Choosing, planting & growing berry bushes,

fruit & nut trees

www.vinlandvalleynursery.com785.594.2966

SINCE1998

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Home grown fruits and veggies are better for you.• When you grow your own food, you can keep it chemical-free.

• Improving the soil in your garden with compost and other natural fertilizers makes your food more nutritious.

• Growing your own food eliminates the need for energy con-suming, polluting long distance transportation to get fruits and vegetables to your kitchen.

Growing your own food is a fun, educational and and rewarding task. Whether you plant one tomato in a pot on your patio, or turn your entire lawn into an edible landscape, you can partici-pate in the production of your own food!

Great plants grown greenly!• We use biological and organic controls to keep insect pests out of the greenhouse in a safe way. There are no harmful chemical residues on our plants or in the soil. We have happy humming-birds, bees, praying mantises, ladybugs and butterflies through-out the greenhouses, and our farm has a healthy ecosystem.

• We feed our plants organic fertilizers so we don’t add to the de-mand for synthetic fertilizers, and we don’t contribute to excess chemical fertilizer run off into our local watershed. It also makes our plants healthier by eliminating stress from chemical burn-ing, and means they’re ready to grow in your garden without need for continued special applications of chemicals by you.

strawberry | 2

rhubarb elderberry | 3 blackberry red currant black currant

raspberry | 4 blueberry

grape | 5 gooseberry

apple | 6

cherry | 7 european & asian pears peach & apricot

plum | 8 pawpaw persimmon pecan, chestnut & hazelnut

strawberry | Fragaria spp.

SITE: Strawberries require direct, full sunlight for best production. Choose a sunny location in your garden with a soil pH of 6-6.5 (slightly acidic), and avoid planting where tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, raspberries, or black berries have grown within the past three years, as they can host fungi like Verticillium wilt, and attract insect pests that build up in the soil. Protect strawberry plants from deer, who love to eat fresh young plants early in the season.

PROPAGATION: Strawberries propagate themselves by sending out runners, which can be used to renew

the strawberry patch. Allow them to root and transplant to a new bed.

PLANTING & CARE: Mulch is easier to apply before planting — use straw or wood chips

over newspaper or cardboard. Synthetic weed mat is not recommended. Pinch off flowers the first summer to allow energy to go into the development of runners. Cover strawberry bed with straw in fall to protect from freeze and thaw cycles.

Remove mulch after last frost in spring and place into paths between rows. June-bearing vari-

eties will produce a vigorous crop of delicious fruit in the early summer of the second year, followed by

heavy runner production. Plant with everbearing variety for continuous strawberry production.

FERTILIZING: Feed with top-dressing of compost or liquid organic fertilizer in spring to boost plant vigor during flowering and again after fruiting to encour-age healthy runners.

Glossy red, long-necked fruit, ‘Ozark Beauty’ and ‘Eversweet’ have a mild, sweet flavor. Very pro-ductive everbearing varieties will bear fruit in late spring and again in fall. Zone 2

‘Surecrop’ and ‘Earli-Glow’ are popular June-bearing varieties, producing good crops in almost any grow-ing region or soil type. Firm fruit is useful for fresh eating or the freezer. Zone 2

Plant with June-bearing and everbearing for continu-ous fruit production.

Index

OUR BEE-FRIENDLY, PESTICIDE-FREE PLANTS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

Vinland Valley Nursery1606 N 600th RD

Baldwin City, KS 66006

Lawrence Farmers Market 824 New Hampshire St.

Lawrence, KS 66044

Cottin’s Hardware & Rental 1832 Massachusetts St.

Lawrence, KS 66044

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rhubard | Rheum rhabarbarum

Thick bright red or green stalks are tender and tart. Great for pies and sauces. An

heirloom garden classic. Perennial to Zone 3

‘Victoria’ is an heirloom variety with deep raspberry red at the base becoming

greener towards the leaf. It holds togeth-er well when cooked.

