North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jim Fruth" <jfruth@tds.net>]

Ernest Plutko wrote, "I wish I could
grow a mulberry tree on the Canadian border."

   I don't remember where I got my Morus alba from but my Illinois 
Everbearing came from Burnt Ridge Nursery www.burntridgenursery.com .  I see 
they are offering it again this year.  They rate it for zone 4 but I bought 
it because many nurseries hedge on their ratings.  Mine has already 
withstood -38 F.
   The fruit from both my Mulberry types taste the same.  The M. alba has 
pea-size fruits and the Illinois Everbearing's fruits are 1' to 1-1/2" long 
so, this coming Spring, I plan to side-graft the IL Everbearing onto the 
alba.
   I bought my first Mulberry many years ago from a local nursery that 
propagated them.  It was a nice tree but it wasn't self fertile so I never 
got any fruit.  It died after one of my mildest Winters but its survival for 
as long as it lived gave me the courage to look for a replacement.
   When I bought my present Morus alba, the seller insisted I needed a male 
and a female tree so I bought one of each and planted them close together. 
As it turned out, I have two females and, unlike my original tree, these 
produce fruit via parthenogenesis, just like my two IL Everbearing trees do.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
For jams, jellies & syrups:
www.bberryfarm.com
(877)265-6856 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]