Apple trees are by far the most satisfactory of the orchard fruits.

The deer have not touched my asian persimmon...Hachiya...and it had 32 large fruits in year 3. They also do not bother my fig tree which is very productive. No pests and no deer bothering either. jwww

Hi! I am not a gardening expert, but I to have been researching growing fruit trees and bushes here in the local area (Port Orchard for me). I have found a couple doucments on the web that might interest you. The web addy's are below:

http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/frt_hort/altcrop.htm
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb2002/eb2002.pdf
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb0937/eb0937.pdf
http://www.raintreenursery.com/

Cheers and good luck!

Check out Burnt Ridge Nursery (link below). I've bought a lot of stuff from them. Great prices and selection, and the owner is very knowledgeable.

Here is a link that might be useful: Burnt Ridge Nursery

Thanks for the links. I probably won't buy anything right now. My plan is to visit some nurseries during their fall sales and hopefully find a few of the varieties I am looking for. The rest I will order from Burnt Ridge, and last, Raintree. I really like the guy at Burnt Ridge; I have been buying stuff from him since my high school days at the Olympia Farmers Market. I'm less thrilled with Raintree for stealing my eucalyptus picture but they seem to have an overall good reputation.

Next thing to do is figure out how many trees I have room for - and cut down a huge ugly conifer growing in the middle of the area I want to use.

It may have been bad luck but i have found that berries and fruit trees from Raintree have not been nearly as robust or as successful as the same varieties from One Green World. Raintree was good about replacing items that did not thrive but the size and vigor of the trees received was significantly different. Shipping time to me from the two should not be different and therefore not a factor. jwww

Most years Raintree manages to come up with a few rare things I end up ordering but I don't like how they top specimens to fit them into shipping boxes. One slow-growing hawthorn that came this way grew sideways for several years without sending up a serious replacement top. I was so annoyed I took it out.

A purpleleaf plum I drove all the way down there to get late in the season looked suspicious after the clerk brought it out to the sales area from the storehouse. It didn't grow after planting so it seems I was, unfortunately correct in my initial impression: it wasn't viable when I got it.

I never reviewed their replacement policy, if any or did anything else other than throw it on the burn pile in disgust.

One green world - I forgot about them, thanks! I thought I'd heard a few stories like that about Raintree as well. I'll go there last, and pick the stuff up myself, so I can see it. They do have some interesting, promising varieties that aren't available elsewhere.

Oz: your links led me to this web page:
http://mountvernon.wsu.edu/FruitHorticulture.html
lots more valuable information here!

I love One Green World!!! I have a couple of their columnar apple trees, pineapple guava and a desert king fig tree. I can't wait to go back and get more.

Many local nurseries offer plants from Northwoods, I believe to be the wholesale side of One Green World. The local's prices are often less, you see what you're getting, and save on shipping.

I've even seen columnar apple trees at Fred Meyer. Pineapple guava and 'Desert King' fig are also common in garden centers here. Mailorder is good for things not easily found/unavailable locally. Inability to inspect before purchase is a serious drawback to having things shipped in from elsewhere. But no one small area has the selection of an entire country.

At Raintree she pulled the doomed purpleleaf plum out of the storage building and presented it in the separate sales area while I waited there, so strictly speaking I wasn't able to choose what I got in that instance either - looking at what was left over and choosing one for structure etc. was not available. Potted and balled-in-burlap stock they do display in publicly accessible facilities.

I seriously doubt that there is anything at Raintree that One Green World doesn't have...they are major introducers of eastern european and russian varieties. OGW shows up at most of the big shows but of course doesn't have their entire stock with them. I understand that growers which have 2 names: one wholesale and one retail will make sure that the retail offerings are their top quality. I would choose top quality mail order especially if it is just a one or two day distance over the wholesale version which has gone through who knows what shipping/handling and gaps in care. jwww

>I seriously doubt that there is anything at Raintree that One Green World doesn't haveI picked an item that interests me, Japanese apricot. This year One Green World is offering one cultivar. Raintree is offering four cultivars. According to their web site Raintree is offering over 800 kinds of plants this time, with 150 items (plants and other goods) new this year.

Must admit I tossed their catalog this year ;-) jwww

Northwoods, the wholesale side of One Green World offers the same excellence as it's retail part. They make same day deliveries with their own trucks. The owner, Jim Gilbert sometimes is the deliverer. Why would he want to unload anything but the best to the retailer or anyone else?

It's good to know that they are an exception to the rule! jww

My favorite pest and disease proof fruit tree is Italian prune. The squirrels take a few.

Ian, I think I have settled on planting the following this year: One Bosc and One Comice pear trees. I am told they are easy to grow and low maintenance for the local area, and they should cross pollinate? I love the taste of these pears, but like you hate the store price. I have read they store well and are best eaten after a month or two after setting in the pantry? This would be nice because I could eat my plums first and then the pears later? I also want to plant a Desert King fig Tree and although not fruit, a Halls Hardy and All-In-One Almond; anyone know about these in the local area? I also plan on planting some Prime Jan Blackberries. I love making wine out of blackberries at the end of the year, but hate picking them off of the wild bramble bushes.

I already have several plum trees, cherries, and etc., with my favorite (hopefully) being a green gauge plum. My green gauge is not quite large enough to produce fruit, but my neighborÂs produces lots of plump fruit, and to me, they kind of taste like extremely large grapes!

Cheers!

Oz

Yes, certain European pears require cold storage to mature. 'Hall's' is a hybrid almond, part peach and part almond. I have seen some large examples of this or a similar kind here. The nuts are supposed to require processing to remove bitterness yet I have eaten raw ones from trees acquired as this variety without difficulty.