‘Crimson Red’ is one of the best for flavor. Sweet, yet pleasantly tart. Produces am-ple yields of plump, crimson stalks.

elderberry | Sambucus canadensis

You may see the large the white flower clusters of this native plant along roadways in summer. ‘York’ is a selection with medium sized

purple-black berries in August and September. Makes wonderful jams, jellies and wine! Prefering moist

soils, this shrub can grow in dry sites also but not as vigorously. Plants mature to a height of 6-10’ with a spread of 6-8’. Full sun to light shade. Zone 3-9

blackberry | Rubus fruticosis

SITE: Choose a sunny to partly shaded location in your garden with good drainage. Blackber-ries are adaptable to most soil types. Mulch new plantings to keep out weeds until shrubs reach a large enough size to keep weeds down on their own. Dig a hole to a depth level with the soil surface in the plant container or slightly higher. Plants should be spaced 3-4’ apart in rows 7-8’ apart. Trellising can be beneficial for cane support but is not required.

PRUNING: These summer-bearing plants produce fruit on sec-ond year canes. In the fall of the second year, prune spent canes at ground level and thin others to approximately 4 canes per foot. Cut off suckers growing outside of rows.

‘Triple Crown’ is a thornless, semi erect type plant bearing very heavy, large fruit with excellent flavor. A more wind resistant variety, its canes do not brake at base like some varieties. Fruit is borne on two-year old canes. Prune out fruit bearing canes after fruiting being careful not to cut new canes (next year’s fruiting canes). Grows 5-6’ in height.

‘Navaho’ is a thornless blackberry that is erect and self-support-ing. Glossy black berries are sweeter and firmer than some other thornless varieties with smaller seed size. This patented variety is very winter hardy and requires little maintenance. No wires or trellis needed.

red currant | Ribes rubrum

SITE: Grow in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers cool summer climates, so afternoon shade is necessary

in hot summer. Appreciates a good organic mulch and regular irrigation as needed

to keep roots uniformly moist. Plants are self-fertile. Space 3’ apart. May take 4-5 years for plants to become well-es-tablished and reach full fruit-bearing potential.

PRUNING: Stems older than 3 years should be removed when plants are dormant in late

winter or early spring.

‘Red Lake’ is an outstanding variety with clusters of bright red berries of good quality. Vigorous, disease resistant and cold har-dy. Semi-erect, compact, mounding, deciduous shrub grows 3-5’ tall. Clusters of greenish-yellow flowers bloom in spring. Flowers give way to long hanging clusters of bright red fruits ripening in July. Foliage is aromatic when crushed. Red currants, although tart, may be eaten ripe off the shrub, but are more often harvest-ed for jams, jellies and pies.

black currant | Ribes nigrumSITE: Choose a sunny or partially shaded location with a neutral to acid soil pH of 4.8 to 7.0. Add 50% compost or well-rotted manure to the exisiting soil before back filling. Plant slightly deeper than they were growing in their container. Plants should be spaced 3’ apart in rows 6’ apart. Immediately prune back to 2 buds to encourage vigorous growth. Mulch 2-4” deep around the plants to keep roots cool and moist. Straw, wood chips or grass clippings all work. Plants should be pruned in late winter or early spring when the plant is dormant. Black currants bear fruit on 1 year old wood, so each year, older canes should be removed. 12 canes per plant is an ideal number to maintain.

PRUNING: Unlike red currants, black currants produce most of their fruit on the previous year’s growth. Thus the bush should be pruned to encourage a supply of new wood each season. Older branches bear fruit, but quantity and quality decline with age. Vigorous young branches are kept to replace older ones cut out after harvest. Each year, about one third of the oldest stems and any weak or low stems should be pruned out. Old shoots can be identified by their very dark, almost black bark. Pruned shoots should be cut back to ground level or to a strong new shoot. Combine pruning with fruit picking or prune in winter.

HARVESTING: Pick black currants while they are dry and still firm, taking the whole string unless the fruit is to be used imme-diately. For fresh eating, make sure the berries are fully ripe.

‘Consort Black’ currants are extremely high in vitamin C. Even people who don’t like the fresh flavor enjoy juice, jams, tarts, and wines. In the Bordeaux region of France, black currant is made into a liqueur called cassis. Currant bushes can grow up to 6’ tall.

