North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark Lee" <markl@nytec.com>]

Lucky,

When you said they set and matured a good crop of fruit last year, are you referring to last summer?  If so, how are they doing this summer?  I understand that now is the harvest time for beach plums in their native setting.

 

Also, the Oikos website that you provided a link to lists a Dwarf Beach Plum ‘NANA’ which sounds interesting…

“Precocious fruiting dwarf form developed by finding five individuals from 4000 plants that fruited one year from seed and then isolating them from the rest of our planting. Fruit size is a little smaller than the species but the productivity is greater. True to type from seed. Unlike the more typical species this form is slower growing and more compact so the plant doesn’t lean over with age. Even if you are not into the fruit the dense white flowers in spring are worth the wait of winter. Really a beautiful ornamental.”

I would like to hear from anyone that has tried this plum.

 

-Mark Lee, Seattle

 

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Lucky Pittman
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 7:48 AM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: RE: [NAFEX] Wild fruit (beach plums) provide a tart treat

 

At 07:29 AM 8/11/2004 -0700, Mark wrote:

Does anyone in NAFEX grow beach plums in an environment that is not near the beach?

I've got two seedling beach plums that I purchased from Ken Asmus at OIKOS Tree Crops, several years ago.  Planted along the edge of my orchard, close to the European & Japanese hybrid plums, though I don't recall if their bloom periods overlap.  I'm probably 500-600 miles from a beach, discounting the swimming beach I made at the farm pond a hundred feet away from these beach plums.
The two bushes I've got are quite disparate in size - one's about 3 ft tall, the other at least 6 ft.  No problem with brown rot or any other disease/pest(that I've noticed), and they're not (yet) suckering - if that's a trait of the species.  I have a good clay soil, and these are located in a spot with good drainage, but definitely not a beach setting. 
They set and matured a good crop of fruit last year - small, but tasty, and many just dried up on the plants after ripening, almost like raisins, without dropping.

Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY