Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] RE: nafex digest, Vol 1 #75 - 3 msgs

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] RE: nafex digest, Vol 1 #75 - 3 msgs
  • Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2002 12:33:26 -0400

Please bear with my musings on Bush cherries beyond the original post.
While in Seoul for 5 months, we saw native fruits in market, such as
wineberry, mulberry and Nanking Cherries. P. tomentosa (Nanking) is native
to the Korean peninsula, as Lon noted. They were widely planted in a
reforestation project of the mountain where we lived, as well as jujubes,
plums, peaches, apricots, kakis, etc. Swaths of the mountain (Ansan)
bloomed in succession, and many apartment dwellers picked the fruit in
season. How few USA public projects delight taste buds!

The late J.C. Raulston of NC State combed the world for ornamental plants
that would work in N.C. From his trials, he claimed to have killed more
plants than anyone alive. As fruit explorers we learn what works reliably
for us. My local experience and broader perception is that bush cherries
from Asia are a gamblers crop in much of the eastern US, due to our unAsian
spring weather extremes. Some Asian plants are not dependable producers at
my two sites, hence most Nankings have been recycled. Yet I'm glad they're
in catalogs, for folks to try them. I applaud Hidden Springs Nursery for
distinguishing their offerings, from (S) for 'surefire success', to (E) for
'Experimental here'. Their 'startup recommendations' encourage at least
several plants from the (S) category, which include two sour cherry (P.
cerasus) selections. These were my only cherries to ripen this year. Ribes
(gooseberries, currants), Amelanchier (aka Juneberries, Sarvis, or
Saskatoons) and even Eleagnus multiflora (Goumi) reliably fruit for us, and
are Hidden Springs "surefire successes".

During a March fruit workshop, I asked folks in attendance why most did not
grow fruit. A number had "tried and failed" or were "scared to waste money
killing plants". I asked if they could learn to care for pets or livestock,
could they not also learn from their communities how to grow fruit? How can
this collective wisdom be recognized, valued and encouraged? Your thoughts
welcome.
Richard Moyer, Zone 6, East Tenn, 1800'



  • [NAFEX] RE: nafex digest, Vol 1 #75 - 3 msgs, Moyer, Richard, 07/07/2002

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page