North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Doc Lisenby <longdistshtr@shtc.net>]

Arkansas Black,  Ashmead's Kernel and Braeburn produce better than any other
apples in the sandhills of  South Carolina for me.  I have bad Cedar Apple
Rust problems so had to plant according to resistance to it.  Something you
might have to consider.  Centennial Crab beat all others here.  This isn't a
suitable apple production area.  I tried espaliering.  More trouble than it
is worth IMHO.  I'm envious of those who have the time, patience and
fortitude to weather big disappointments.  Seems like bending branches
fosters fire blight. Think real hard about Asian Pears, muscadines, figs,
and peaches.  They are more suitable in warm climates with short chilling
hour times.  I've tried and tried to compete with New York, Va. and
Washington  in apple production.  If I want a good, beautiful, hand eating
apple, I'll buy it at the Piggly Wiggly.  I'm beginning to like the flavor
of apple maggots in my cider though.  Brown Rot (Sclerotinia fructigena)
adds a potentiating impetus to hard cider fermentation and I make a pretty
good apple brandy by distilling hard cider in my pressure cooker still.
My apples remind me of the cartoon of the woman with a terrible hair-do
saying proudly: "I did it myself."  I can  always chuck my apples at Blue
Jays eating my pecans. My aphids are bigger than my Ladybugs. Leaf-legged
beetles are interesting but make way for Japanese Beetles and June Bugs.
Good Luck with apples.
Doc Lisenby
Zone 7/8