Backyard fruit trees (advice and experience?)

[srs123]

Looking at planting a couple of fruit trees in my backwyard and was wondering if any of you have an advice or two. What are the dos and don'ts? What do you have planted sucessfully and unsecessfuly? Any recommendations for calgary?

I found this list and i cant decide on what to get.

https://www.calgaryplants.com/collec...straint=edible

[Fish along]

I have a Fall Red Apple it took a few years to get going properly but doing good now,though I'm not really liking the taste as they seem to be dry,which I'm sure someone else would like,I also have a Colette that I don't see on your list it's my favorite it's always grown a fair amount of apples and are delicious in the fall.have an Evans Cheery tree that is 4 years old and and every year it produces more fruit,they are a bit tart but get as big any store bought cheery,all the ones it's produced so far I've eaten right of the tree.gooseberries and black currants grow well in Alberta as well,abundant fruit.

[Little red riding hood]

Originally Posted by Fish along

I have a Fall Red Apple it took a few years to get going properly but doing good now,though I'm not really liking the taste as they seem to be dry,which I'm sure someone else would like,I also have a Colette that I don't see on your list it's my favorite it's always grown a fair amount of apples and are delicious in the fall.have an Evans Cheery tree that is 4 years old and and every year it produces more fruit,they are a bit tart but get as big any store bought cheery,all the ones it's produced so far I've eaten right of the tree.gooseberries and black currants grow well in Alberta as well,abundant fruit.

Leave the cherries on the tree until first frost, they'll get nice and sweet and lose the tartness, as for the Apple tree, if you don't like the fruit, graft it with one you do like.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by srs123

Looking at planting a couple of fruit trees in my backwyard and was wondering if any of you have an advice or two. What are the dos and don'ts? What do you have planted sucessfully and unsecessfuly? Any recommendations for calgary?

I found this list and i cant decide on what to get.

https://www.calgaryplants.com/collec...straint=edible

Have a 5 variety apple tree. Great.

Have a Evan cherry. Tasty but not growing great yet.

Saskatoons are great.

Grapes are great.

[slough shark]

Apples, cherries both Evans or Nanking grow well, plums can produce. Of course raspberry’s are good although have containment in mind, strawberries are always good to have, Saskatoons are good, blueberries seem to be temperamental, I’ve had them die several times and require constant maintenance.

[FishHunterPro]

I planted a Norkent last year up here in Fort Mac. It looked pretty rough from may through the whole summer but finally looked like it set it’s roots in the fall. I guess i’ll Find out in a couple months now if it survived the winter. My good buddy has the Heyer#12 on your list and I really like that apple. It’s ready in mid August but only has a big yield every other year but doesn’t keep long .He also has a Minnesota 447 and that’s by far my favorite apple I ever tried, it has big yields every year and if store well keeps well into January . Follow any instructions on how to plant it from who ever you buy it from .

[nimrod]

We have 6 apple trees, bought them in 2's over 3 years, first trees are 4 years old now, last fall was the first apples, now hope they all live to give me 4 trees producing apples this fall, don't know the name of the apples, but they were all red variety

[Drewski Canuck]

For Apples: Norland, Goodland, Saskatchewan, Honey Crisp

For Cherries: Northstar, Evans, Nanking

For Berries: Saskatoon, HONEY BERRY, Fall Gold Raspberry, Gojji Berry.

I have all of the above on the go at the Lake or at home.

If you just want a pile of crabapples, just go get a Red Rescue and deal with dead grass and hornets all August long. But you will get a huge pile of apples.

Drewski

[Little red riding hood]

I read an article in a magazine once (can't remember the mag) a guy grafted 40 different varieties of fruit on 1 tree!

[bsmitty27]

U of S has done a great job with cold hardy fruit trees. Some of the cherries, haskaps, and other fruit is amazing. I have had great plumb and apples east of Edmonton. We have been on a new piece of land for about 5 years and have planted a mix of cold hardy fruit and berries. Haskap, apples plumbs Cherie's, hazelnuts, raspberries, strawberries, Saskatoon's. It hasent really been long enough to tell what's going to do best, but if you follow the temp zone for your area, and prep your soil you should be good.
http://www.fruit.usask.ca/dwarfsourcherries.html
http://www.fruit.usask.ca

Brad

[Kim473]

I have a Honey crisp apple. Second year in the ground it was loaded beyond belief. I counted 50 or more fairly large apples. Third year it didn't even have one flower bud. Is this a problem I have to worry about ? Never gonna fruit again or did it just take a rest because of amount of apples on it that one year.

[saskbooknut]

Carmine Jewel or other varieties of cherry from Bob Bors at the U of S. Superb sour cherries that make great jelly to accompany game.

[FishHunterPro]

Originally Posted by Kim473

I have a Honey crisp apple. Second year in the ground it was loaded beyond belief. I counted 50 or more fairly large apples. Third year it didn't even have one flower bud. Is this a problem I have to worry about ? Never gonna fruit again or did it just take a rest because of amount of apples on it that one year.

Lots of apple trees produce bi-annually

[Vacation]

I have a pear tree, small pears but tasty. Had it four years, lots of flowers, never produced due to years of late spring cold. Last year lots of pears, weather was finally right and the flowers never froze.

Also have Evans cherry, Saskatoons, Nanking, apple tree with 5 grafts, cranberry. Like them all.

