North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us>]

On May 20, 2011, at 9:52 AM, Naomi Counides wrote:

> A little bit on tilt to the topic.  I have the "mine did not freeze"
> experience.  
> 
> This year it was the apricots.  All around me there was great wailing and
> gnashing of teeth as the thermometer dropped several nights to below (and
> well below) 27 which is consider the magic "your fruit is in trouble" number
> in late April.  We have a max min thermometer so I know it made it to 22 one
> night. There was visible frost and our stock tanks were iced in the
> mornings.
> ...
> I am now busy thinning the apricots. In previous years I have not lost my
> peaches and my plums were okay when local commercial growers lost fruit.
<snip>

When I shopped for an apricot for New England, I was told that the real issue 
with apricots is not the winter cold, as they come from cold places and are 
very winter hardy.  Rather, it's that they break dormancy too early in the 
spring and the flowers get frozen off, because they come from and area where 
winter ends quickly, not a place like New England where we can cycle between 
summer and winter weather for a few months.

I bought a Puget Gold on St. Julien A for a friend in Cambridge, which is a 
little warmed and milder than where I live.  It has done very well, growing 
perhaps 10-12 feet tall and about that wide.  It tends to over-crop, and the 
cots that sit side-by-side on a branch are smaller and less sweet and 
flavorful than the ones that sit by themselves.  The difference in flavor is 
huge, actually.  If you want delicious apricots, I strongly recommend 
aggressive thinning.

I was so jealous of my friend's success that I bought another for me.  It 
doesn't get quite full sun, and it didn't get as large as his, but it 
reliably produced fruit.  Notably, most springs it bloomed shortly before a 
late frost, but it never failed to set fruit.  I didn't actually measure the 
night-time low temp, but there would be frost on the strawberry leaves in the 
morning.  My apricot does have excellent air drainage.

It mysteriously died late summer 2009, probably of borers or fungal ooze.  I 
replaced it last spring with the same combination, as that had been working 
for me.  This spring it has two little cots in it!

I am curious with everyone's experience with Tomcot in the northeast, because 
if this one also dies, I will be looking for a different apricot cultivar.


Ginda
Eastern MA, zone 6