This guy is a little expensive but just goes to show you dont have to fool with some of those nurseries that never have anything in stock.
I think its kind of neat that some folks are with me that most things can be rooted from cuttings instead of grafting. This guy roots Siberian C peaches from cuttings… I also know a guy that roots Persimmons from cuttings. I think it will change the market eventually. The guys who graft never have anything in stock. Or want to charge $75-$100/per.
peach harvest, 2023. I had exactly two flowers on my BIG seedling peach, and lo if one didnt make a fruit. that after temp plummeting from almost 50 to -18 F and then 26 deg just as the buds were popping. it sure was tasty, too.
Im a big fan of seedling peaches on the whole. I have one tree that I keep meaning to prune a bunch. It had brown rot issues and has developed a really tall and poor form. I noticed the other day that it sent a nice sucker up alongside its trunk. my immediate thought was to just cut it down and let the sucker be the new tree.
I have a neighbor a few miles down the road that his whole orchard is seedlings. Peaches, Apples and Pears. Him and his wife get enough to can and fresh eat and freeze and he puts his chickens in there to clean up…and the rest goes to pigs. The trees look terrible with no spraying or maintenance…but they supply plenty of fruit for everyone. Im guessing he has 100 trees… so even on bad years there is plenty.
I’d be happy to send you a seedling of a white peach I got from a guy by Madison WI. I have several that started but I want to make sure they make it though the winter. Not Siberian C though.
I have a Siberian C that I planted in full sun 6 or 7 years ago. It freezes off every few years, then resprouts. Still only about a foot tall. It is enclosed with wire, so not chewed off. I have also tried Reliance, PF-25C, Contender, but none made it through more than one winter near St. Paul, MN, in WI. I’m done with peach trees.
hopefully out of the 10 pits, i get 1 that’s hardy here. going to plant them out on the hill where hopefully the elevation gives it some protection. i have a reliance planted last spring in a protected spot right now. if those fail, ill be all done with peaches until a nursery breeds a truly z4 hardy one.
I’ve seen him around the interwebs. I know where his place is at. Quite a bit warmer than here. I gave on up on peaches in 5a, I have no hope for them in 4a but would love to find out I’m wrong.
have you trialed any apricots? i put in a Brookcot last spring and grafted a Manchurian and Westcot to it. its put on some growth but a moose came by and gave it a trim. should bounce right back though.
Tried Manchurians at my old place. They grew just fine, but never put out a single blossom in 10 years. Tried them at my folks’ old place in 4b. They froze out the second year.
My step daughter and son in law had a grafted apricot tree (no idea what variety) in their yard about 45 minutes west of my current place. It was a nice sized tree. Never had a blossom in the 6 years they lived there.
I’m done with stone fruit, except for the wild plums that grow here. I don’t much care about them either, but the critters like them. A guy about 40 minutes southeast of me has some decent “farm yard” plums, but I’m pretty sure those are some type of American or Canadian plum hybrid.
I love eating peaches and apricots, but IME they aren’t worth growing in cold regions. I’d love to hear you have success though.
Figure I’ll throw my question onto this thread since it’s very similar. I planted this Goldmine Nectarine this spring in western Montana Zone 5b (technically, but we generally have late winters, and often have freezes in late april/early may, so I think nurseries consider it 5a/4b). The tree seemed to have some frost damage to it’s flower buds and never really blossomed, but leafed out and has been growing vigorously all summer.
In reading more about growing peaches and nectarines in a such a climate as mine, I’m starting to understand that preventing early budding is quite important. It’s currently planted on the sunniest spot in my lot, an area that also gets direct winter sun. I have 3 or 4 more decent spots for a fruit tree to the north and east of a garage building, areas that get very limited winter sun but still 7-9 hours of summer sun.
Seems like if I’m going to move it, this year once it’s dormant is the time. Any recommendations?
A secondary question is: I’ve planted 4 fruit trees in total and have 4 more about to go in the ground. Of all those, which are the best candidates for those winter-shaded spots? Seems like the cherries and the nectarine are the most delicate?
the trees in the ground already, all on the sunny south fence: sungold apricot, mt royal plum, italian prune, the golmine nectarine
the trees waiting to be planted: tawara asian pear, summercrisp pear, lapins cherry, bing cherry. The tawara will go along a south facing wall in attempt at an espalier (had a thread about that recently)
I found this old post again after reading it years ago for those that might be considering Iowa White. Written by Ericka at Catnip Farm.
Our trees bear their first fruit 4-5 years from planting the seeds. If they are damaged by animals or mowers, and have 3"-4" left above ground they re-grow multiple trunks and take an extra year to start bearing, but I’ve never had one die.
These are SMART trees, I love them. They seem to know when they ought to bloom later than usual to avoid a late frost, and often one seed out of three will wait a year to germinate, which could be a genetic survival trait…