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blueberry | Vaccinium corymbosumSITE: Choose a well drained location in full to partial sun in a loamy or sandy soil with a pH of 4.5-5.2. At planting, dig a hole 18 inches deep and 18 inches wide and mix existing soil 50/50 with mushroom compost, leaf based compost or coir. Place the plant in the hole and fill around root ball with the remaining mix. Set plants 3-4’ apart with rows 6-8’ apart, alternating at least three cultivars for effective cross-pollination. Growth is slow and production will peak at 6-8 years of age.

MULCH: Apply wood-chip mulch generously in a 2’ wide band and a 4” depth.

FERTILIZER: Fruit production will improve with plant feeding twice a year. For best pro-duction, compost or organic fertilizer should

be spread over root zone once in spring before growth begins in March, and once again in May.

PRUNING: Raspberry canes are of two types, primocanes and floricanes. Primocanes are first year canes while floricanes are second-year fruiting canes. Summer red raspberries can be pruned twice a year, first in the spring and again after harvest. Spring pruning is done to remove weak canes and cut back tall canes to 4.5 - 5’. The second pruning involves removing canes that produced fruit immediately following the last harvest. Everbearing red raspberries can be pruned to produce fruit once or twice a year. If you follow the pruning methods used for summer red raspberries, they will produce fruit once in spring and once in fall. Some growers mow all canes to the ground in early spring to reduce work load and raspberries pruned this way will produce only one mid summer crop.

Black raspberries are pruned three times a year — in the spring, summer, and again after fruiting. The first pruning is done in spring, cutting lateral branches back to 8 - 10” in length in mid-March. The second pruning is called tipping or heading of new

canes or primocanes. When grown without supports, summer tipping is done when black raspberry canes reach 24” tall. Tipping is done by removing the top 2 - 3” of new shoots as they develop. The third pruning is done right after the harvest, and removes canes that have produced fruit.

SUPPORT: A trellis can help make the crop easier to manage and keep the canes off the ground so that berries are cleaner and easier to pick. Construct a trellis with support wires placed 2-3’ apart and 36” high.

‘Heritage Red’ is an everbearing variety bears fruit the first year. Produces light crop in spring, and a heavy crop in fall.

‘Fall Gold’ is an everbearing variety with golden yellow raspberries that are sweet as sugar. Great for freezing. Grows well in the midwest.

‘Nova Red’ is almost thornless and produces bright red berries early in the season. Slightly tart flavor perfect for jams, preserves or eat-ing right off the plant.

‘Jewel’ produces heavy yields of large black berries with excellent flavor. Highly disease resistant.

‘Prelude’ offers sweet, great big, firm red berries. Early to midseason summer bearing, this super producer has a nice long fruiting season.

WATER IS ESSENTIAL: Blueberry bushes have very shallow root sys-tems and are sensitive to water fluctuations. They need at least 1-2” of water each week. In dry seasons, supplemental water is essential to obtain good yields of high quality fruit.

PRUNING: Blueberry plants should have no more than sixteen canes - one or two for each year, up to eight years of growth. This is done by allowing only two canes to grow each year from the time bushes are planted until they are eight years old, when the oldest two canes should be an inch in diameter. Early in the ninth year, the two largest canes and all but the two largest one-year-old canes should be removed. When repeated annually, this technique mini-mizes uneven growth and production, the oldest canes are contin-ually replaced with the same number of new canes, and the bushes are kept a uniform size. Highbush blueberries will grow up to 4’ tall and yield large berries in late summer.

HARVESTING: Blueberries ripen over several weeks and require two to four pickings. Harvest begins in early July and extends into Sep-tember depending on the variety, weather and location. To pick by hand, gently roll berries between your thumb and forefinger, remov-ing fully ripe berries and leaving unripe berries for the next picking.

Considered the best all around variety for adapt-ability, consistent yields, high quality fruit and disease resistance, ‘Bluecrop’ is perhaps the most widely planted variety in the US. Large, high quality fruit ripening mid-season. Plants grow 4-6’ tall in an upright, open growth habit.

An old favorite and a versatile variety, ‘Blueray’ performs partic-ularly well in areas with hot summers or very cold winters, and produces high quality berries with outstanding dessert flavor. The rosy pink flowers turn bright white when in full bloom burgundy foliage in fall. Upright growing habit to 5’ high.

