I wrote on September 13 about some disappointments. Another, even stranger one came my way soon after that day. I had ordered one apple tree and got another by mistake. I had hoped it might prove to be Twenty Ounce, although the literature didn’t quite match in all ways. Sent samples to experts (thank you Joanie Cooper and Temperate Orchard Society) and they gently let me down with their assessment: Honeycrisp.
There are people who would do the happy dance to learn that they had their very own Honeycrisp tree!
I did not.
With very different goals driving choices of what I grow, I am at least glad for the experience of tending it for several years. Easily stunted growth; sugar transfer from outer leaves impaired or blocked, bitter pit in fruit; open pit mining of fruit by earwigs: these are difficulties faced in growing it.
Discreet flavor when fresh from the tree, keeps texture in a pie: these are two matters of merit.
Like @speedster1 said, pears are easy in my orchard. Asian is even easier because it is easier to tell when it ripens and it does not need cold storage.
I don’t know if Harrow Sweet can grow in your zone, fruit in year two, definitely in year 3. Can be eaten right off the tree or keep on a counter for a few days. No need for cold storage.
I would say, if your area is not fire blight country, HS is a pear for beginner, minimal wait time, easy care and taste really good.
Not sure what happened to your Che tree. My two Che that I bark grafted and potted them up fruited the same year. I swapped the scions from Strudeldog and He got his Che from Edible lanscaping eat-it.com. My two potted che are loaded again this year.
Mine is European plum.
Stanley:flowered with no plums for several yeas, died the next year after producing first handful of plums
Green Gage: for 8 years never flowered more than 2-3 flowers. Never fruited. Removed.
Mt. Royal: flowers very shy, produces even more so. This year whole large tree had probably 200 flowers. I can see may be 20 fruit set. And this is a tree with 6 inches trunk. We even removed last large fir tree we had (not a close by) so it can get couple more hours of sun - no effect. It is also an aphids magnet.
Fig varieties vary a great deal on productivity in my narrow experience. I’ve settled on one that bears with great productivity every year there isn’t excess rain during ripening. It was brought to NY from Italy and I received my cutting from a friend without being attached to a name. 1 in 4 years here in SE NY we get rain at the wrong time and the splitting you mention. It also happens to cherries and to a lesser degree, nectarines and plums. An eastern exposure and earliest morning sun always helps.
My problems seem to be more with vegetables than fruit. Zucchini get vine borers so bad that I can’t keep them alive long enough to produce even with spraying Sevin on them. Watermelon only get about to baseball or softball size then stop growing. Rhubarb sends maybe a leaf or two above ground then die. I’ve tried Canadian red and Stark crimson.