Mulberry Wine

[ckvchestnut]

Thanks for the info on the gooseberries Pam they do sound wonderful. I love anything that grows fast around here too!

Standard sweet cherries aren't really hardy enough to grow up here either. But there are a good few dwarf varieties and some developed up here in Saskatchewan to be very cold hardy (zone 2-3). I'll be focusing on these smaller trees - easier to manage! Looking forward to spring and being able to dig in the dirt!!

 

[cintipam]

WWW
are you planting the Romance cherries? Like Romeo, Carmine Jewel etc? I've been eyeballing those but they are hard to find and pricey around here. This is one instance where living in Canada really is an advantage! I just put in a Jubileum, Danube and Balaton which are also very cold hardy and while easy care are sweeter than regular tart cherries. I currently have a couple Richmond Early and a probable North Star picked up on clearance. Love them all.

Pam in cinti

 

[ckvchestnut]

WWW
are you planting the Romance cherries? Like Romeo, Carmine Jewel etc? I've been eyeballing those but they are hard to find and pricey around here. This is one instance where living in Canada really is an advantage! I just put in a Jubileum, Danube and Balaton which are also very cold hardy and while easy care are sweeter than regular tart cherries. I currently have a couple Richmond Early and a probable North Star picked up on clearance. Love them all.

Pam in cinti

Yes! there are a few in the romance series that look great as they are sweet enough for fresh eating as well. The Carmine Jewel looks good as does, Cupid which grows like a 6 foot shrub, Evans cherry which gets to 10 feet, Romeo and Juliet. All supposedly good for fresh eating. There are a few other sweet cherries that are grafted onto Gisela rootstock and hardy to zone 3-4. Kristin and Sweetheart. I haven't heard of the ones you mentioned probably because I'm in Canada? Or haven't researched it long enough. The one place sells the romance series for $13.99/tree but they are only 1 year old. The other place sells the other dwarves for $39 but they are 3-4 feet tall I believe. They also have a few non-dwarf varieties that are also hardy to zone 4. It can be a challenge to find just the right trees for your landscape and hardiness zone. Mazza and Biga... If I could I'd plant so much stuff, my place would be a forest lol

 

[cintipam]

Gisela is great rootstock for my area .

To make you feel better in USA for the past couple years only Carmine Jewel was available. It averaged $40 for a rooted cutting that was prob 6 months old. I lucked into a sad one at a clearance sale but it was too far gone to live (believe me I babied it!). Now CJ is $30 and Romeo is available at the $40 range.

There used to be a professional paper online about the 3 varieties from the Danube area where it was believed a sweet and tart cherry interbred, but I just looked for it and it's been pulled from the internet. Best I could find was that one of them is hardy to zone 4.

Pam in cinti

 

[ckvchestnut]

wow that's pretty steep... I think I did luck out when finding these deals. There is a nursery that I frequent in Ottawa too and I almost bought some cherry trees last summer. They are potted and range anywhere from 4-8 feet tall and range from $59 - $150... I might look again but I'd already have any ordered ones in at that point by the time they get their stock. The romance series ones also come as 2 year old bare root stock that are approximately 19" for $19.99... decisions decisions! I would have thought cherries would have been easier for you guys to get? Or is that just a regional thing for your general location?

 

[ckvchestnut]

oops sorry the 2yr olds are approx. 16" for $19.99 plus shipping. They do give a discount for 10 or more trees for $12.99 a tree for a bundle of 10.

 

[cintipam]

A lot of work went into breeding those Romance series, all done in Canada. After a couple years they did license one company in the USA to offer them, and Garden's Alive has kept a tight leash on who sells, and for what price. From what I've read about them, if I had a choice I'd jump at the deals you found on Romance. They are very hardy, very productive, and will produce much sooner than any regular tree you might buy. The Romance are sold basically as bushes, and you get some by year 2. For a tree it might be 4-5 years plus it is a lot harder to net a tree than a well maintained bush. Yes it helps to have bait trees, but the birds figure it out and go for the good stuff too.

If you haven't seen this yet, this link is all about the development of the Romance series. Lots of good info about each kind, taste, productivity etc. Good read since you're shopping now.

http://www.agrireseau.qc.ca/petitsfruits/Documents/Cold hardy cherries-02.PDF

Pam in cinti

 

[ckvchestnut]

Thanks Pam! I'll go to the link! Yes when I saw they were developed in Saskatchewan I knew these would thrive at my place I've been eyeballing them since last year. But I put a big order in for high bush cranberries and Saskatoon berries for hedging on two sides of my property. I wish I could hide some of these in a suitcase and bring them over to you I hope that article will help make my decision on which ones I'll go for in that series.

You made a great point of course that these are smaller and will mature and fruit quicker and that's my goal, so they win!!

 

[ckvchestnut]

wow that article is awesome... still reading but they even show the brix levels of these fruit, good read thank you