The pears barely set fruit, and the apples aren't looking great. Plums look pretty good. These are purple leaf, purple plum "Hollywood". They are my favorite. Here are the starts of some persimmons. The Japanese variety "Saijo" does fairly well for me, and the Ukrainian variety "Nikita's Gift" does even better. Both bloom later than any of my other fruit trees, and ripen later too (November and December). These Pawpaws (Asimina triloba) are the variety "Mango" even though they are not even closely related to mangos. Only two bunches this year, but that's a blessing. The last time there were any was about four years ago. It's OK, they are a real treat, they can't be bought at grocery stores, there are no pawpaw orchards here, so it's worth it for me to grow them even if production is very low. My grandfather used to grow pawpaws in the Mississippi River valley many decades ago. I think he had better luck than I do. This peach is the genetic dwarf variety "Garden Gold". This looks like it will be a good year for this one. I like growing a diversity of fruit types because something always has an "off year". There is usually something else having a boom year. This year there were no sweet cherries, and only enough tart cherries for one pie. I have to pit those tomorrow. Figs look very promising. Grape look semi promising. We might get some apples this year.
Daniel, when we lived up north, we learned that persimmons were tastier after a frost. Your fruits look good, and I hope you get to enjoy a good harvest!
Looking good Daniel! I think my apples and pears are having an "off year" as well. And the plums were looking great until I discovered that they have all been eaten by chipmunks GRR
No possum in the persimmons Sjoerd but they love the grapes. I was going to continue the alliteration but somehow potatoes, parsnips and pickles don't seem to belong on the list.
@marlingardener when I grew up in Illinois that's what my dad used to say too. These are "astringent" persimmons. When they are firm, they are like eating alum. When they ripen soft as an overripe tomato, they are rich and sweet, like apricot syrup with spices. Ripening just takes time but freezing can also remove the astringency. Or put them into a bag with banana for a few days. Bananas release ethylene which causes persimmons to ripen. Here are some of the Nikita's Gift persimmons a few years ago. They are a hybrid of Asian and American, with size between American and Asian, sweetness of Asian and the richness of American persimmons.
I've never heard of a persimmon Daniel. I've heard of a pawpaw, but never seen one. These are very interesting. What do you do with them? Eat them fresh? Very cool.
Every year sure is different isn't it Mart. What do you do with persimmons? Sounds like an amazing part of your local growth harvest. My Dad used to live where wild asparagus grew - they were a very poor and large family living in canvas tents at the time (during the depression) - they, as kids, would pick it and sell it on the road side. Are Persimmons a local gold nugget like this? I would think so. They sound delicious! ( Mel thinks she may have to travel to Texas at some time in her life to try one.....)
@Melody Mc. persimmons are popular in East Asia, mainly China, Korea, Japan, and there are types that can be eaten firm and crisp, other types like mine that need to be very soft, almost syrupy. The best description I've seen, is the syrupy types taste like spiced apricot drenched in honey. We just eat them fresh. The trees are becoming more productive so maybe I can make persimmon jam this year. Most of the varieties are purely female, some require a separate variety to pollinate and others don't. Most American persimmons require a male to pollinate, but mine are newer types that don't. When I bought this place in 2012 it was abandoned but the house was mostly good. Most of the property was grass with some fir trees and one large horse chestnut. A row of evergreens next to the house had to be cut down for wildfire abatement. I wanted to experiment and grow trees that would not be a wildfire risk (or not as much), and grow fruits and nuts that can't be found in grocery stores. Led Reich's book, "Uncommon Fruits For Every Garden" inspired me to try lots of different varieties. Most have not worked out but some are fun. There was a Home Orchard Society group in the area until recently. They were also interested in unusual fruits, but they are dow defunct. We have two acres but about 1/4 is easements. I think I've planted 30 fruit trees and 20 non-fruit trees, including four hybrid chestnut trees, and some for pollinating insects (lindens, alpine eucalyptus). Also kind of an experiment to see what grows in the changing climate. The chicken yard has timber bamboo, which is thriving. I have five persimmon trees. Two bear well. One bears a little. The others are still too small.
That's incredible Daniel. Thank you for explaining. Your own orchard! I'm not sure how you fit it all in, but I'm sure it is a lovely oasis. A job well done for sure. ( dreaming of tasting a syrupy apricot dripping in honey now.....) Part of having food allergies is trying to find new things that are not part of the regular diet. These would definitely fit hahaha. Very creative garden!
It's actually a not-so lovely mess! But things seem to be sorting themselves out more or less. Deer don't touch the pawpaw leaves, and a lot of the fruit trees are generally above deer salad bar height. They don't need much maintenance now, other than hand pollinating the blossoms, with minimal success at that. The fig trees are pretty low maintenance and provide some privacy with their big leaves. The deer haven't bothered those this year either. The persimmons aren't much trouble either. None, really. The plums usually need thinning, and the peaches do too, in a good year. I used to plant herbs around the fruit trees. i don't know if they served a purpose, but it's fun having the scent of oregano, or lemon balm, or mints while doing stuff with the trees.
