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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Fruity Opinions Wanted !!!

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  • From: Heron Breen <breen@fedcoseeds.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Fruity Opinions Wanted !!!
  • Date: Fri, 03 Jun 2005 08:46:20 -0500



Hi Richard,
As a Maine resident, maybe I can testify to what grows and maybe sells. Both
the
Evans (Bali) and the Meteor will produce, with the Evans doing an exceptional
job
regardless of frosts. A friend of mine has one in a frosty pocket and it is
loaded.
But, Evans on its own roots grows taller and broader than reported in
catalogs, so
plan accordingly. For either one you will HAVE to net for birds if you want
anything to sell (depending on bird pressure, the same can be said of plums).
And
picking is tedious, as Jerry's sweet cherry report illustrated: 5 gallons in
a few
hours is hard to recoup at the stand. Pick your own?
For plums, there are many hardy European and hybrids, and many of the zone 5
hardy
ones will do okay in zone 4. Maine actually has a history of growing some of
the
best stonefruit in New England (not including Peaches which are best in good
old
Harvard Mass., apologies to New Jersey). Again, there are some caveats: the
hybrids
have that decidedly tart skin that a lot of "Mainers" love, but fewer of
those
folks abound. A mildly tart skin and sumptious flesh should guide your
selections
for maine palates, from my experience. But pollination with the hybrids is a
pain:
realisticly plant a hybrid, then a seedling Prunus americana, then another
hybrid
to really get the bounty. And then there is the Curculio. If you do not have
a
spray program for the apples, cherries, or plums, forget about it. This
entails
being onsight mid-May through early July at least. Plums are pretty low
maintainence except for these issues. The Euros, including Stanley, do okay,
but
air drainage is essential, as heavier soil doesn't seem to bother them as
much. I
would suggest siting the plums and cherries at the top of the orchard, maybe
around
the farmstand. If possible use the farmstand as a windbreak for North winds.
This
way, all the air runs downhill and the passerbys are awed by the plums and
cherries
in bloom, and tempted by them in the late summer. Plums and cherries, as well
as
pears, are a rarity to find in markets or orchards. I think this is mainly
because
of the picking regimen. Many ochardists like to focus on just a few types of
fruit
and pick all at once or with the same method. Most plums and cherries have a
very
short picking window and short storage life as opposed to pears apples and
even
peaches. They are best off the tree. Also, by weight, you will not sell as
many
plums or cherries as apples and peaches, so a few trees go along way.
Sometimes the
challenge is getting them to market at the right time and selling enough to
make a
profit before they turn into mush. Plums especially! And the wasps love
buzzing
about the fruit, so it is hard to get folks near them at times. I think all
these
obstacles are easy to overcome.
A lot of health food stores will buy your fruit, even if only "low-spray".
The one
in Farmington and the other in Skowhegan will most likely snap up some of
these
stonefruits if given a chance (I know these place names mean nothing to most
of
you, thanks for your patience). A quick drive over to Waterville to Uncle
Dean's
should relieve you of more excess. The profit margin on all this stuff is
probably
not that high, unfortunately. But it seems diversity sells. For example, many
of my
orchard friends cannot keep enough pears onhand to sell. Just not a common
fruit in
the farmstands and pear cider goes away just as fast. Granted we are only
talking a
few bushels a day, but anything you sell out of is good thing, as most
orchardist
are used to so much excess. Don't forget the power of the free sample!
Well, I know this is long, but thought I'd say it all.
best of luck Richard!
Heron Breen
zone 4 Maine





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