The patent for Valley Sweet (10,387) says that three of it's four grandparents are nectarines. Maybe that's why it kinda tastes like a nectarine. They say size is mostly about 2 7/8 inch up to 3 inches. I've got it on another tree on a different rootstock in the greenhouse and on Lovell outside.

I'll report how that fruit tastes later.

OK Fruitnut--you have to stop taunting us with these fabulous varieties only YOU can buy! It's just cruel...

Carla in Sac

Carla:

DWN will sell you anything they've got, it's just that there's a 10 tree minimum on wholesale varieties. I've bought several things that way.

Can you get 10 different varieties?

Is this it for peaches or is there more stonefruit yet to come?

Frank:

It's 10 trees per variety. They come in bundles of 10 trees. Ten trees wholesale costs about the same as 3 trees retail. I have use for 2-3 of each variety and use the rest as rootstocks. This is how I got my last three pluot. But I had good info that those were really good fruit.

I'm not sure what you mean by your last question.

Do you still have peaches/plums/nectarines ripening or are you near being done? What about grapes? They must be getting near?

I'm probably 60% done with stone fruit harvest. But some usually lasts into Nov. The grapes just start this time of year and the last two years I've had grapes in the frig until February. Crimson Seedless lasts amazingly well in storage and on the vine.

Fruitnut are you buying your trees directly from Dave Wilson at ten to a bundle or are you going through a middleman?

Scape

REALLY???
Hmmm, I live close enough to Dave Wilson's I could even go pick them up. (Because, goodness knows, 85-90 fruit trees in pots in my backyard isn't NEAR enough, now I need to start buying in lots of 10!)
:)
Of course, I could probably sell my extras to my fellow CRFG locals, or even on Craigslist.

Fruitnut--when do you need to get the lots of 10 bareroots from them--January?

Carla in Sac

I bought them directly from DWN. Just call their main number and you'll be able to talk to a salesman or woman. If I buy again I'll probably go thru the sales rep in Oklahoma. The salesperson I was working with in CA didn't have 30 seconds to discuss anything, give me your order and hang up please.

January is when I got all my trees both here and when I lived in CA.

I was thinking about doing a group buy with someone in CA. There are a couple of individuals there who might be able to help spread the trees out. If anyone has something they really want that I really want as well, I'd make it worth there while. Right now I don't have my eye on anything except possibly the really early low chill cherries of DWN.

If anyone is really interested in the three pluot I bought last year, I might send a tree or two back to CA or elsewhere, if that's possible. The three I picked up are Flavor Royale, Crimson Royale, and Honey Punch. I'll fruit them in 2012.

Those three pluot are described below.

Here is a link that might be useful: DWN pluot descriptions

For whatever reason, I have never had a pluot that excites me much.
Apriums, on the other hand.....didn't you say Honey Rich was delish? I also think Bella Royale looks quite yummy.

Carla in Sac

Carla:

Bella Royale does look interesting. Purple/blue/black for an apricot type fruit is unusual. They are selling what may well be Bella Royale in the stores here now. It looks just like that picture with an apricot shape and fuzzy. My friend and I both bought some in different towns and they both tasted the same, no flavor no sweetness.

Honey Rich has been great one year out of about the last six. Mostly I think they've gotten too much water which makes them big, soft, and flat tasting. Since I water deeply in winter the first fruits can be that way. Tasty Rich is very consistently good but not great. Robada is better than any aprium I've tried and the best apricot.

Thanks for the info fruitnut.

scape

Fruitnut, are you offering to sell some of the trees you purchased last year? If so I may be interested.

Thanks,
Scape

fruitnut, I might be interested. I don't have any of those 3 varieties. And, definitely give the two DWN low chill cherries - Minnie Royal and Royal Lee - a try. We have really had excellent reports here on the coast in S. California, San Diego county and Orange county with both of these. My two grew so big this year, I had to do some major summer pruning to keep them down. I swear, I think they both grew about 5 feet. They surpassed all my other stone fruit and my apple trees. I'm really excited to get some fruit next year from them.

Patty S.

I'll try to readdress the issue of tree availability this fall. I will have extra trees, not just pluot, but it will be November before they could be shipped. Right now they are in pots.

Great. I'll keep an eye out for that this fall.

Scape

That's great, fruitnut. Much better for us to plant in the fall out here, anyway. We can revisit this come Sept or Oct. Let us know if you pick up a Minnie Royal or Royal Lee. I have just been very pleased with how mine are acclimating this season, they're doing the best of all my new stone fruit trees. Just about carefree.

Patty S.