I heard about Newcastle apricot through the stone fruit group on Facebook. Anyone here grow this or know anyone who grow this? A quick Google search shows it is grown/sold in Australia/new Zealand but no nursery in the US carry this variety. Very surprising considered it was first grown in California. The person told me about this said it was producing for him consistently when he was still living in Carlsbad, San Diego.
Newcastle was one of the cultivars first used in apricot breeding back in the 1950s when production began shifting from California’s mild costal valleys to the hot San Joaquin.
Newcastle, like many of the other cultivars used in California at the time were unsuitable for the Central Valley, prey to ‘pit-burn’ from the more intense valley heat. A few generations of breeding and selection led to the release of ‘Castleton’ apricot, reportedly pit-burn resistant.
Unfortunately, I don’t know any source for either Newcastle or Castleton apricot.
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