Ontario Fruit Explorers

["bert dunn" <helbert@idirect.com>]

Good morning Tom
Sorry to hear the OK Corral did not meet your long term expectations. Know
you put a lot of blood/sweat/tear/and maybe some 4 letter words at the
"Corral". Never did get to see it except in photos.
Did not have die back on the Titanias this summer in spite of some
blistering heat.
Glad St Croix continues to live up to its reputation of being very cold
hardy. Ours have never winced at the cold nights in 10 +  years here.
As far as I saw had no disease on the Ben Lomand, will keep an eye on it
this coming summer.
I am almost positive my 'unknown' black currant is not Titania. I had it
before I ever heard of Titania (thro Bert Andrews wines).
Perhaps of interest to some, this spring I gifted a handful of Crandall
suckers to Fort McMurray (zone 1) to a chap also has some Prairie Star from
me. While he is taking measures to protect his grapes, I asked him not to
'protect' the Crandalls just to see how hardy they are. Suckers did well
this summer will know in spring how they handle zone 1. Brad sent by e-mail
some pictures of his
 planting.Unhappily when I tried to send a copy of same to a chap in Yukon,
on
permasfrost who wants to try grapes, the photos themselves did not send-
just an empty square in the e-mail
Tom, have note in my day-timer to start figs for you in March.
Cheers                     Bert


>
> I have not visited my little currant patch in the old corral for quite a
> while.  I should transfer out the currants that are still thriving
> (surviving) this spring.
>
> For those that not familar with my corral...  It is a 90'x 30' loading pen
> for cattle, abutting a 300 acre pasture.  I thought it would be great, but
> it was horrible.  Only later did I learn that part of the 300 acre pasture
> was a gravel pit.  When the loading pen got mucky (wall to wall cattle
> will do that) they dumped gravel in the loading pen.  They did that for
> many, many years.  Great drainage, great nutrient value, but weeds are the
> only thing that seem to thrive in the gravel.  In summer it is impossible
> to keep moist.  Digging a hole requires a pick and a lot of sweat.
>
> Nothing like a harsh environment to eliminate stragglers.  Only some of
> the currants survive.
>
> My backyard Titania produce, but they die back when it gets hot in late
> summer.
>
> The grapes in the corral have all died, except for a mislabeled St Croix.
> No amount of cold seems to kill St. Croix.
>
> Later,
> Tom
>
>
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:13:44 -0500, Thomas Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>
> wrote:
> > Bert,
> > How is the disease resistance of Ben Lamond in your area?  Is your
> > unknown
> > currant Titania?
> > Later,                              Tom