North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ray Kaminski <rjkaminski@charter.net>]

  Deb you asked.  One of the best dark blue plums that is great for 
me in zone 4-5 if the one I planted about 10 years ago.  It is 
Millers Big Blue Plum. It is as the catalog describes it. Very 
productive, sweet big and some how it has a large crop every 
year.   It is self fruitful, freestone and scrumptious.     I have 
ordered from Millers for years and have never been disappointed.  I 
have about 6 blue plums and the second choice is Mount 
Royal.      Again a good tasting and productive plum but if it over 
sets the following year it will crop lightly.  By over sets I mean 
where the branches are almost hitting the ground.  Planting the ones 
that are not self fruitful  in my count is a losing battle as with 
about 6 trees and 10 different varieties grafted onto them I am lucky 
if I get an ice cream pail  full total in one season.  The 
pollination is not there as they bloom heavy and early but the wind 
is still cool and  I am not sure if the bees are  active enough.  Not 
so with the self fruitful ones and right now if  the Big Blue ones 
were ripe  I would get two 5 gallon pails full.. Ray