Just ordered four Ochlockonee Rabbiteye Blueberry Plants and a Li Jujube Tree from Isons. My first time ordering from Isons.
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I added a Liberty on G.30 and Harrow Sweet pear on OHxF 87, so my updated order:
Apples
- Ashmead’s Kernel - G.935
- CrimsonCrisp (Co-op 39) - G.30
- CrimsonTopaz - G.30
- Golden Russet - G.222
- Newtown Pippin - G.30
- Winecrisp (Co-op 31) - G.30
- Liberty - G.30
Pears
- Harrow Sweet - OHxF 87
I have 5 year old GoldRush and Sundance trees right now. Am I missing anything for Zone 6b, upstate NY? I considered the following:
- Pristine - not available on a semi-dwarf rootstock, or I’d probably choose it over Newtown Pippin
- Arkansas Black
- Pixie Crunch
- Suncrisp - thinking I already have a lot of green/yellow apples, and Ashmead’s Kernel and Golden Russet seem like better additions to my current GoldRush and Sundance trees
- Zestar - wasn’t wowed by this from our farmer’s market, not a super firm apple and didn’t keep well
- NY 35 (Bonkers) - seems Liberty is probably a better choice, not many reviews of this apple
- King David
- Chestnut Crab
These are probably the last 8 trees I have space for. I’ve tasted Crimson Crisp, Topaz, and Zestar, but none of the others. I’m most on the fence over Newtown Pippin and Winecrisp. I’ve mostly prioritized disease resistance (hoping to spray mainly for bugs) and keeping qualities. I might still swap the Newtown Pippin for Pristine if it becomes available, since it seems to be one of the best and earliest of the summer apples. I’m thinking Newtown Pippin is similar and not as great as GoldRush, which I already have. I’m open to suggestions. 
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So far → Coe’s Transparent cherry and Parkhill cherry from Arboreum. I’ve been wanting to try some guigne cherries and these are about the only two I’ve found available. I’ll probably order some plum and cherry rootstock from Raintree. The Raritan Rose peach I planted late last year didn’t make it so I might try to find one of those (sometimes Grandpa’s has them) or I’ll try to get some scion wood. I really need to curtail planting new stuff and focus more on grafting. Even so, I might add a cold hardy muscat grape if it is feasible. Also, I might add some black raspberries and rip out blackberries since they are prone to SWD damage due to ripening later.
Raintree has Pristine on M26 (and M27 and Antonovka), if that rootstock is OK for you:
http://www.raintreenursery.com/Pristine_M26.html
All my apples in my little orchard haven’t beared yet, so my opinions on tastes come from samples from an orchard west of us in central KY. All are just my opinions, others on here will differ.
Zestar IMO is a good early apple, don’t know if it’s better than Pristine, because I haven’t tasted it yet. I have both trees. Zestar keeps a good while compared to other early apples, and has a good acid/sweet balance.
Arkie Black is a very late maturing apple, so it may not ripen in time for your location? But so does Gold Rush, so that kinda kills that argument… But, I’ve had AB’s and they just don’t cut it for me. It is a very hard apple off the tree, and its flavor didn’t really improve in storage.
Suncrisp is a very good apple, both off the tree, and in storage. Winecrisp is a decent firm apple, but it’s flavor is just OK to me. I also have both of these varieties as well as a King David, but no taste of it yet.
Golden Russet is one of my favorites, and Liberty is a good tasting disease-resistant apple. Those are good choices.
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I’d probably swap out Winecrisp with Suncrisp. I’ve had both several years from a local grower and Winecrisp can have some savory off flavors that I don’t like. Good, as in no off flavor, Winecrisp apples just never had much going on, to me. I had my first crop of Suncrisp this year, and it matches the professionally-grown product. Another yellow apple in that late-season storage window from PRI with disease resistance is Sundance. I haven’t had Sundance.
I got some Newtown Pippin at the grocery store this year. (yay!) I’d say it moved to a high position on the list of my “to graft” varieties. But since stone fruit aren’t an every-year sort of crop here, those Pristine in late July are good. But Pristine can’t hold a candle to main-crop and late-season varieties.
If you bought Pristine, you’d still have a decent gap in apple ripening. Some potential apples for that gap would be Sweet Sixteen and Honeycrisp. Sweet Sixteen can be amazing. This year for me Sweet Sixteen had big-time anise flavor, but other times it is a mix of apple and cherry candy. Sweet Sixteen gets high praise all around. But the anise can be a detractor, if you don’t love licorice flavor (I do).
