Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] Exploring fruit management methods

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Moyer, Richard" <ramoyer@king.edu>
  • To: "'nafex@lists.ibiblio.org'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Exploring fruit management methods
  • Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 17:22:10 -0400

Tom wrote, in part:
>In regards to organic versus pesticide use, I can only compare my sister
>in-law's orchard to my father in-law's.
>She follows all the prescribed organic practices religiously, while he uses
>a relaxed spray program only.
>When her meager crop of apples is exhausted, she eats her Dad's.

Comparisons from our area: Much of the apple crop we preserve each year is
from abandoned homesteads or from neighbors trees with absolutely no human
care, whether organic or conventional. With deer in charge of cleaning the
orchard floor, the incidence of apple maggot, coddling moth and plum
curculio is quite low here for many cultivars. Two buckets of apples
converted into sauce yesterday had 3-4 apples with worms in the core. Here
in East Tenn, there are many more bearing apple trees than folks willing to
process them. We generally select the biggest, soundest fruit for
conversion to sauce or apple butter.

Yet, for over 20 fruits we grow, apples still are the most susceptible to
damage by bugs and disease. This is why we explore other fruits, and how
our pantry has such variety. An example: a tree full of 'perfect' pears is
easier to achieve than one of 'perfect' apples in our area. I'm glad we're
exploring and sharing what works for others and what works for us.
Richard Moyer
Zone 6, East Tenn., 1800'
P.S. Doc wrote that USDA/ARS and State Extension fruit
releases/recommendations were not of value to you. Some of my best
cultivars were selected by volunteers or staff at such sites. Have you
visited Clemson trial grounds to see/help identify what works there? Hort
Researcher Greg Reighard has been trialing unusual fruits in SC for years.
Walker Miller at http://www.thehappyberry.com/index.html tells of many
fruits they have trialed in upstate SC and what works for them.





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page