears are more trouble than those mentioned. Moonglow & Ayers do have disease resistance going for them eg. Fireblight resistance.

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Another thing to consider is location. A fruit that does well in one area might be a dud in another.

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consort makes excellent jam! great as a side with venison , pork or chicken also.

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I think one needs several years to fully evaluate a variety and I didn’t have that with most fruits that I grow, so take my evaluations with a grain of salt.

Red Beaut Plum — it’s an early plum, earlier than most, but the taste is mediocre. Only the first year that it fruited for me, so might still improve. Methley, Sorriso di Primavera and Beauty ripen in a similar window and taste much better.

Nicole Apricot — one of the earliest fruits of the season, but taste was mediocre first year, a bit better second year. The trend is up, so hoping it will continue to improve.

Autumn Glo Apricot — the latest apricot of the season. Almost inedible first year, seems to be better second year (it’s just starting to ripen). Also, hoping it will continue to improve.

Feijoa: Nazemetz and Moore tasted inferior to more modern varieties; still not enough experience to make final conclusions.

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After increasing the number of varieties of fruit for a few years I’m at the point of letting each show me they are keepers. I need more space to test all the wonderful fruit that I see others post. The next best thing to growing more types is getting to see post from another passionate persons plantings.

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Is Sorriso di Primavera worth it? how does it compare to the other early japanese plum varieties? I already have early magic, methley, shiro and beauty. But I like that this is italian. Any differences?

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I like SdP very much for an early plum. It has a different flavor profile compared to both Methley and Beauty (I don’t have Early Magic so cannot comment on it). SdP has yellow flesh, it’s meaty and juicy, aromatic, sweet, flavor is kind of apricoty, delicate (not “in your face”), skin only slightly tart (no astringency in skin like Methley), semi-freestone. Here are a couple of photos.

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Awesome!! Thanks for the photos! Last question - does it ripen the earliest among Methley and Beauty, which comes first? Or are they all at the same time?
I forgot to ask how it comes to Early Golden, in both flavor, size, and appearance. I have that one too lol Running out of space but this plum seems special :slight_smile:

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For me, they all ripen at about the same time, perhaps Beauty is a couple days later than SdP and Methley, but this can be different in your climate. I don’t have any of these as a separate tree, only a branch or two, grafted on other trees. I don’t have Early Golden, so cannot comment on it.

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