Nectarines just better

Yup, that’s why both of us think nectarines are just better. Without them this year would be a big disappointment,

Just chopped up a bunch or Red Gold to freeze. Best yellows so far. Brix is climbing at last.

2 Likes

I’m eyeing my Spice Zee nectaplum, one looked damaged from pushing into the connecting branch, so I harvested it. Brix was 18. To me this brix is very sweet, and taste like the fruit is sprinkled with sugar. I can’t imagine 28!? My wife said “absolutely delicious”. She’s the sweet tooth.
This year tasting some top rate stone fruit from the garden, I wanted to. add more, but I’m rethinking that now. What I first chose when I started are meeting my needs. I harvest stone fruit all season as is. I’m going to graft some varieties unto my trees, but I don’t think I’m going to add anymore new trees. I have enough fruit now for all of winter. I have harvested well over 300 pieces as is. My orchard is far from mature, so numbers are going to go way up yet, it seems silly to add more. I give away tons and tons already. One gets caught up in all the hype, and like a kid in a candy store wanting to sample everything. I think maybe it’s time for a reality check.
Part of it too is the time needed to care for all of this. I happen to have a life too, and it is eating into my time too much as is. I have other things I need and want to do.

3 Likes

Be strong and follow this logic. Don’t end up like me- a helpless slave to an oversized orchard!

2 Likes

It is your profession and you need to do it really. You need to know what to recommend, so you have to experiment and try to offer the best advice. I could sell fig trees as this market is unreal. You know Steve has been making a small fortune and he just started doing it. Some trees go for hundreds of dollars and you can produce a few every year off of one tree. They do slow down after a few years, yet some like Black Madeira still go for over 50 bucks a tree. The influx of cash would appease any doubts about the time needed. Easiest plant in the world to grow too.

1 Like

Go for it! Maybe you will be able to afford a self-driving lawnmower.

Seriously though. You should consider it. You are genuinely very interested in figs.

As for my obsession, I am determined to cut down a number of peach trees this winter that I’ve already adequately tested. The problem is that I am always testing patented varieties which requires planting a new tree. I wish they’d make selling sticks part of the business.

3 Likes

LOL! I managed to cut the grass again back there with no incidents!

I already sell on EBay so I’m already set up, I probably will next year. Funny I never sold that much on EBay, I have a feedback score of 355 but I have been a member since 1998.I remember when the internet was just a gleam in Al Gore’s eyes. I used to send messages around the world via Fidonet before the internet via bulletin board systems. My home was “The Flying Circus” out of Royal Oak. I was a Cosysop there. The good old days.

2 Likes

@alan

“… a helpless slave to an oversized orchard!”

I know exactly what you mean.

And with every birthday I know it more and more. :sweat_smile:

Mike

6 Likes

Here are some Kaweah peaches. This is probably my #2 best tasting peach behind June Pride. They are almost as good as my best nectarines, or as good!! Really close! The two I ate for dessert last night were 24, and 25 brix. Superb yellow peaches!!

12 Likes

I’m amazed the size you are getting on peaches at those brix levels. Very impressive…!!

2 Likes

Exit

Thanks Fruitnut, the peaches are not huge, about baseball size. The intense sunshine is my best guess. Don’t know what happened in above post, must have hit wrong key or something.

1 Like

I harvested my nectaplums today. They are close to fully ripe. Large suckers! Many over 10.5 ounces.

9 Likes

The Zaiger’s like giving their creations catchy names that don’t necessarily reflect the eating quality of the fruit. Pluots have no apricot in their flavor or texture profile. How 'bout those beauties you are holding in your hand- they look much more nect than plum. When you taste one let us know if the DNA has anything to do with the actual fruit qualities or are they “just” great nectarines?

4 Likes

Those are very large and beautiful Drew, enjoy!

2 Likes

Yes, they are just nectarines, each year though they seem to get better. I was ready to top work this tree. This year though they are very good, so they are now pardoned from execution. I will take away a scaffold or two. Good enough to keep, I’m sure better nectarines are out there, still enjoying them though, so I’m keeping it. What a tree, this is one I lost the central leader twice, still here, like a bad penny!

OK trying one, super sweet, brix is 19. it finally rained here too, some of my unripe plums split. the rain was too late to lower brix of these nects, last one was 18, this one 19. None split. So strange so much better than last year. Perfectly ripe too. Very good yum! The blossom end is sweeter, brix there was 19.5

7 Likes

I think they are a good tasting fruit. And ime not certain yet, but i think it may set better than most nectarines, At least in my location. I need a few more years to be sure, but so far it out sets my other nectarines, sets closer to a peach, which in my area out sets nectarines.

4 Likes

Yeah I’m happy with Arctic Glo and Spice Zee, I may add scaffolds of others, so if you have others let’s trade scion please. Or have mercy on my soul and help me out.
Both mine usually set well, but Spice Zee only set a few this year, maybe 30 fruits, last year I had 66. It’s a good thing, I’m drowning in stone fruit at the moment. I foraged some peaches from a tree at my cottage, the owners didn’t want the fruit, it was fantastic, now I want scion from it. Anyway so I took the remaining fruit that didn’t fall to the ground.

4 Likes

Spice Zee is pretty much a nectarine but its flavor has an acidic note which is different from other nectarines. Whether this one comes from its plum heritage is debatable. Anyway, it’s a great fruit in my opinion, I like it very much.

5 Likes

I think it is a hybrid, appears plum genes dominate cherry and nectarine dominates plums. Why I think it is a true cross is that the foliage is purple-red. Are any peaches/nectarines like this? Also it tastes kinda like a white nectarine, but the texture is different, the taste is not typical. Of course the only other nectarine I have is Arctic Glo and that is far from typical too.
What’s cool is the fruit matches the foliage and is often hidden by it. Skin is dark maroon at fruit set, and turns pale pink when ripe…Few larger pests even know the tree has fruit. Once ripe it is aromatic so insects feed off of ripe fruit. I was not impressed with the fruit the first two years it fruited, but this third year it is amazing. A very pleasant surprise.
The huge size of the fruit is great too.

One of the best things about it is that it grafts like a plum, not a nectarine. I put two scion of Red Haven on it and both took. I had rejections in the past, but that was a timing issue. here early grafting is best. During early summer I got some scion of Mirabelle de Nancy and it took too. See if it works?

4 Likes

Just picked most of my Red Gold sugar bombs tonight. Extraordinary sweetness and flavor!

11 Likes