Based on having tasted (almost ripe) Waneta plums last year …before the chipmunks ate them all…the tree produced about 20 plums just one year after planting !!..I decided to put 3 more in this year… …I haven’t seen Waneta mentioned on this site…(so far …I am about to have a closer look.) Is anyone growing these…how have they been to grow…? Do you like them?
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Try the search feature, just type “waneta”…i am on my phone and multitasking but several hits came up, here is one:
I’m growing waneta as well but haven’t got to try the plums yet. The tree does tend to grow long and lengthy for me but has survived my cold winter of -35f this past year so that’s good news for a young tree. I’ve also heard that they are delicious and size up pretty good too.
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I grow Waneta but have pollination issues . Wild Chickasaw blooms too early and Shiro usually too early most years . I planted a Toka this year hoping for overlapping bloom times .
If I remember correctly, Waneta was an introduction by Dr. Hansen from South Dakota state university in the early 20th century? I know it is popular still in the Dakotas and Minnesota area.
I ate them when I lived in Minnesota but I do not recall the flavor. I remember being impressed on the size of Pipestone plum but found it somewhat bland in flavor. My favorite was Underwood but that is mighty hard to find that variety anymore. Superior was good too. Alderman was the last plum U of MN introduced but I did not care for the flavor at all.
I would think the native American plum would be a great pollinator for Waneta if you are having trouble getting it pollinated.
Andrew, Thzt’s great you got fruit! What do you have as a pollinator? My young Waneta has blossomed but no fruit yet. I have all Japanese hybrids which don’t cross pollinate well. Am waiting for younger AmeriPlum to blossom so I can get some fruit. Nice to hear you liked the Waneta. Sue
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Waneta has been in my plum block for about 7 years. It is a very good tasty plum of the old fashioned type before plums became cloyingly sweet. I have not enjoyed it in a few years because of blossom killing frosts and pollination issues that I think were due to cold weather during bloom. It is highly resistant to black knot.
This year the late frost was so bad that I lost most of my hybrid plum crop. Some of the leaves never recovered in places on my Toka.
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I grafted it onto an AU Rosa tree and it grew like mad. The only graft I’ve personally seen grow as vigorously was a Sweet Lavender Mulberry. I actually dug up the AU Rosa tree this winter and have it in a large root pouch container. It was getting too big (3-4" caliper) and was only about 5 feet away from other trees (bad planning on my part). I took a chance moving it but it seems to be doing well and all the varieties on it, including Waneta, have set fruit. It’s still early in the game, but hopefully I’ll get to try some. I grafted more Waneta on other trees this year, and they were my first grafts to show signs of success.
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Waneta has been most most successful plum, but I can’t say any of my other varieties have offered it much competition.
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I have toka nearby as pollinator…i have planted my trees according to what I have read regarding best pollinators and cross referencing…which takes a lot of time because the internet is full of a whole lot of nuthin…anyway…i have others in the area too… compass and sapalta chums…and now have Alderman and Black Ice and Prunus Nigra …which might have pollinated ?..but now several other hybrids in the area …I believe toka was considered best pollinator for Waneta
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I find sometimes its just the weather Sue…if you have had it too cool and wet as this spring is here and now…there just isn’t any bee activity…I have 2 hives here…left by a neighbour who manages them…the bees he says are doing well but I see lots of dead ones…peeled one off a leaf the other day to have a look at it…it was still alive but moving very slowly…just very cold I think.
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I have a Waneta grafted onto Nanking cherry and it bloomed slightly last year but this spring it is loaded with buds. This is one hardy plum if it blooms in my zone. I am glad to hear that Toka is a cross pollinator as mine will hopefully blossom this year. I say hopefully because the buds are there but I still could loose them to a spring frost.
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Finally fruit this year! Apparently liked the strange hot May/June we had, plus finally had good number of American Plum blooms for pollination, and they all survived our usual late spring freeze. Had a nice crop of Waneta’s, ripening over several weeks. They seemed similar to Gracious, medium size, tart skin, sweet yellow flesh. Made a very strong flavored sauce! Nice mixed with applesauce. Tree is vigorous, needs lots of pruning to keep it manageable size. I’d about given up on plums; glad I hadn’t cut this one down. Sue
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Im a big fan of Waneta. It reliably avoids late frost. Picking it at the right time takes a little practice, but worth it!
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After seeing your fruit I hope my one Waneta graft will eventually produce, after 2 years of growth I expect it should have fruit buds this next spring, Thanks for posting!
Dennis
Kent, wa
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Waneta is quick to fruit, but dont give up on it if its first fruits arent great. It took mine 3 years of fruiting to really shine.
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