[Kim473]

Originally Posted by Kim473

I have a Honey crisp apple. Second year in the ground it was loaded beyond belief. I counted 50 or more fairly large apples. Third year it didn't even have one flower bud. Is this a problem I have to worry about ? Never gonna fruit again or did it just take a rest because of amount of apples on it that one year.

Originally Posted by FishHunterPro

Lots of apple trees produce bi-annually

Well after 2 years of no flowers or signs of apples, my Honey crisp is finally blooming again. Hopefully the bees come and pollinate. I think that maybe it just got stressed with so many apples that first year . I have read that it is a good idea to limit the number of apples every year as to not stress the tree too much and you may get the tree to produce every year. I will be thinning the apples to about 1/2 if and when they start to develop this year. I have also fertilized the tree in the early spring and will again in late spring as stated on the fertilizer bag for fruit trees.

[Dewey Cox]

Rarely get a harvest of huksap berries before the birds do.
The cedar waxwings clear them out before they’re ripe.
*****s.

[FishHunterPro]

What methods for grafting has anyone had good success with? I’m going to try it next spring. I planted a new parkland Apple last year and it looks like it’s doing great. It’s ready to bloom any day now and it looks like the neighbors is ready to go to. Lots of flowers to so hopefully I get a nice first crop.

[Jays toyz]

Going heavy on haskaap this year. Rebranded to "honeyberry" for easier marketing. I will be covering my Saskatoon's this winter as the moose ate nearly all of my hundred bushes to 6' sticks.

[Koschenk]

There are some real nice pear varieties you can grow here in Calgary, I feel more people should grow them. Beautiful flowers in the spring and delicious fruit in the fall.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Koschenk

There are some real nice pear varieties you can grow here in Calgary, I feel more people should grow them. Beautiful flowers in the spring and delicious fruit in the fall.

Pears and plums at our local greenhouse need to plant two for fertilizing.

[Mr Flyguy]

Hopa crabapple tree in the backyard had an incredible amount of bloom and fruit last year but this year not a single flower, getting old or maybe tired out from last year? Usually has a solid bloom and fruit every year.

[burbotman]

Planted a Pembina Plum tree four years ago. Took very well produces tons of plums, comparable to store bought prune plums.

Very happy with it

[Big Thumper]

I plant lots of apples every year on a piece of land I own in NS. Making it into better grouse/deer/bear habitat. I can get wild rootstock apple trees at $6.00 each. Will graft them in coming years with a variety of apples. The rootstock are hardy and do well without me being there to look after them.

[Dewey Cox]

Originally Posted by Big Thumper

I plant lots of apples every year on a piece of land I own in NS. Making it into better grouse/deer/bear habitat. I can get wild rootstock apple trees at $6.00 each. Will graft them in coming years with a variety of apples. The rootstock are hardy and do well without me being there to look after them.

Where do you get the root stock apple trees for six bucks?
And, what are they?

[Big Thumper]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

Where do you get the root stock apple trees for six bucks?
And, what are they?

Hardy Tree nursery in QC. They grow great trees. They are not your typical retail nursery with big trees, small roots that look good to some urbanites. These are small trees, big roots. They have a couple of varities of rootstock, the one I plant in NS with produce fruit and will actually be fine for food for wildlife. The one for harsher climates, like AB, I believe, may not produce fruit (until grafted). They don't list the 6.00 rootstock online, you have to ask.

[CaberTosser]

Whatever you get do check if its self-pollenating or if it needs a companion tree to be able to cross-pollenate with.

I put in some Evans sour cherry trees that put out their first reasonable harvest last year (and that was still rather modest). I've got some honeycrisp apple trees that I planted a few years ago that I thought had died the other year, but then thee two grew back from a new stem that branched out from the base, I guess the main trunk had died but the root still lived. I'll have to see how those fare in the future, I don't expect fruit from them for a few years.

Last year I bought a Pembina plum to replace one of the 'dead' apple trees but when I was about to dig up the apple tree I saw that signs of life returned to it so I had to pick a spot for the plum. I put it in my front yard but chose a poor spot as it got too much shade and died. I may luck out in my front yard soon as my neighbor noted she was going to have some of her spruce trees cut down, they're far too dense & large for a typical front yard as she has 9 of them and they're probably 50 or 60+ years old (1952 home). I'll also be dropping a mature spruce in my own yard that should help with getting more light to the fruit trees.

[Big Thumper]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

I put in some Evans sour cherry trees that put out their first reasonable harvest last year (and that was still rather modest). I've got some honeycrisp apple trees that I planted a few years ago that I thought had died the other year, but then thee two grew back from a new stem that branched out from the base, I guess the main trunk had died but the root still lived. I'll have to see how those fare in the future, I don't expect fruit from them for a few years.

If they came back from below the graft, they will produce 'wild' apples if anything.

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by Big Thumper

If they came back from below the graft, they will produce 'wild' apples if anything.

These were not hybrid trees with grafted varieties, there is just one variety of apples to expect from them rather than 3 or 4.

[bertha]

I love this thread,very interesting discussion

[bsmitty27]

Hardy fruit and nut trees of alberta facebook group is amazing. The wealth of knowledge is unmatched. They also set up a scion wood exchange (grafting wood) it's a swap or 2.00 a scion. I encourage anyone who is interested in growing fruit, berries or nuts in our northern climate to check it out. I did my first 12 grafts this year and it's got me hooked!