There are also well-along specimens of non-hybrid almond trees in western WA. Van Pelt, Champion Trees of Washington State (1996, University of Washington Press) has a photo of a big one in Tacoma. (See also Jacobson, Trees of Seattle - Second Edition).

Note that it's spelled 'Gage'.

I planted one of these last year. I didn't realize that it was a hybrid at the time of planting. I'm curious about how they taste since ours hasn't produced yet. Bboy, do they taste just like a regular almond? I'm also curious about how difficult they are to crack open because I've heard or read they require a lot of force. Was that your experience?

One instance I remember specifically was a customer bringing a bowl of them to a garden center I worked at who had bought the tree there as 'Hall's'. Otherwise I think I have sampled occasional ones right off the tree. Shells and bitterness no problem. Others have reported different experiences on this web site. So, you have to wonder if everyone has the same clone. Maybe there is a "true" selection that has one set of fruit characters and seed-raised stock that has other traits both being sold under the one name.

Hopefully the tree will produce this year and I'll find out what mine are like.

Apples- Liberty, Freedom, Spitzenberg, William's Pride
Stone fruits get diseases and don't perform for me.
Figs- Latterula and Desert King
Mulberries- Illinois Everbearing
Paw Paws- if you have time to wait a few years for fruit they seem pest free, taste like tropical custard
Aronia- loads of very healthy fruit, best cooked
Blueberries- favorite bush fruit
Pears- Rescue, Ubileen

Thanks for all the feedback. Here are some of the trees/fruit crops varieties I am considering planting. I'll have to narrow this down, of course. Or will I? muhuhahahaha....

CHERRY (2) - Lapins, Sweetheart (I said I wasn't into cherries, but then I saw some pictures of them and they mad me hungry so I changed my mind)
APRICOT (3) - Harglow, Puget Gold, Westley (too late?), Tlor-tsiran???
PEACH (3) - Avalon Pride, Blazingstar, HW 272 sound like the best three. Other choices might include Charlotte, Contender, Harbelle, Harrow Diamond, Juneprince, Mary Jane, Oregon Curl-Free, Q 1-8, Redstar, Reliance, Starfire, Veteran?
NECTARINE (2) - Fantasia?, Hardired, Kreibich, Harko?
PLUM (3) - sounds like a lot of them do fine here, but my top 3 are probably Beauty, Hollywood, Shiro
APPLE (5) - Akane, September Wonder/Jubilee, Chehalis, Honeycrisp, Liberty, Pristine, William's Pride
PEAR (4) - Bartlett (have to have a Bartlett), Blake's Price, Moonglow, Orcas, Rescue
ASIAN PEAR (3) - (still deciding) Shinseiki for sure. Others.... Nijesseiki, Chojuro, Shinko, Mishirasu, Hamese?
RASPBERRIES (and relatives) - Autumn Bliss, Caroline, Summit, Tulameen, Boysenberry, Marionberry, Tayberry, Thornless Loganberry, Willamette
BLUEBERRIES (I will plants lots, they do great in Sequim) - Berkeley, Bluecrop, Little Giant, Olympia, Sunshine, Top Hat, Toro
KIWIFRUIT - Exbury (sounds like the earliest ripening fuzzy type), Saanichton (will it ripen?), male fuzzy, 74/49, Ken's Red, Ananasnaya, Meader, Geneva, male arguta
GRAPES - Agria, Campbell's Early??? (will it ripen?), Canadice, Einset?, Interlaken Seedless, Jupiter?, Lynden Blue (sounds like a winner), Madeline Angevine (wine), Price, Regent, Reliance, Valiant?, Vanessa
FIG - Atreano, Desert King, Lattarula, Stella?, Vashon Violet/Brunswick
OLIVE - Arbequina, Mission
CHESTNUT - I want to plant two or three but they are big trees. Lots to choose from on the Burnt Ridge Nursery web site.
PISTACHIO - Uzbek (I'm sure that won't work but I have to try...LOL anyways it's hardy and the flowers are cool)
ALMOND - All in one, HallÂs Hardy, Reliable, Dessertiny (Bounty?)
PINEAPPLE GUAVA - Nikita (sounds like the earliest ripening one), a pollinator

Some other things like mulberries aren't out of the question.... we'll see. I don't want to get too carried away just yet.

I also have to be careful of not planting things that need a lot of heat or ripen too late. Apparently I only get about 1400 growing degree days in an average season.

I'll vouch for the Atreano fig (sometimes get 2 crops...always get at least one) and the pineapple guava (mine hasn't fruited yet but it is a very cool evergreen plant that deer don't touch!) Sounds like a great selection! jwww

All those stone fruits (Prunus) are a sure way to have pest or disease issues present themselves. Much of your list is really experimental/hobby types, consistent with the ornamentals you have been planting but not consistent with your original stated objectives at the opening of this thread. Expect mixed results if you buy and plant all those. Otherwise:

Apple
Black mulberry
Asian persimmon
Chestnut
Fig
Walnut

Ian,

Will Beauty and Hollywood pollinate Shiro? Many, many, many years ago I got to go on a tour of WSU's Western Washington fruit experimental station in the Skagit Valley. The Phd said that Japanese plums need a cross with another Japanese varity to produce a good crop. Shiro was pollinated best by Satsuma according to him. I remember this because we also got to sample the various fruits and both Shiro and Satsuma knocked my socks off. I have grown both of them since then.

Note that the "Hollywood" sold these days in this region (and sometimes elsewhere) is actually 'Spencer Hollywood', a different variety. The kind in the collections at the WSU station is very likely to be 'Spencer Hollywood'.

Here is a link that might be useful: Article - 'Spencer Hollywood' Plum by Arthur Lee Jacobson