North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <dyellman@earthlink.net>]

Ginda:
    First of all, don't give up yet on your Nanking cherry.  They are
pretty hard to kill.  Years ago, I had several bushes of Hansen's bush
cherry, which I believe to be Dr. Hansen's selection (done in South
Dakota) from Nanking cherries, or are at least a very closely related
plant.  They were quite vigorous, covered with white blossoms in the
spring, and produced small, dark-colored cherries somewhat later than
the tree cherries.  I took them out because I also had tree cherries,
which I felt were superior, and also because I wanted to use the space
for something else.  They are quite tart, but since you are not so fussy
about size and tartness, they may be just the thing for you.
Pollination is not an issue with these things; they appear to be fully
self-pollinating.
    Naomi is absoutely correct that the "ground cherry", as usually
defined, is an annual closely related to tomatoes and tomatillos.  My
grandmother used to grow them in Iowa, and made a mild-tasting jam from
them.  I don't know what nursery could be selling them as perennial
cherries, unless their ground cherry is something quite different than
what I am familiar with.  Incidentally, Naomi, last year's tomatillos
are self-seeding throughout my pea patch this spring.  Have to do a
better job of picking them up.

Rgds, Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA


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