North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Sam Franc <franc@oregonfast.net>]

Needham Greg wrote:

> Sorry about that Sam!  I have had to live with those realities too, in 
> reverse- too hot and humid to grow some stuff well- apples and plums 
> have been a real challenge, and Ribes are all still illegal in North 
> Carolina, so no gooseberries, currants, or jostas for me....  Still, I 
> am very thankful for the plants I can grow, and usually I have found 
> something to fill every time of year that we can eat!  Best of luck!
>
> Greg 

I have all three and they do not thrill me too much.
So don't feel too bad about them.
Currents are the only one that grow large and ripen well.
They are ripening now, but it is a specialty crop and I do not have the 
patience to go out and pick enough to do anything with them. I browse on 
them when I pass them by.
Gooseberries stay too small from what I had back east.
Jostas are not worth the effort.
Not very large (about raspberry size) and not very flavorfull.
The bush is thorny like a gooseberry.
On the berry front, my specialties are black berries and blueberries.
I have several varieties of each.
The blues are coming on now(early ones)
The later ones like Nelson and Elliot are the best and most prolific.
Also the birds do not compete for them as much.
They have started to migrate away from here.
I like the thornless blackberries like Chester, Apache and Triple Crown.
They are a lot easier to manage and do not need all the trellising.
Sam