North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Douglas Woodard <dwoodard@becon.org>]

Melissa, regarding apples and pears, do you object to spraying on the 
grounds of toxic risk, the necessity for precise timing, or just effort?

Are you willing to use a non-toxic spray like Surround for curculio? Are 
you willing to use traps (like the red sticky spheres for apple maggot)?

Are you familiar with the scab-resistant apple cultivars?

You might want to contact organic growers (commercial or home-use) in 
your area. The chair of the NAFEX apple testing group lives in New York 
State (latitude of Ithaca, longitude of Oneida) and I believe he grows 
more or less organically. Bill MacKentley, the proprietor of St. 
Lawrence Nursery (Potsdam) might be able to make recommendations if you 
phone him in a quiet time (maybe November to early winter).

Remember that there is more to growing organically than not spraying.

Curculio pressure varies a lot with site. Woods nearby tend to be risky. 
Chickens (or turkeys?) can be helpful.

If you are not acquainted with a large variety of quality apples, it 
might not be a good idea to have too specific ideas about what you think 
you like.

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada



Melissa Kacalanos wrote:
> I've been enjoying the lively discussions of obscure
> fruit on this list. My husband and I just bought a
> house with a big yard, and we're eager to rip up the
> useless lawn and plant more interesting plants next
> spring. You're all giving us lots of great ideas.
>
> Crabapples have been discussed recently by people who
> enjoy eating them fresh. I'd never considered any sort
> of apple for our garden, since the usual apple
> varieties can't be grown organically in this area
> (central NY, zone 5), and I don't want to have to
> bother with spraying. How do these crabs for fresh
> eating do against pests? Are they more resistant than
> the usual apples?
>
> Assuming these crabs are more resistant to pests, do
> they really taste good? I realize that's a very
> subjective question, of course, so I'm going to
> calibrate my tastes for you all with a familiar apple.
> My favorite apple of the commonly available varieties
> is 'Granny Smith' because that's the crunchiest and
> most flavorful. (I like 'Gold Rush" even better, but
> that's more obscure.) Are there crabapples with a
> crunch and taste sort of like that?

[snip]
> Melissa
> Central NY, zone 5