Friday Harbor Wa. Zone 8

Ave last frost date April 15th 57/40F.

Apricots every year. Puget Gold. Harvest around the first of August.

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Eric

Thanks Eric. I like to know what others climates are like, esp those that post often here. Your climate is a world away from mine. You never see an ave high temperature over 70F all summer while we ave over 70F a month before last frost.

I hope we both make a crop this year!!

Last threat of frost is Feb 15th. The historical dally average high is 71 and night time low of 49.

I harvest peaches from my Florida Prince the 1st week of May.

East coast sweet spot:

The best place I'm aware of on the east coast is around Baltimore and east to the coast. Scott says he crops nearly 100% on apricots. Last freeze is March 26 with 60/42F. They have a 231 day growing season. That's equal to Dallas Texas and with much colder winter and spring to delay bloom.

West coast sweet spot:

The central valleys from Redding to Bakersfield have about 260 day growing season. Modesto for instance has last frost Febr 26 at 65/45F. They crop near 100% on all stone fruit.

Most places in between warm up too soon and freeze too late.

Yeah, but who wants to live in California!

Oops, did I say that out load?

Eric

Big Horn Basin, Wyo. 50% probability last frost is yet to come, 5-13, temps 68/41. 30% probability, 5-18, temps. 70/42.

Conventional estimate is apricots produce 3 out of 10 years, though I've had at least light production the last 3 years with one being very heavy. They usually bloom starting in late April for 10 days to 2 weeks when the probability of it still going below 28 is 80% on 4-21 and 50% on 5-1, so the blossoms frequently get frozen but their long bloom period seems lately to give me at least a few apricots.

dallas--avg last frost april 8, 75 deg high, 54 deg avg low

bhawkins:

Dallas is April 8 and Baltimore is March 26, wow. Would have thought Dallas was a little earlier than that. Some Texans like to brag about their state but they have nothing in the weather department to brag about.

Eric:

I think most people know what you mean about CA, and agree. I'm thinking Friday Harbor is a lot nicer place to live. But I'd have to have a high tunnel or greenhouse to warm things up a bit.

Here's a dumb question, how do caculate percentage of production. Percentage of fruit per tree or are you calculating years out of 100 years.

fruitnut,

Between my brother and I we have two greenhouses, one 12 x 20 hoophouse and several low tunnels. More hoophouses in the near future. It's a sickness you know.

Salad greens and asian greens year around, no heat except for the chickens @ 8 btus per bird.

Eric

When I say 20% on apricots that's about one good crop in 5 years. A few years we get a small crop but most years it's a total loss. 20% may be optimistic because I've been in Texas about 35 years and can only remember 4 or 5 full crops of apricots.

hmmm, i googled for this info. victory seeds says 4/8. but farmers almanac online says 3/3! & almanac.com says 3/25. texas almanac says 3/16. ?????

anybody know the most reliable source?

my 2 tomcot apricots flowered last week. my sugar pearl & mormom sill dormant

My source says 3/13 as ave last frost date for Dallas. I'd say that's about right. Victory seeds is late on every city.

Our last frost date is May 1, with hi 70 lo 52 or so then.

I would like to see some data no how often cots get frozen out from people around me -- I see few apricots at farmers markets here but they always work well for me. It could be the microclimate where I plant them helps, its on the north side of my house uphill so they are just in the sun. The area behind the house is quite cool and that may be delaying the blossoming (and, not making a frost pocket either -- its a small area). I am planting a couple apricots in the front this spring and we will see if they get frozen out more.

The logic of the correct microclimate for 'cots is complicated, you don't want to just plant in coldest spot because it could be a frost pocket. I have heard a north facing hill is good and that makes sense because it will be cool to delay bloom but no frost pocket due to the hill. I know my cots are in the coldest spot in my yard because the last little blob of the Big Snow anywhere in our yard was right by them and it finally melted yesterday.

Scott

Last frost date for Nashville is officially ~April 5, although most people will say April 15. For me outside the city, April 15th is about right-latest I have recorded is April 29. Average temps for 15th is 69/44.

I have lived here 20 years, and I have never seen a locally grown apricot.

Fruit-

LA CROSSE, WI (KLSE) and i have 4 or 5 different apricots now (Tomcot, Puget Gold, Hunza, Chinese, ?) Last frost date is around May 5, but that date varies a lot by year.

I will add that i planted tomatoes out last April 15th and they were fine. My worry right now is we lost all snow cover last week and have had 3 days of 60's, with two more coming, a possible snow storm and temps back in the teens early next week, if not colder. Late snow cover sure helps keep the roots of the trees cold and that seems to delay blooming. Last year the first to bloom was the Tomcot on/around April 18th.

I'll use protective measures to save blooms. The guys in Florida have a lot of good suggestions after the winter there!

I am confused by the "last frost" date. Frost occurs when temperatures are 39F or below and the night sky is clear. A frost hardly implies damage to any fruit blossoms, let alone even tropical things like bananas. You need air temperatures below 32F for blossom damage. In fact, you need 28F for apples, 30F for stone fruits.

I think the last frost date in Calif. is a joke, the Central Valley around Modesto has seen plenty of blossom damaging freezes well into the March/early April time frame. Besides, in California, there is so much variation in the degree of cold, it can literally vary heavily within even a quarter mile based on terrain and distance from the ocean. The Santa Cruz mountain foothills don't usually see any hard frost after Feb. 21, but in the mountain valleys, a hard frost can occur as late as May.

Speaking of light frosts, the colder canyon/valley locations around the Santa Cruz mountains get Summer light frosts. There have even been reports of windshield frost mid Summer in the colder valleys - yes, this is California. For example, the low was 39F in Santa Cruz on June 25, 1975. How about a low of 40F on July 24, 1973 or Aug 5, 1950. How about 38F an Aug 11, 1981, and another 39F reading that same year on the 24th of August. I hope you see now why we can grow such incredible Summer apples. My Gravensteins store until January thanks to the cold Summer nights.

Of course, in the Central Valley, just 50 miles straight due East you would never dream of seeing anything below 50F in the Summer, the coldest records are around 48F. However, lows 32F and below occur all the way until April 1.

See http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/Climsmnca.html.

The trick for Apricots is to keep them dormant as long as possible. I have a row of Apricots growing on a north slope, and they are just now starting to push buds. Bloom should be in full swing by the end of March.

Then there is frost floating row cover - good enough to keep Spring frosts off a blooming backyard apricot tree.

Axel:

What you folks in CA call an arctic blast is just a run of the mill spring freeze around here. But what we are talking about is the average last frost date. That's an official 32F. Has nothing to do with frost on the roof or windshield. I've never seen damage to blossoms or small fruit at a temperature above 30F.