I agree that 28 degrees will be OK. But prolonged freezing temperatures are not good.
My Doyenne d’Hiver (aka Beurre Easter) tree is loaded and no pears are falling yet, so I’m waiting a few more days to start picking. I hope to do better using this variety.this year
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Lol, I’m putting together a list of varieties to graft next spring specifically to fill a few gaps in my list. For example, I don’t have any extra early maturing pears and the number of long lasting storage pears is somewhat limited.
Here are the varieties I’m looking into with intent to cull at least half.
Acres Home, Akizuki Nashi, Bella di Giugno, Biscamp, Carmen, Cocomerina, Dew Drop, Dixie Delight (asian), Easter, Farmingdale, Gorham, Granny Durden, Hudar, Johantorp, Klementinka, Leopardo Morettini, Monterrey, Nanguo Li, Savannah, Vavilov, Wilder Early, Xinjaing fragrant pear, Yoinashi, Yulu
Here is what I have growing:
Abate Fetel, Ambrosia, Aurora, Ayres, Barlow, Bartlett - Nye Russet, Bartlett, Red, Beierschmitt, Bell, Beurré Alexandre Lucas, Beurré Superfin, Blake’s Pride, Butirra Rosata Morettini, Cabot Vermont, Chojuro, Clara Frijs, Clark’s Yellow, Conference, Daisui Li, Dana Hovey, Devoe, Diamond, Douglas, Doyenne du Comice, Drippin’ Honey, Duchess, Early Yellow, Elliot, Ewart, Giant Seckel, Golden Boy, Harrow Delight, Harrow Sweet, Harvest Queen, Highland, Honeysweet, Hood, Hosui, Improved Kieffer, Kalle, Kieffer, Korean Giant, Korean Golden, Lazy J, Le Conte, Ledbetter, Leona, Lincoln, Luscious, Magness, Maxine, New World, Niitaka, Onward, Orient, Pai Li, Plumblee, Potomac, Rousselet de Reims, Seckel, Seuri Li, Shenandoah, Shin Li, Shinko, Spalding, Sucree de Montlucon, Summer Blood Birne, Summercrisp, Sunrise, Turnbull Giant, Tyson, Very Late, Warren, Winter Nelis, Ya Li, Zao Su Red
I’m almost at the point of just asking you to send me scions of everything you like a lot that I don’t already have. Why? Because every pear you like a lot that I have tried has been fantastic. I can live with fantastic!
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Shenandoah needs a bit to mellow. The original growers mentioned how good they are ,but recommended waiting a little while to consume them.
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My experience exactly. I used a humidity control refrigerator and dropped the temperature low they still are a fast ripening pear. Most european pears are not keepers. I love asian pears because they are really good keepers. Every pear has its place.
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You have a lot of varieties that I don’t have and I don’t see any on your list that I want to add to my list.
On your list of possible wants that I do have are Gorham and Leopardo Morettini. I don’t have enough wood to send Vavilov, but I can send Hybrid V and/or get Vavilov from a friend. I really like a relatively early small pear to munch on in the orchard - Stuttgarter Geishirtle. Raintree sells it.
On my must-have list of late ripening pears that you don’t have are El Dorado/Winkleman and Josephine de Malines.
BTW, I have mentioned in the past that Johanthrop has not done well here. Grows well, tastes horrible. I have two pears remaining on the tree I topworked a few years ago. I’ll try them again this year, and if they have the same poor taste. I’ll cut those limbs off, too!
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Clark, I don’t agree that MOST European pears are not keepers. I would say SOME or MANY European pears are not good keepers, but I’ll put several of my late ripening Europeans up against the Asians and see which ones last the longest.
Please tell me what Asian pears are keepers. I know that Korean Giant has been mentioned as a good one, but do they all keep well?
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I grew up hearing reefer a lot. Maybe my dad picked it up in the Navy as well, he was a Navy pathologist.
Back on to pears it’s good to hear you like Josephine de Malines so much. I’m about to see what all the fuss is about, I am picking them now. They seem like they will need storage.
