That would be great if it works out, I’ll message you so we can figure out the details and whether that will work.
Has anyone grown prickly pear here? I know edible landscape does in VA. Curious of other people’s experiences… I keep seesawing over wanting to get one.
Thanks for the link. I thought it was in VA based on the previous comments, guess I read that wrong.
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I have Prickly Pear. I bought this from Direct Natives. It flowered its 2nd year. Really easy. I just put it in a large grow bag because the roots filled up the clay pot. I thought I had a pic of the fruit but I can’t find it. These eastern ones fruit doesn’t get as plump as the western ones people are more familiar with. Tasted ok, it was a little dry, I may have waited too long to pick it cause I thought it was going to turn a darker purple. I’m not sure if the fruit will improve with a genetically different pollen donor, I’ve read differing info.
I’ve ordered some from Ardea Land Project that are coming in the Spring. They are really easy to root, just stick a pad into soil. I’ve gifted friends a few.
Sorry for the long response 
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Sure thing.
I think i caused that confusion as I’m in Va and was wondering if anyone close by was looking to split an order from them since they have that 5 tree minimum to ship.
It’s wild this is native here. Really cool and nice picture. Have you eaten the pads/nopales?
I have had nopales before but not tried to make it myself. Not sure how easy it would be to remove all the glochids.
A squirrel chewed a pad a little bit when I first got it. Not sure if rabbits and groundhogs would eat it, but it is in a fenced area.
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I was shocked to find out that Eastern prickly pear was native in the ridge and valley! I saw it all over a roadside when I first moved here and asked about it and was so excited.
In California we’d dethorn and then cut the nopales into strips and use them in dishes- sort of like they were bell pepper strips. I honestly haven’t had much of the fruit but this thread: Eastern prickly pear for the fruit makes me want to try it.
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We just planted some but the deer are ripping it out. Bigger prickles needed…
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I used to buy them and cook with them this way. It’s fun. Not something I want to regularly eat (texture), but neat.
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Thanks for sending the link to the other thread. That has a lot of great info.
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That mesa sky one looks pretty wicked with the stabby stabby 
in the linked thread
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Black York vs. Black Gold sweet cherry in zone 7A SE PA: If you had to pick just one, which would you choose, and why?
I have never grown any cherries before, and decided to give it a go. I have Black Tartarian, Ulster, Utah Giant, Black Pearl and Ebony Pearl on order, with flavor being the main criterion in my mind, and room for one or two more trees, one probably being Montmorency. I am willing to try minimal spraying to make this work.
Yoda
There’s cherry picking near me (and not too far from you) that had these varieties last year. Honestly. I wasn’t impressed with any cherry. The sour cherries tasted good but like any pie cherry you can buy in stores (in the European market) and the sweet cherries tasted like a good supermarket variety. Not worth the effort in my opinion but it could have been the year / variety etc. I liked montmorecy the most and some of the Ulster , hartland, and Rainier were good too but if you have Ulster than that should be sufficient in my opinion. There’s a cherry specialist on this forum from Spain who may be able to provide better advice
If you can wait, I’d suggest going cherry picking in July and try them for yourself
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I live really close to Weaver’s Orchard, and have that option. But I dearly want to grow my own! It’s part of my self-sufficiency bent. I am willing to fail… but if I do, I want to fail at something WORTH failing at. That’s what prompted my question.
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I don’t think you will fail. I’m several hours southwest of you and I’ve got a bunch of varieties including Black York. Black York is a good cherry. Black Gold I don’t have, but others have reported it’s not bad. For some reason people are sketchy about growing cherries, but I’ve had great success with them. My favorite stone fruit.
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The fact that Montmorency tasted the best is good news in my mind, it’s the easiest to grow from what I understand
I had never considered the flavor impact of non-ideal East coast conditions during ripening. Even if they don’t split from the spring rains they get watered down and less sun than out West
If you have to spray them yourself AND they aren’t better than the grocery store option that’s a pretty tough sell
Thanks for the info
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Robert, this is really an encouragement, thanks! To what do you most credit your success?
- A certain regimen you follow in spraying?
- Specific products (like Bonide, Monterey, Fertilome, Safer labels are more descriptive to this amateur than chemical names like Myclobutanil) available to non-professionals at any decent garden center?
- And/or the cherry varieties you chose?
Avoid known splitters like Bing. It’s best to spray them for rot, but I’ve had good years where I was to lazy to spray them. And some years where I got burned. Peaches and plums have to be sprayed or it’s a complete loss every year.
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The more I grow cherries the more I think the sours are the way to go. I put in all this work growing sweets and then my wife taunts me with a big bag from the grocery that tastes just as good. I guess if you are eating a lot of cherries you could save money as they are expensive.
The sours are more versatile for cooking, drying, etc, and are much easier to grow in the mid-Atlantic. And, they are not found in stores. My Monty trunk is now about 8" in diameter and is giving me a nice big harvest. I added a new sour cherry last fall, an Amarena di Pescara.
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