North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us>]

How about that, my Cornus Mas all have tags.  They are Elegant,  
Jolico, and Pioneer.  Elegant and Pioneer set a lot of fruit this  
spring, we'll see if any of it survives to ripen.  Jolico is a few  
years younger, but bloomed this year for the first time, so I expect  
it to fruit in a year or two.  It may not be a coincidence that  
Elegant finally set fruit the same year Jolico bloomed.  (The two are  
close, and Pioneer is a ways downwind.)

The apricot set lots of fruit, but I expect to lose it again.   
Squirrels, curlicue, I don't know, but the fruits disappear before  
they ripen.  I see some on the ground, but some just disappear.  It's  
an attractive small tree, though.

The blueberries are covered in bloom, and I bought new netting, so I'm  
hopeful of a crop.  Had the place sprayed (spinosad) for winter moth  
right before the flowers opened, so I hope I have some bees left.  I  
did see a lone bumblebee working the dandelions the day after the tree  
guys showed up, so there's a good chance.

And I'm thrilled that my red currants not only made it through the  
winter, they seem not to have lost any branches to mystery blight.  I  
usually lose a bunch of canes over the winter.  Both the feral currant  
and Jonkheer Van Tets are covered with flowers.

Back outside to enjoy the fragrance.

Ginda


On Apr 2, 2009, at 9:05 AM, Ginda Fisher wrote:

> I have three, all different types.  They were purchased from 2  
> different
> vendors, a few years apart.  They are in partial shade (maybe 75%)   
> I have
> lost track of the names of the cultivars, but all are selections  
> intended
> to be eaten.  I might be able to look it up, but one was a  
> replacement for
> a tree that failed, and wasn't the same type, so I may have no
> documentation on that one.
>
> The one that fruited is downwind of the other two (and gets less  
> sun).  I
> wonder if the direction matters.  It set fruit last year, too, but the
> fruit all went away well before ripening.  I suspect squirrels.
> ___
> Ginda
>
> ...... Original Message .......
> On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 04:23:01 -0700 (PDT) John S <swim_at_svc@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> > Ginda,  What variety of C. mas are you growing?  Do you have  
> > another type
> for a pollinator?
> > --- On Sun, 3/29/09, Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us> wrote:
> >
> >
> > From: Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us>
> > Subject: [NAFEX] spring clean-up
> > To: "NAFEX Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Date: Sunday, March 29, 2009, 11:40 PM
> >
> > I pruned my grape vine.  Just in time - it seems it had gotten all
> > tangled in the apricot tree, and the apricot buds have already begun
> > to swell.  And some of the apricot branches show minor damage from  
> > the
> > grape tendrils.  I think I'll discourage it from growing into the
> > apricot altogether this year, and I'm glad I got it out this spring.
> >
> > The cornus mas buds are large, and will open with another day or two
> > of warm weather.  I got one fruit the year before last.  I'm hopeful
> > of a little fruit this year.  (I liked the one fruit I got.)
> >
> > My dad, who nearly died last year, and has been slowly regaining his
> > health, was strong enough to plant tomatoes in his basement
> > yesterday.  I'll bum some seedlings off of him when the time comes,
> > but I'm just tickled pink that he was able to do it at all.
> >
> > My currant appears to still be alive.  At least, I'm hopeful I  
> > haven't
> > lost it to mystery blight yet.  If anyone knows what causes decline  
> > in
> > red currants, and better yet, if anyone knows a treatment, please let
> > me know.
> >
> > The blueberries have a nice crop of buds.  I guess I'd better get  
> > some
> > new netting in the hopes of getting fruit this year.  The raspberries
> > are still very dormant.
> >
> > The new blueberries and raspberries that I put in on the edge of the
> > property seem to have been extensively prunes by the deer over the
> > winter.  Drat.
> >
> > There are other, non-fruit, signs of life in my garden, but I think
> > I'll stick to fruit news for today.
> >
> > all the best,
> >
> >
> > Ginda Fisher
> > Eastern MA, zone 6