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Not all of them are long keepers. Shin Li has survived perfect in the fridge till April for me and May for others. Here is a pic of one I cut open in March. @mayhaw9999
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Thats not meant as an all or none statement rather a generalization that is pretty true. I have eaten Drippin’ Honey in February. In general, if they are KG or others mentioned and most others, they keep pretty good. That is not to say Shenandoah does not keep It is to say in general most european pears are not long term keepers. Asian pears like DH i harvest in August and 6 months later i’m still eating them. Kieffer keeps pretty good but it is not all european it is a hybrid. Back to Shenandoah it’s a nice keeper , 5 months in cold storage is great Shenandoah pear
Great information. This will help me for next years crop.I keep them in a very cold fridge downstairs. Normally the fruit I put in there lasts a long time. Also because we are not opening and closing the fridge like we do in the kitchen area.
I had some Calville Blanc apples I picked last October that were still good to eat last week. I had to eat them so I could put some newly picked fruit in there. Normally they do not store that long.
So it sounds like I just need to pick them sooner and store them. I was just afraid if I picked them too early they would not ripen correctly. They are too good of a tasting pear to not have them taste right if I picked them before I should have.
Hopefully next year I will pick them and store them correctly.
Again, thanks for the good information.
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Since your picking times are quite a bit earlier than mine, I’m guessing my Doyenne d’Hiver will want to come off later this month. Anticipation with a first year fruit is a horrible thing.
Scott, I pick Josephine as late as I can and store them. We don’t usually ripen them until December. They are keepers - maybe until March.
This is the first sentence in Hedrick’s Pears of New York,.“This is another of the few good winter pears. The fruit-characters are so distinctive and meritorious that the variety should be grown in every home orchard.”
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Christopher, I hope that I can wait until late in October to pick the Beurre Easter, but if they start dropping, I’ll pick. Last year, they were ready to pick much earlier than I expected or wished. We seem to be a little later in ripening time this year. My commercial apple grower friends say 2 to 3 weeks.
Many of mine were starting to soften by the stem and get a touch of yellow so I picked those today. Maybe a bit early maybe not … we will see! I’ll leave some on for a lot longer for comparison. My guess is the ones I picked today will need a month of storage before they will be good.
Good keeping pears in general are somewhat hard to come by. They tell me the old pound pear was just wrapped in a flour shell and cooked as they ripened as pie. Many old pears were kept in a root cellar. Few were great keepers
As far as European pears go Bartlett, Anjou, Comice, and Bosc are the keepers which are stored at 32 to 35°F for 2-3 months. Shenandoah keeping for 4-5 months is grown for that reason.
Van Mons created over half of those grocery story pears we still use
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Perhaps the most important thing Van Mons did was to distribute good pears where ever and when ever found. Look back at the dozens he distributed and you will find a few names mentioned here in this thread. Easter iirc is an example.
He also trumpeted and distributed a few real duds which don’t even survive today. The good pears are still around.
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That’s so true. Every pear has its place.
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Back to what I have been picking.
Beurre Gris d’Hiver Nouveau was picked on October 3, 2025. A few had fallen from the graft, and all released without difficulty. They were firm with very few having any defects.
This is a keeper pear. Joan Morgan says pick mid Oct - season early Jan - Feb/March. I’m anxious to finally evaluate it this winter. I have never tasted it.
Nouveau Poiteau was partially picked on October 3, 2025, but I’m still picking them on October 9. This is a Van Mons pear dating to 1927. It has been used as a pollinator for Comice orchards in England. Morgan says it is still green when ripe, but is a good pear. She says pick early October and eat in November. But it is stored commercially for several months.
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I forgot that I picked the first few Beurre Bosc pears from a young tree. I lost my large, beautiful Bosc tree in our 2022 fire blight epidemic and this pear was grafted as soon as I noticed the tree was not going to survive - March 2022 - on a potted OHxF333 rootstock. I planted it in May 2023. It had 4 pears this year! I probably should have removed the fruit to let the tree grow more vigorously, but I think leaving the fruit will possibly slow down growth since I don’t want a very large tree. We’ll see.
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