Welcome to the forum Jaime! You’ll find some good information on all the things you mentioned here. Just do a search for whatever you are interested in. I struggle with critters munching on my strawberries before I get them and the spotted winged drosophila (SWD) are my biggest raspberry challenge.
Hardy kiwis might be similar to apricots in getting hit with late frost many years. Keep your pH low enough for the blueberries. I have lots of potted figs too, they are a fun hobby.
I always want more fig trees. I swear its an addiction. Im always on the look out. It’s going to be fun moving the 10 and 15 gallon pots. My Smith is pretty big though. Last time we moved I had 800 pounds of aquarium rocks so my friends should be used to it, but I also had months to move I won’t have that luxury this time.
Do you ever have SWD problems with your figs or just berries? I got soil acidifier and have sulfur pellets from my profession so I’m covered in that front, but thank you for the advice.
I don’t think I’ve had SWD in the figs yet, however my sample size is relatively small for ripened fruit. I think I have a squirrel problem I need to address on that front.
SWD is definitely a challenge for the yellow raspberries.
I’ve tried Spinosad on raspberries for SWD to little effect. The best way I found to prevent them from infecting the berries is with large organza bags. A bit tedious to take the bags on and off every time you pick, but it works.
SWD can be an issue with figs as well. I put organza bags on my figs to prevent that, which also helps against wasps and birds. Small ants can still get to them, but they tend to go for certain varieties over others. My biggest problem with organza bags on figs is that they hold moisture when it rains or is foggy and that moisture can cause the skin on the figs to develop mold on those with thinner skin like the Mt Etna types.
Anyone interested in some free apple seedlings?
Have:
30 - Lucy Glo (red flesh)
Chestnut Crab
Golden Russet
Solarina (Spanish Cider)
Kissable Rogue (red flesh)
Out of space, not landed gentry.
@gosaspursm @disc4tw paw paw time.
Trees loaded.
Smaller ones falling for last week.
Big ones just starting to fall.
unknown varieties
How do they taste?
My pawpaws have been ripening rapidly in the last week. I picked a lot of ripe Allegheny and PA Golden fruits over the last few days. Got a few Shenandoah, Overleese, and Wabash too. I’m anxious for the cooler weather in a couple days so they slow down before my fridge fills up lol. The figs have been ripening like crazy as well.
taste very sweet.
I have Three trees actively producing now.
One of the trees has a little more of a yellow pulp than the other 2 trees.
All 3 trees 9 years old and about 16 ft high.
I don’t pick mine I just get them as they fall that makes sure they’re ripe. Some I can’t reach anyway. Do you pick yours?
I agree with you I wish the ripening would slow down. Need to figure what to do with them.
Do you notice much difference between the types you have?
Same here with figs.
I try to pick them within a day or 2 before they will fall. I have to gently squeeze each fruit to determine how soft it is. You develop a feel for it the more you do it. Sometimes you can see a crack forming where the fruit separates from the peduncle/stem, and those will fall very soon. That said, I’ve had to pick up a lot from off the ground this year due to how rapidly they are ripening.
Yes, there are very noticeable differences in taste and texture between most of my varieties. Shenandoah is real mild and creamy. Allegheny has a nice mix of different fruit flavors and a smooth texture. Wabash is really sweet and has more sugary flavors than fruit flavors and a very slightly gritty and firmer texture. I haven’t had too many Mango, Chappell, Overleese, and PA Golden, so I am still trying to figure those ones out. The few Chappell I had so far were real sweet and had a marshmallowy and lightly fruity taste. PA Golden tastes similar to many wild pawpaws. Banana/melon and bitter aftertaste, at least with the pulp near the skin and seeds. They have also been more watery/wet in texture so far. Mango and Overleese have had an artificial banana type of taste that I wasn’t too fond of, but I need to taste more of them to see if that remains the same over time.
Thanks for descriptions!
@gosaspursm @disc4tw
I noticed for first time a spicebush swallowtail flying around my paw paw trees.
I thought that was interesting being I read the zebra swallowtail needs Paw paw leaves to feed on as caterpillars. It
doesn’t seem like the spicebush swallowtail has that same dependency.
Yes, you’re right that Zebra Swallowtails caterpillars only feed on pawpaws.
Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars feed mostly on Spicebush or Sassafras, though they can also feed on Tuliptree and a few other plants.
That is actually a Black Swallowtail in your photo. They do look very similar to Spicebush Swallowtails though, especially a female like that one. Their caterpillars feed on plants in the Carrot family (dill, fennel, queen annes lace, parsley, alexanders, etc.).
@TJ_westPA
Interesting, thanks.
The butterfly was hovering around asparagus for awhile, right next to paw paws. I wonder if was attracted to a dill look alike plant
Ten yards from the asparagus and Paw Paws I have 2 rows of parsley
15’ long…
How is the spring treating all of my fellow S.W. Pennsylvania neighbors?
Not too bad here. It’s been a slower, cooler, and stormy spring compared to last year, which I don’t mind. No late frost to impact the pawpaws, persimmons, and most other fruit trees either, which is awesome. Should get a bigger harvest from most of my trees this year, significantly more from some. The figs probably won’t fruit as early this year, but that’s ok. How are things going for you?
I started the fig shuffle basically April 1st since they started breaking bud in my garage. Most of them have the start of baby figs going. My buddy just dropped off 2 Asian Pears. They aren’t very big so I might just put them in bigger pots as we are still looking to move within the next 14 months. I was going to plant just one in my grunt yard, but after seeing them, it wouldn’t be much of a focal point. I finished putting in all the veggies at this point, but yes it has been very cool and wet.
I didn’t have it in me to do much shuffling this year, so I waited until mid April to put the figs and other potted plants out. My figs were still mostly dormant in my garage at that point. I’m sure I will still get plenty of fruit from them. Which varieties of Asian pear did you get? I’ve been working on grafting more Asian pears the last few years since I was very impressed with the taste of Hosui. I also got to try Chojuro last year, which was good but tasted a lot like butterscotch and I’m much of a fan of butterscotch lol. Are you going to be staying in the Pittsburgh area when you move?
What varieties of figs are you guys growing and having success with?
Is there a good local source for asian pears? I have only had grocery store fruits and they have been disappointing.
Yeah, we are staying in Pittsburgh. My daughter is 4, she is high functioning Autism, extreme ADHD and highly intelligent. We are in West Mifflin now by Kennywood, we just want a better school district before she starts kindergarten not this fall, but the following.
I got a Hosui and a Dripping Honey Asian Pear. I used to get these ones drum the farmers market in Oakland about 20yrs ago when they set up across drum my old work. They would come in around labor day and they were stuff and the juices would just drip off your chin. I dint know what cultivar they were, but would love to find that one
