During that late winter storm we recently had, the last of my purple leaved Plum trees split down its rotten middle. I would like to replace these street trees with possibly Plum, Pear or any trees that taste good. Purple plums are nice to look at but the fruit was lousy.
I have about 100ft of frontage that I would like to turn into a linear orchard. I only have a half acre lot so this is my creative way of getting more fruit trees on the place.
Any suggestions for good eating street trees would be appreciated.
Thanks, Joel.
Impatience got the best of me. BiMart has their entire stock of bare root trees marked half off.
$6.44 was too good of a deal to pass up. I bought two pears and three plums.
1. Bartlett
2. Red Anjou
3. Brooks
4. Satsuma
5. Santa Rosa
I also bought a Montmorency Cherry and Hale Haven Peach. Those will go in the back yard. The cherry will likely grow too big. I wish they would list the actual rootstock on the labels. The peach tree will need aggressive pruning before dying prematurely from some nasty disease. Since I don’t spray, my only goal is to get a few crops off before rot, fungus, spot, scab, mildew, rust, blight, and canker kills it. Did I miss anything?
I plan on making it to next years scion exchange and learning how to graft. That will be fun.
Joel
We have had long discussions about the spotted wing drosophilia fly that is making inroads here in the Pacific Northwest.....and just how big of a problem it is or will be......
My own belief is that last year we got a "reprieve" from the spotted wing where it looked like it was a tame little bug, but that the reality is that it will continue to become a problem and will start to trouble plums....but this is unproven.
In the past, an Italian prune plum has been my favorite recommendation.....but not any more.....simply due to my fear that this little drosophilia fly could become a problem in the future, especially if you don't spray.
At the moment I am now leaning toward recommending a European pear (like Orcas, or Highland or even Bartlett) as a first choice because the hard skin of the pear is impervious to the spotted wing drosophilia, does NOT attract the apple maggot fly, and is actually somewhat resistant even for a few months..... even to the hated codling moth.
Therefore, my choice is a European pear....and maybe especially a European pear as a "street" tree where it might be easier to clean up after a pear tree than for a plum tree.....
just how I see it....other opinions welcome.
Montmorency cherry typically does not grow into a large tree. I think autumn olive is a nice street tree. You don't have to worry about people stealing them. They can withstand amazing drought. They fix nitrogen and make yummy cancer fighting berries with good smelling hummingbird-attracting blooms. They don't have pest or disease problems much.
John S
PDX OR
If you already have plum trees you can graft them to a more desirable plum.
In my previous house I had apples and planted quince. If you bag the apples people seem to leave them alone of the most part. Spraying with Surround would probably have that affect as well.
Quince shouldn't be too messy and hopefully wouldn't get to molested.
Feijoa (pineapple guava) is attractive, probably would like the reflected heat, and also shouldn't be too messy. People are unlikely to poach the fruit and it has really beautiful flowers that are also edible.
Of course with any of these, kids might pick the fruit just to throw at each other.
John, Don, Jafarj,
Thanks for your suggestions and info.
I’m a bit less bound to the typical street tree scenario in that there are no sidewalks and I will be planting 10ft-15ft back from the curb. I live on a ¼ mile circle with very light traffic. The neighbors all use the circle as a casual walking track in the mornings and evenings. They are all good people and I would encourage them to help themselves to a fresh fruit snack as they pass by. I already have a Bartlett Pear that should look quite nice and a Brooks Plum that is very close to the suggested Italian Plum. I’m happy to hear that Montmorency is not one of the larger Cherry trees. Cherry trees are naturally good looking to my eye and I would be happy to plant it out front. Autumn Olive and Pineapple Guava sound interesting. I recall seeing them in the One Green World catalog. I sure hope the Fruit Fly you mentioned does not become a nightmare plaque. I love soft fruits and this little bugger could bring an end to my no spray ways.
What I would really like to do is to plant a 100ft row of random edible shrubs up against the curb and plant the fruit trees back behind them. It might end up looking like a crazy mixed up two tier wall of food but I kind of like the idea.
Joel.
Idyllwild
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jafar
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