Selected for home gardeners who desire a cold-hardy variety with consistent crops, ‘Patriot’ has a low growing habit that reflects its partial lowbush parentage. It is adaptable to many soil types and makes an excellent landscape variety with its showy white blooms in the spring, dark green summer foliage, and fiery orange-red fall foliage. Large, tangy fruit, ripening early season. Plants grow 3-4’ high in an open, spreading growth habit.

Called a half-high, ‘Northland’ is a highbush x lowbush cross with medium-sized full flavored berries on a 4’ bush. One of the heaviest producing varieties grown, with higher yields nearing 20 pounds per bush at maturity.

raspberry | Rubus idaeus & Rubus occidentalis

SITE: Raspberries require a sunny site in well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Avoid chalky and alkaline soils that can cause poor growth and yellowing leaves.

MULCH: Essential for weed control and moisture conservation, hardwood chips and straw are the best choice for raspberries.

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‘Niagara Seedless’ is an excellent variety for regions with short growing seasons. Light green, turning pale yellow to whitish when ripe. Long, tapering clusters of large berries. Useful for desserts, juice and wine.

‘Catawba’ produces large, pink, seedless berries on vigorous, hardy vine. Fruit useful for fresh eating, but also used in the production of pink and rose wines. Over 100 years old, ‘Catawba’ produces a medium-bodied, sweet, fragrant wine with a straw-berry-like flavor. A good choice for colder regions with short growing seasons.

‘Mars’ is a vigorous, blue seedless grape. Clusters are medium sized, and vines are resistant to several major diseases. Foliage is late to leaf out, avoiding damage in frost-prone areas. Vines may bear fruit precociously, and production should be controlled on young vines to promote strong establishment.

‘Fredonia’ produces large clusters of blue-black medium to large berries ripen early and keep well. This V. labrusca is a standard juice and dessert variety.

‘Reliance’ produces large clusters of red, medium-sized seedless berries. Tender skins and melting flesh with a sweet flavor. Cold hardiness is among the highest of the seedless varieties.

‘Concord Seedless’ yields plump grapes with deep purple color and lots of juice. A single vine yields 30-40 fruit clusters.

‘Jupiter’ produces abundant, beautiful clusters of succulent seedless grapes that are good table grapes. As the grapes ripen in early midseason, their reddish-blue color ripens to deep blue. Good disease resistance.

gooseberry | Ribes uva-crispaSITE: Gooseberries are a long-lived fruiting plant that grow in full sun or part shade (we’ve seen them produce successfully in fairly heavy shade). Plant the canes slightly deeper than they were growing in their container. Plants should be spaced 3’ apart in rows 6’ apart. Mulch with straw, bark, or grass clippings to keep soil temperature and moisture even year round, and to control weeds.

FERTILIZING: Plants have only a moderate need for nitro-gen, and excessive amounts can actually promote diseases and mildew. Gooseberries do like a high amount of potassi-um — the symptom of potassium deficiency is scorching of leaf margins. Deficiency can be avoided with the addition of Texas greensand, kelp meal, wood ashes, compost or manure. Espoma Tomato-Tone is also a good source of potassium without a ton of nitrogen. Gooseberry plants also have a fairly high requirement for magnesium, so when liming the soil, use dolomitic limestone, which adds magnesium as well as calcium.

PRUNING: Plants can be pruned in late winter or early spring when dormant. Gooseberries bear fruit primarily on 2 and 3 year old wood, so equal numbers of 1, 2 and 3

year old shoots should be maintained to ensure a con-stant renewal of fruiting wood.

‘Pixwell’ is a classic variety with medium, pale green fruits becoming pink when ripe. Fruit borne on long pedicels with

few throns. Unpicked, ripe fruit will keep up to a week. Great for all culinary purposes.

