HI all, I just joined after googling information on good ideas for a couple of starter fruit trees. After listening to an orchardpeople podcast on bush cherries, the Romeo sounds like a good pick. just hard to find in stock. And I chose the Kreibich nectarine bc it's described as pretty disease resistant. but it's hard to find both at the same vendor. One green world has both listed but the cherry is waitlisted and it's impossible to get anyone on the phone to ask if they expect more in this spring. so I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions where I can order these two?
thanks for any input 🙂
Kriebich is said to be one of the better nectarines. Even so, nectarines, peaches and apricots are really hard to grow on the west side of the PNW. They get diseases and don't crop every year. For some it's worth it. FOr others, they'd rather get a ton of plums off a healthy tree than fight with those 3.
John S
PDX OR
I grow several Japanese plums and have some variety of prune plum that grows wild on our property. All of them have been easy to grow. It probably comes down to taste preference?
There are quite a few threads on this forum concerning plums, and be sure to check out the archived ones also. A current topic is titled, "Prune-type plums in the PNW."
My local Costco had a nice selection of fruit trees last week, including European and Japanese plums. The single grafted ones were $20, and the multi-grafted were $30.
Bush cherries also grow much better in some places than others. They tend to grow better in really cold, dry places like the Canadian prairies than in mild, wet places like the PNW.
Like peaches, apricots, and nectarines, they hate our long, mild, wet springs.
John S
PDX OR
>> Like peaches, apricots, and nectarines, they hate our long, mild, wet springs.
I have heard nothing but problems with most of the plumcots too. The only recommended of the bunches tried for here and proven would be 'sugartwist' first, then 'splash' and 'nadia' secondly for reliability.
I tried sugartwist based on two local recommendations at growing fruit dot org long ago and then proved it out by purchasing one since then. But what this one makes up for in a perfect and reliably producing more of a plum like fruit it lacks in taste. All three of these hybrids I just mentioned I don't think need bees or other trees but I'm still kind of looking into that and the prospects of apomixis. The same holds true for my much older shiro plums, the only one of these four that actually produce pollen on the heads of anthers about most or every year.
@ jafar, if your home could I visit you on certain issues including maybe bots elsewhere on the forums?
Debra,
I'm nor quite sure where you are, but I have lived and gardened in south America near the Tropic of Capricorn, and in the midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, then 18 years in southern California. I say, without reservation, that cultivating things in southwestern Washington (west of the Cascade Mountain Range) is the most vexing problem that I've ever encountered when it comes to growing fruits and vegetables!
Apparently, it all ultimately comes to you by trial and error over time, and trying to keep records from year to year. ...I think that it's only been in about the last 4 years where I think I began to master the concept of "layered clothing" during the vicissitudes of this climate. Make no mistake: climate change is real and it's happening at a faster rate than the "conservative estimates". That, in itself, presents more challenges here for people who like to cultivate plants,... not only in terms of hardiness, but heat and drought tolerance as well.
All best wishes, but to the best that anyone can do, try to plan for the future. Humans need the natural world, and when you can go out in your own yard and harvest fresh vegetables and fruits... ...well, that to me, is what we're all about.
Reinettes. 
Reinettes, absolutely climate change is proceeding wickedly fast. My roots are in south-central Alaska and it's absolutely mind blowing how much warmer the winters have become since the 60's when my family first moved there. IMHO the PNW is becoming the new California, only partly in jest. Kodiak island is the new Hawaii....or so the locals say....only partly in jest.
-Debra
Debra said, " I was a child when I lived in western Colorado where fruit trees flourished...I have to realize that the PNW climate is it's own set of challenges!"
Those three, apricot, peach, and nectarine flourish there, but many fruit trees are easier to grow here. Water is much more abundant here and it's necessary for all trees. It's also much colder there, so many fruit trees aren't hardy enough to grow there. Also, the season is so short that many plants won't ripen there or a lot of leafy vegetables burn up there. Berries are much harder to grow there than here. Black mulberries there? Not happening. Olives? Bananas? Palm trees? Pomegranates? Persimmons? I don't think so. Even something as tough as apples have to be limited to those that ripen early.
It's definitely different to grow food here than there.
John S
PDX OR
If you travel around Portland, you will see innumerable banana trees. Most are from the islands off Japan. Ryuki? something like that islands. Most don't fruit, but they are perennial here in Portland. I'm sure you could grow them in Corvallis if you wanted to.
John S
PDX OR
Idyllwild
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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