Haven’t noticed anything around here.
Some things that didn’t get zapped by cold temps are still blooming–borage. No pollinators around.
Buried my potted plants. I usually bury them in snow once that falls and they are good for the winter.
My iceberg lettuce never headed up. Cilantro still looks great. Loves this colder weather.
Winter came - snow and freezing temps.
so sad
Long range forecast says a high of 14 and a low of 2 the weekend after Thanksgiving. I imagine folks will be icefishing the bays by then.
Are there any members here located in Illinois, Champaign-Urbana area? I’d like to meet fellow fruit growing addicts to trade fruit, trees and experiments.
I remembered trade scions with member few years ago. He is in that area. If can find his name, I’ll PM you.
Also ,look up at the members location map, or asking the administrators for lication information well.
Thank you, let me know if you find the information. I’m hoping they will find me, not me searching for them, as I don’t want to look stalkerish, lol. Just wondering if others in the area are interested in growing fruit and experimenting, it would be nice to find others with the same interests.
whos got hardy apricot wood available? Any recommendations on varieties to try for 4a, north dakota? Ive got about 10 trees Im hoping to graft this spring.
I’ve got some Westcott scions available
Can you give a comparison between the very hardy pear Pyrus ussuriensis varieties: Golden Spice, Early Gold, and Ure? I read that Golden Spice and Early Gold are both highly fireblight resistant more than Ure. Early Gold is partially self-fertile and is a good pollinates other ussuriensis varieties.
If you can compare Summercrisp and Harrow Delight and Moonglow, I’d love to hear those too.
I’m considering what to put on a multigraft pear tree in zone 4 Minnesota. We don’t get all the choices people down south get.
Just saw a youtube video with a 15 multigraft pear that included European (communis), Asian (pyrifolia), and Ussurian (ussuriensis) on one tree.
Golden Spice, Early Gold, and Ure have all seen -38 with no damage. None have had any fireblight strikes or any other disease issues.
All bloom times overlap each other by at least a day or two. Early Gold is first, Ure next, and Golden Spice last.
As far as eating goes…none are awesome. I likely haven’t picked Early Gold and Ure early enough. I think they need to be picked before ripe (mid-late August) and then ripened at home before eating. Golden Spice ripens later than the other two by several weeks. I have eaten them ripe from the tree and enjoyed them. They are excellent when canned and spiced.
Summercrisp didn’t survive its second or third winter. An older tree may have made it. I do not grow any of the Harrow series. Another grower southeast of me maybe an hour reported poor winter hardiness with several Harrow varieties, so I haven’t spent any time with them. I also do not grow Moonglow.
Good luck with your pear grafting.
I read that Golden Spice did better with some cooking than fresh eating. But I just tried imported frozen Black Currant and it wasn’t awesome until I cooked it into a jam (super easy 4 ingredient recipe).
Golden Spice fruit is also excellent at flavoring high test vodka, if you’re someone who partakes.
I found such a quart about a month ago. I had forgotten I loaded up the quart in September of '23 and put it in the pantry. The result after removing the pears and straining was excellent.
i hope you ate the fruit as well or you lost some proof. i did that with bourbon and black currant. as long as your drinking might as well make it somewhat healthy. 
also made aronia / apple wine which was very good as well.
My wife yelled when I threw the fruit out. Not my thing
Anybody “up nort” started (or finished) pruning yet?
I plan to get started the first week of March
Got my pruning done a few weeks back. Just waiting for the snow to melt now to start on the rest of the projects. At the garden expo in Madison WI this year there was a lecture on soilless blueberry growing, and I’ve now got plans do dig up all 25 bushes and replant after what I learned there.
We just had the coldest stretch of winter so far. -32 was the coldest I saw in my area, with lots of -20 to -28. I’m glad I waited to prune until March
can you expound on the lecture and process?