‘Hinnomaki Red’ has outstanding flavor, its outer skin tangy while the flesh is sweet. This gooseberry is very productive with dark red medium sized fruit on upright plants. Very adaptable with good mildew resistance, ‘Hinnomaki’ begins fruiting in the first year of planting. Fruit is perfect for bottling and preserves, but if left to ripen fully can be used as a dessert gooseberry.

grape | Vitis spp.SITE: Grapes like a moderately acid soil (pH 5.5-6.0) and are not heavy feeders, so working some compost into

the soil is all that is needed to prepare the site. Grapes prefer full sun to light shade and don’t like wet feet. Good air circulation will reduce disease and mildew problems. Space grapes 8’ apart in rows 10-12’ apart. Soil should be lightly packed around each plant and well watered until roots have a chance to establish.

PRUNING: Since grapes can be very prolific and only bear fruit on 1 year old wood, they can be pruned and trained to get the most abundant harvest. The 4 arm Kniffen system is a basic pruning method commonly used:

use two strands of galvanized steel wires at 3’ and 6’ high on posts spaced 16’ apart. Grapes should be pruned in late winter or early spring before the buds have begun to grow.

In the first year, grapes should be tied to a stake and only the strongest two shoots alllowed to grow. The second year, pick the stronger of the two canes to be the main trunk of the vine. If the cane has only reached the first wire then restrict it to two shoots. If it has reached the top wire, once the shoots begin to grow remove all but the strongest 4 or

5 at each wire, these will be the arms of your grape vine. The third year it’s time to select the strongest cane going in each direction at each wire and prune to 3-4 buds in each cane. These will provide the fruiting wood for next year. The first fruiting year will be the fourth. Select the stronger cane at each wire and prune to 6-10 buds each. This cane will bear the grapes. Also leave one shoot in each direction pruned to 2-3 buds. This will supply next year’s fruiting canes and is called a spur. Subsequent years require pruning back the previous year’s wood and selecting a new fruiting branch and spur.

FERTILIZER: Feed with compost or organic fertilizer about a month after planting in spring or summer. Fall planted grapes can wait for fertilizer until the following spring.

HARVEST: Grapes are harvested in the fall. Fruit color will change before the grapes are actually ripe, so it’s a good idea to taste before picking — fruit will not ripen once it has been picked! Fruit is useful for fresh eating, pies, jelly and jams. Also used to produce America’s original dessert wine, ‘Concord’ is famous for its deep purple color and classic sweetness.

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One of the most favored grown or eaten anywhere, ‘McIntosh’ apples are soft, sweet and juicy. Ripens early to mid-September. Self-fertile. Good pollinator for ‘Cortland’.

‘Red Delicious’ produces medium-sized, striped to solid red fruit. Light yellow, crisp and sweet flesh. Fresh eating and salad variety. Semi-dwarf (12-15’ tall, 14’ wide). Late blooming. Pair with ‘Yellow Delicious’ or ‘Honeycrisp’.

‘Honeycrisp’ has it all — flavor, crispness, and a storage life of up to 7 months. Mid to late season apple ripens in late September. Considered one of the best. Plant with ‘Red Delicious’ or ‘Yellow Delicious’ for cross pollinating.

‘Yellow Delicious’ produces medium-sized, bright golden-yellow fruit. Firm, crisp and juicy flesh. Good for fresh eating and cooking. Semi-dwarf (12-15’ tall, 14’ wide). Late blooming. Pair with ‘Red Deli-cious’ or ‘Honeycrisp’ for pollenizer.

‘Cortland’ produces large red apples are extra juicy, with tangy sweet-tart flavor. Excellent in fresh salads, as flesh does not brown after cutting. Good eating, canning and pie apple. Ripens in mid to late September. Plant with ‘McIntosh’ for pollenizer.

‘Winesap’ is an old apple cultivar of unknown origin.[1] The apples are sweet with a tangy finish. It can be used for eating, cooking or making juice. It is very resistant to mildew. dark red, round and medium sized; the skin of this apple is firm, and the flesh is crisp and exceptionally juicy with a creamy yellow hue.

‘Winesap’ apples are highly aromatic with a balanced sweet-tart taste and get their name due to their distinctive spicy wine like flavor. Pair with ‘Cortland’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Gala’ and ‘Granny Smith’.

‘Fuji’ was developed in Japan, but is an all-American cross of ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Ralls Janet’. A very attractive modern apple, crisp, sweet-flavoured, and keeps well, which is they they are often avail-able in the grocery store. A self-fertile variety.