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If you want to pick from those three I would pick Suncrisp and one of the other two. Ashmead’s Kernel and GR are both high-sugar russets without a lot of aromatics; Suncrisp is not a russet and is highly aromatic. Suncrisp is a much easier grower, at least for me on my minimal spray program. GR in my orchard is “Great Rotter” 
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Great input. I love this place. I will definitely add Suncrisp, probably replacing Winecrisp. Are Ashmead’s Kernel and Golden Russet similar? I was under the impression GR was nearly all sweet and Ashmead’s was intensely sweet and tart, but you have me rethinking this. I’m hoping rotting won’t be a problem in zone 6. If Ashmead’s and GR are similar maybe I have room for another tree.
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Thanks for the input on Zestar. We only tried them once and it may not have been the best sample. Then again, my wife really enjoyed them and detected some unique qualities. I think I’m probably just more impressed at the moment by firm apples like GoldRush and CrimsonCrisp, having grown up with Mac style apples. I would like to try Pristine and Zestar together and compare.
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You’re welcome. I’m not familiar with Ashmead’s, but have sampled Golden Russet a couple of years. GR is very tart and somewhat sweet off the tree. It has a crunchy texture and can keep for months. It can really get sweet in storage. It is one of my favorite varieties. To my inexperienced palate it kinda reminds me of a Goldrush, which is also very good.
I’m growing one on G222, but it has struggled in its present location. I don’t know if it’s the rootstock, or the location. I tend to think the latter as the soil is not real rich, and tends to accumulate water over heavy rain periods. I plan on moving it to a better place next year.
Zestar is a very good apple for its harvest time, I think it is a less intensely flavored version of a Honeycrisp. Which makes sense as they are related. We’re growing both varieties.
I’m growing Pristine on M7, but have never tasted one. I got it based on its reviews on here and other sites. We might get some to sample in a couple more years. @mrsg47 has grown them, I believe. She’s not too far from you in RI.
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I’m probably going to order:
Tomcot on Lovell
Crimson Sky Pom
B/H/SAT/SHR/METH Asian Plum on St. Julian
Noir de Spain Mulberry
Indian Free on Citation
Poorman gooseberry
Myraj black currant
Jewel black raspberry
from Raintree. A lot of that is based on Scott’s recommendations.
I’m kind of worried about the rootstock choices, since one of the nursery websites I looked at said Lovell was bad in clay soil. My clay is well drained, since the whole yard is sloped towards a drainage ditch, but it’s still heavy on red clay.
I had my eye on a quad grafted peach from GrowOrganic, but I didn’t really want to pay $30 in shipping for 1 tree (flat fee 1-10 trees) nor get my trees in Dec/January (if I get more) since they ship immediately. I would have liked Wilson’s quad apricot too, but I suppose it is going to be grafting time instead.
I’d like to get a Springhigh blueberry, but flat shipping from JF&E is a bit much again.
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Ordered some lower chill trees from Bay Laurel, for January delivery.
Santa Barbara Peach on Nema.
Suncrest Peach on Lov.
June Pride Peach on Nema.
Kaweah Peach on Lov.
4-N-1 Zee Sweet Nuggets on Cit.
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Ashmead’s is more sour by a bit. The texture of Ashmead’s is also more dry by a bit and a bit more rich in flavor. But they are both sweet/sour apples with a rich flavor and without a lot of aromatics.
Lovell does fine in clay. The key is to plant on mounds, or in raised beds.
Just remember to check the base every summer for peach-tree borers.
I grow peaches on Lovell in hard Virginia red clay with good success rate. Almost all of the failures occur where the topsoil has been scraped and I am dealing with rock hard clay.
And as Scott mentioned in the really bad spots I grow in raised 4 ft x 4ft x 1ft containers with good success rate. I also have tried Bailey rootstock and planted Siberian C rootstock this year.
Hi Richard. Where did you get your Siberian C rootstock? I’ve seen Rolling River Nursery selling it as 2 year old trees, though currently not in stock.
I misspoke - it should have been I planted Siberian C peach to grow rootstock. I understand that Siberian C keeps attributes when grown from seed. You can order potted Siberian C peach trees from https://www.mandala.farm/store/p26/Siberian_Peach_Tree.html. They are potted trees Cost was $25.00 plus $15.00 to ship. They are small trees.
Thank you. I hadn’t spotted them having it. Best of luck with your endeavors.
Aww man now I want that peach tree. I thought I would graft my own peaches to St. Julian A rootstock from Raintree, but that was a failure. The 3 I bought failed to thrive, and are either dead or smaller then then when the arrived. I finally broke down and ordered a 3:1 combo peach for 2018. Mandala Farms is great, is local to me. The owner even dropped off my order and saved me delivery costs. I am not going to poach ether of his last 2 in stock but I thin I might visit the farm sometime next year maybe he has some to big to ship with good scaffolds.
I emailed Mandala Farms, they are supposed to have seedlings next spring for sale.