I got an email from Stark Bros today advertising a new upright thornless low acid black berry called Stark Black Gem. Might have to order some for next year.
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I’m still looking for source for a Maraschino Cherry Tree. It’s my favorite fruit.
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According to this article, the marasca cherry really only grows well in sandy soil in Croatia. Apparently attempts were made to import it into the US, but they just didn’t taste the same when they were grown here.
http://www.thekitchn.com/getting-to-know-the-marasca-cherry-the-9bottle-bar-210631
Maybe you could experiment with some other varieties to get closer to the taste you want?
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Hah, you have a bite!
No, I think you’d be much more pleased with a Marshmallow tree, much more tasty. Just don’t let it rain on it! Check Stark Bros…
Has snipe season started in Kansas yet?
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My peaceful valley/grow organic trees didn’t arrive early at all. In fact, I distinctly remember that they were the very last company that I could order from this spring and it was after other companies were no longer even taking orders that I ordered my trees. They arrived not long after I ordered them…and it was in mid April for sure.
I’ve never tasted a spice zee but one thing I didn’t know when I ordered it but was VERY pleasantly surprised is how beautiful and different the tree looks. The leaves are all RED! So it really stands out in my orchard.
Don’t give too much thought to the mislabels. Almost every single company I’ve ordered from has sent me mislabeled trees (of course I don’t know that for 2-4 years) and Grow Organic probably has a lower percentage than most I’ve bought from. They sent me a fuyu persimmon instead of the Hachiya that I ordered. This was very easy to tell once it fruited. The other was a red haven peach tree. That was a few years ago and it was actually Olpea who clued me in when he noticed from a photo I posted that it had showy blooms and red haven has plain blooms. Not sure what it is but it’s given good peaches so I’m not too upset.
I really really wish I could find the photo I posted of all my grow organic trees so you could see them. It showed calipers and the root structures were all visible. For the most part they were good roots, and like I said, the trees have all done really well so I have no complaints.
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FOUND IT! Here is the best answer I could give to your question about how my grow organic trees looked. Every tree here is from them. Looks like I was wrong about when I got them, though…looks like it was March 20th, but I am sure I ordered them after most companies weren’t even taking orders any more.
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Thanks for the reply. I remember seeing those pics in March. Yeah, they look like they hacked the roots, but they are nice thick trees, with some good little scaffolds on them. The main thing is that they seem to being doing well in your location.
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Tempted too.
Oh, was he joking? I know in the US, it’s the processing, not the cherry that makes something called a maraschino cherry, but if you want to make a real, authentic maraschino cherry, you apparently need to use these marasca cherries. In another context or with “non fruit” people, I’d assume a joke, but someone looking for a real marasca cherry tree doesn’t seem like a far stretch with this group. 
And it’s bow season for snipe down here in Georgia right now—husband getting ready for rifle season on Saturday! 
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I ordered Windham russet scion from Fedco for grafting this season. Since you had a whip of this in '17, could you speak to its progress for you?
No fruit yet. Seems vigorous, but I’ve slowed its progress by turning it into a multigraft tree.
Even that much is good to know. Thanks.
I see you included Windham Russet in your impressive list. How has it done for you so far?
It’s on m.111 so no fruit yet. Probably not this year either because I’m using it as a multigraft and so have been cutting it back pretty hard. It’s one I’m excited about though.
Since this is a thread about what we ordered for 2017, I thought I’d post a follow up on how the things I bought then have done.
Apples- Alkmene (G11), Zestar and Suncrisp (both G30). All three are still going, every one produced a few fruit last year. Both G30 trees have been quite vigorous and are quite large, both are about 10 feet tall now, the G11 is shorter, about 7ft tall.
Pears- Starking Delicious (aka Maxine, on pear seeding rootstock), Harrow Sweet (OHxF87). Both trees are about 6ft tall, kinda spindly, no fruit yet. I think they have struggled because of high water table.
Peaches- Contender, Blushingstar (both Lovell)- both trees are quite large now, both weren’t trained the best, so they’re a bit too upright for my liking. Contender is about 8ft tall, BS a bit shorter. Both trees haven’t fruited yet, but have multiple blooms this year.
Blueberries- Patriot, Blueray, Bluecrop, Nelson- latter two are gone, first two are still around, but have struggled, no more than a couple feet tall. Lack of fertilizing, poor soil and or high water table prob the culprits. Got a few fruit off of Patriot two years ago.
Tart cherries- Juliet, Romeo, Crimson Passion- these are listed in order of their size and roots when shipped. J is about 6ft tall, 4ft wide, it bloomed last year a little bit, but nothing came of it. R is smaller, about 3ft tall, 1ft wide, bloomed some, no fruit. CP was a twig when I got it, about 8in tall, hardly any roots. It lasted a year in the ground before dying in '18, it never got going.
Gooseberries- Oregon Champion, Poorman, Hinnomaki Red, Jeanne. OC is the largest, about 4ft tall, couple feet wide, it’s produced a bigger crop each year since '18. Jeanne is about 2ft high, 2ft wide, hardly any production. Both Poorman and HR were puny sticks when I got them, HR died after one year, the other is still alive, but small, maybe 2ft x 1ft, no fruit yet.
Raspberries- I think I got Double Gold, Caroline, Prelude, Eden and Anne. The first three never sprouted, the latter two are still alive, both produced a small amount of berries last year.
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Oops, forgot I’d asked you already. Thank you for kindly responding both times. MM111 should make for a robust tree in years to come. I will probably put Windham to Geneva 30 & MM106, for myself and others.
Here’s hoping!
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Looking back to this year & post, none of these came to be, even the mention of Médaille d’Or. Md’O turned out to be Honeycrips.
Speaking of Médaille d’Or, so far, every distinctly cider apple has failed for me. A scion of a fairly new find from John Bunker/Fedco (Tarecap Bitter) may have a chance. I got it to take on a low branch of GoldRush. Then I tried to air-layer it. No go. While waiting to see if it would root over winter, I topped it and hope to graft Tarecap onto a stock of its own. Or three; might try one each of Geneva 30, MM106 & Geneva 890.
Wynoochee Early cannot yield good fruit in this extremely dry climate: bland & already soft at picking. In moderately damp conditions and less demanding light (Pacific Slope, where it was found) Wyn. Early can be excellent and keep from Sept-January.
CPR took onto Lord Lambourne. I moved it to a nearby orchard. It rooted there pretty well, but the graft union was so meager it broke away with a nudge two years later. (Lord Lambourne came up from the root last year. I recognized its leaf, having forgotten it was the root for CPR. This past winter I cut away a scion of it & contemplate putting it on north or east branches of my more mature trees.)
Ah, the plot twists in my yard!
Catshead/Pig Snout didn’t take at all. Having been reminded of it, maybe I can get it going for this friend next year.
Dave,
Harrison, Campfield, Wickson, and Hewe’s crab have all done very well for me in Kennewick
I should have fruit from Yates, Medale d’Or this year.
ChrisL: Sweet!
I bought Harrison & Hewes for the nearby orchard. They are getting along fine through the first year. I also shifted an extra Redfield & GoldRush to that place. The owners hope to make cider, along with brewing beer, & I get to play along.
Really curious to see how Médaille d’Or performs in our conditions.
(BTW, if you want to put that accent on the ‘e’ in Md’O, have numbers locked on, click Alt 0233 é.)
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This was my first year making cider, I was pleasantly surprised me how good it turned out.
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