‘Gala’ apples were discovered in 1934 in New Zealand and made their way into the U.S. market in the 1970s. Fruit is pale golden yellow with red stripes, with a firm, crisp interior that is mildly sweet and vanilla-like. Has a thinner skin than most. Self-fertile, but plant with ‘Winesap’, Cortand’, ‘Granny Smith’, ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Red Delicious’ for cross-pollinizing.

‘Braeburn’ apples were discovered in 1952 as a chance seedling grow-ing in a New Zealand orchard. The parentage is unclear, but both ‘Lady Hamilton’ and ‘Granny Smith’ apples were growing on near-

by trees. Produces medium-sized yellow fruit. Self-fertile.

‘Granny Smith’ apples originated in Australia in 1868 when Maria Ann (Granny) Smith found a seedling growing by a creek on her property and found the light green fruit to be great for both cooking and snacking. Self-fertile, but production will increase if planted with ‘Yellow Delicious’ and ‘Gala’.

Growing fruit & nut trees | all VVN fruit trees are semi-dwarf, 15’ high x 15’ widePLANTING: Amend soil by mixing up to 50% compost with existing soil.. Plant tree so soil level in container is level or slightly higher than surrounding soil. Water in to remove air pockets around roots and mulch with wood chips. The first season, water regularly to establish tree.

FERTILIZING: Adequate nutrition is essential for quality fruit production. The best thing you can do is top-dress with compost every year. A general rule of thumb for adding additional fertilizer is to apply a combined 2/3 pound of bone meal and 1/3 Texas greensand to each tree the first year, double that the second year, and triple the third and subsequent years. Fertilizer should be broadcast on the soil surface around the drip line of the tree. The “drip line” is the circular line at the outer ends of the branches.

SCAFFOLD TRAINING: Improperly trained fruit trees have very upright branch angles which can result in ex-cessive vigor and serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load. Larger branches can be spread out using short wooden boards with a notch cut in each end to catch the branch. Hanging weights on branches or tying it down with string wrapped loosely around the limb are other useful methods for spreading branches. All upright growth from scaffold branches should be pulled down to a horizontal position or removed.

apple | Malus pumila

PRUNING: Pruning fruit trees during winter dormancy will invigorate the tree and cause it to grow and branch more the following season. It’s best to do dormant pruning in late winter or early spring, after the risk of severe freeze is over. Be sure to remove any dead or diseased wood also. After the tree resumes growth in the spring, continue to train the scaffold branches of the tree as you did the previous growing season. Prop lateral branches out to a 50 to 60 degree angle. Summer pruning will devigorate the tree and cause it to grow less in that growing season.

FRUIT THINNING: To ensure good fruit size, return bloom for the following year, and to prevent tree breakage, it is necessary to thin the fruit. Every apple blossom results in a bloom cluster of 5 to 6 blossoms. Apples should be thinned when they are about the size of a dime. Cut off enough fruit so that the remaining apples are spaced 4-6” apart, and leave only one fruit per cluster. It may seem like very few fruit remain, but you will harvest higher-quality fruit, potentially reduce insect and disease problems, and increase the chances for a full crop the next season.

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‘Montmorency’ produces large, tart, red fruit. Firm, juicy, yellow flesh. Use for pies and canning. Self-fertile. Semi-dwarf (12-15’ tall, 14’ wide).

Large, sweet, black fruit and dark red, firm, crisp, meaty flesh, ‘Black Tartarian’ is good for fresh eating or canning. Plant with ‘Bing’ for pollination. Semi-dwarf (12-15’ tall, 14’ wide).

The most famous sweet cherry variety, ‘Bing’ produces a very large, delicious cherry that ranges in color from a deep garnet to almost

black. The skin is smooth and glossy and the flesh is firm, juicy, and sweet. Bing cherries are great for cooking as well as out-of-hand eat-ing. Plant with ‘Black Tartarian’ for cross-pol-lination. Semi-dwarf (12-15’ tall, 14’ wide).

Fragrant blooms of ‘Stella’ cherries open in early April followed in June and July by large heart-shaped, dark reddish-black cherries. And it’s self-fertile! Semi-dwarf (12-15’ tall, 14’ wide)

cherry | Prunus aviumPRUNING: A properly pruned cherry tree should have a scaffold shape, meaning that there are branches circling the tree perpendicular to the leader. There should be an area of about 2’ between each level to allow light to reach the lower leaves and fruit. Cherry trees should be pruned in late winter, encouraging the plant to grow more during the growing season. The first level of branches should begin about 2-3’ above ground level. Branches should be either weighted down or tied loosely to string to promote outward growth as opposed to vertical growth. The outward growing branches will produce more fruit and grow less vigorously. Pruning cherry trees during summer will inhibit growth, and can be done to control size in mature trees. Pruning cherry trees too early in the winter may make the tree vulnerable to bac-terial infections.

peach & apricot | Prunus persica & Prunus armeniacaOPEN SCAFFOLD TRAINING: The open center system is good for peach and nectarine trees for maximum sunlight exposure, maximum yield, and best quality. Top the central leader and allow well-spaced side shoots to develop. Each year, remove diseased, broken, and low-hanging limbs and vigorous upright shoots that may have developed on the inside of the main scaffolds.

PRUNING: Pruning fruit trees during winter dormancy will invigorate the tree and cause it to grow and branch more the following season. Do dormant pruning in late winter or early spring after risk of severe freeze is over. Remove dead or diseased wood also. After tree re-sumes growth in the spring, continue to train the scaffold branches of the tree as you did the previous growing season. Prop lateral branch-es out to a 50 to 60 degree angle. Summer pruning will devigorate the tree and cause it to grow less in that growing season.

FRUIT THINNING: Ensure good fruit size and prevent tree breakage by thinning fruit. Approximately three to four weeks after bloom or when the largest fruit are as large as a quarter, fruits should be removed by hand so that the remaining peaches are spaced about every 8”.

POLLINATION: Self-pollinating, but production will increase when two or more varieties are planted together. All of the following trees are semi-dwarf, growing 12-15’ tall, 14’ wide.

‘Belle of Georgia’ produces good yields, hardiness and disease re-sistance. Rosy-pink peaches with juicy white flesh. ripen in August. Freestone.

Peach ‘Red Haven’ is a yellow freestone fruit with a red skin. Excel-lent fresh or for freezing, this cultivar has replaced Elberta as the standard for peach perfection! Frost hardy and self-fertile.

Apricot ‘Moorpark’ is the best red apricot with large firm fruits that are a favorite for eating fresh. Ripens late June to early July. Self-fertile.

‘Hale Haven’ fuit is yellow flesh and free-stone. Fully ripe by August.

European pear | Pyrus communisPRUNING: Same as Peach/Apricot

‘Bartlett’ is the best known pear. Medium-sized or larger fruits are ripe when they turn completely yellow and give off a sweet aroma. Self-fertile, but can be planted with ‘Summercrisp’ to boost fruit production.

Most pear trees do not grow well in cold climates, but ‘Summercrisp’ is an early-season pear that thrives in the upper midwest. Blooms in May with fruits reaching maturity in mid-Au-gust. Flesh is sweet, firm and crisp. Plant with ‘Moonglow’ or ‘Bart-lett’ for cross-pollination. Shape, flavor and texture of ‘Red Anjou’ is much like their green counterparts, but their rich maroon color sets this variety apart, as a showy pear among pears in a fruit bowl or basket!

Asian pear | Pyrus pyrifolia

Crisp texture and good to eat as soon as harvested or for several months after picking if held in cold storage. Asian pears do not change texture after picking as do European pears. Often called apple pears because they’re crisp and juicy. Also called salad pears. Asian pear varieties are partially self-fruitful but better crops are set where two or more varieties are planted together.

One of the best flavored Asian pears, ‘Chojuro’ has the crisp texture of a good apple and flavor sometimes described as butterscotch. Keeps well in storage for a very long time (reportedly up to six months). Fruit ripens in mid August to September.

‘Shinseiki’ is a Japanese clear-skinned yellow type with medium size good to excellent flavored fruit that ripens up to a month earli-er than other varieties.

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pawpaw | Asimina trilobaPawpaw evolved before the bees, and are therefore not pollinated by them! Instead, carrion flies and beetles are attracted to meat-colored, downward facing, stinky blooms. Though they will set fruit with-out pollination, you can boost production by hand-pollinating with a small paintbrush. Seed-ling grown trees will have enough genetic vari-ability to allow cross-pollination. Wonderful large, 6-12” drooping leaves. This native tree produces purple flowers before the leaf buds open in April and May, followed by edible, waxy, irregular-shaped fruit with banana-like flavor. Fruits are greenish-yellow and mature to black, and you have to be quick to beat wildlife to these delicious fruits! An understory tree growing 15-20’ that prefers afternoon shade.

persimmon | Diosporus virginia Persimmons are tough and provide tasty fall fruit! Pyramidal to oval habit with green foliage turning yellow to reddish purple in fall. Fragrant white lily-of-the-valley-like flowers in late spring are followed with 1 1/2” yellowish-red to pale orange berries, which ripen in fall. Fruit does not keep well, which is why they are a rare find in the grocery store. Adaptable to very dry conditions, trees grow 35-60’ tall with a 20-35’ spread. Persimmons require a second tree for pollination and bear fruit at 4-5 years. Trees are long-lived, lasting an average 60 years. Native from Connecticut to Florida, and west to Texas and Kansas.

fig | Ficus carica In the ground or in a container, figs are heat and drought tolerant, pest and disease resistant. Young, green fruit ripens over time into a brown/purple color. Figs taste great fresh off the tree or dried. Both varieties are self-pollinating and require protection below 10ºF.

‘Brown Turkey’ is an all-purpose fig delicious fresh and preserved and may yield 2 sepa-rate crops in locations with a long growing season. Ripens in June.

‘Celeste’ is sugar sweet with rich flavor. Fruit has violet skin and rose-colored flesh. One of the most widely planted fig trees. Ripens in July.

pecan | Carya illinoensis

This massive shade tree is the pecan producer of the in-dustry. Lustrous, dark green foliage does not provide much fall color, but the nuts more than make up for this short-coming. Begins to bear nuts in 6–10 years, producing an average of 70–150 pounds of nuts per year.

Best growth occurs in moist, well drained soil. It is native from Indiana and Iowa to Texas and Mexico. Grows 70-100’ high with a spread of 40-75’ at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24” per year. Has a lifes-pan of 300 years or more.

The nuts are favored by squirrels, deer, raccoons, foxes, wild tur-keys, woodducks, crows, bluejays and several other bird species. Larval host to the gray hairstreak.

chestnut | Castanea mollissima

As the American chestnut succumbs to disease, the blight-resistant Chinese chestnut is gaining popularity. Trees grow 30-60’ tall and 20-40’ across at a

slow to medium rate.

Plant two trees to ensure pollination. Trees grown from seed will begin to

produce nuts around age 7-8 years. Har-vest in mid-late September to October.

Superior production and above average nut size provides enough food to share

with wildlife including game birds and nec-tar for hummingbirds.

hazelnut | Corylus americana

The American hazelnut or filbert is native to the eastern United States. Tasty nuts are highly prized by cooks for their easy-to-crack shells and small, sweet kernel. Self-pollinating, but planting 2 or more shrubs will ensure a good crop.

Grows to a height of 15–18’ and a spread of 10–12’ at a medium to fast rate, with height increases of anywhere from 13” to more than 24” per year. Will begin producing nuts approximate-ly 2–3 years after planting. Harvest from September to October. Hazelnut hedges can be used as windbreaks, visual screens, and to attract wildlife.

plum | Prunus domestica

PRUNING: Prune in June. Pyramidal form is best. Once trees have reached 12-15’, restrict pruning to new growth not bearing fruit this year.

FRUIT THINNING: When the largest fruit are as large as a quarter, fruits should be removed by hand so that the remaining plums are spaced about ev-ery 8 inches. Fruit thinning will allow the remain-

ing fruit to develop and prevent damage to the tree.

‘Mount Royal’ is a very hardy self- fertile European plum with blu-ish-black freestone fruit that’s meaty, tender, sweet and juicy. Good for all uses, including drying as prunes. Ripens mid-season in late August. One of the best and hardiest plums for the backyard, it was discovered in 1913 in Quebec, Canada.