Sujiwan: 1. The two common types of sour cherries are the Richmond type (of which Montmorency is one variety, Meteor is another), and the English Morello type, of which Northstar is one variety, as well as the new Surefire variety. Richmond type cherries have yellow flesh and lighter colored juice, while the Morellos have dark red interiors and produce a much darker juice. Montmorency is historically the dominant sour cherry variety planted in the U.S., so if you can remember that your grandmother's cherries had yellow interiors, the trees were almost certainly Montmorency if planted in the 50's or 60's. If the cherries were dark red inside they could have been the old English Morello, though that is less likely. The genetic dwarf Northstar was not yet around at that time. I have grown both types, and prefer the Montmorency, although there are enthusiastic partisans of the darker Morello cherries, which are more common in Europe. 2. The only major pest of sour cherries is the cherry fruit fly, which may not have been present at your grandmother's location, but is fairly common in the the mid-Atlantic region. I have seen it on my own cherries at pitting time, where it shows up as a small white worm surrounded by black frass, close to the pit. The best ways to deal with the cherry fruit fly are to pick the trees clean at the end of the season, which prevents the larvae in infested cherries from dropping down to the ground to pupate. It is also helpful to hoe around the base of the trees once or twice during the winter, which exposes pupae in the ground to cold and drying and kills them. I still grow sour cherries, and almost never see the fruit fly today, although we pick and freeze over 25 quarts every season, and still have some to give to the neighbors. I do not spray sour cherry trees except for dormant treatments with oil and copper. This helps to prevent aphids, and the copper helps to delay onset of bacterial canker disease, which is responsible for the early demise of most cherry trees in the Mid-Atlantic region. Branches showing canker infection should be removed as soon as they are identified, since the cankers can spread. 3. Birds can show great interest in sour cherries, depending on the species you have around and their numbers. Robins and Mockingbirds are the most common customers for cherries here, although a mature cherry tree can be so productive that there are usually enough for both birds and people. That has certainly been the case for me. I don't think we lose more that about 10% of the cherries to birds. 4. A Montmorency cherry on a full-size rootstock such as Mahaleb or Mazzard can become quite large -- as much as 25-30 feet when mature -- which can put most of the cherries out of range of your ladder unless the tree is regularly pruned down. Montmorency on a dwarfing rootstock such as Gisela 5 may be more practical for a smaller yard, especially if you want to minimize future pruning. My personal preference is for the Meteor variety, a Richmond type that mimics Montmorency in every respect, but has some genetic dwarfing that keeps the tree at about 12-14 feet. Meteor is usually available from Gurney's Nursery, though I don't see it at many others. I have grown a large Montmorency (now removed) a couple of Northstars (removed due to bacterial diease), and currently have two Meteors, one fully 25 years old and one youngster of 5 years. The older tree has seen some canker, but I keep pruning it off and the tree keeps producing lots of cherries. 5. For Denninmi: If you had Northstar trees, you have grown Morello type cherries. I agree that the Northstar is particular canker prone, and checks out early. I also found the Morello cherries to be slightly smaller and more tart, although the dark juice is beautiful. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thank you intotheark for letting us know on this Lutowka cherry. I'd be interested to test it for myself. As the Evans, [my bench mark standard]..can you please tell us the size difference, do you have picture side by side? Also production overall in %. As you and me said, Evans cant be beat in it's vigor and production, another nice darker flesh cherry, reliable, is nice to have around. Got this from a friend, ..after all, this cherry didn't originate out of Poland, ..link translated from Polish.... It is very old of unknown origin, possibly French or Dutch Here is a link that might be useful: Åutówka

Hello everyone, i have been so busy have not had time to write. I finally finished the second bed,and spent the weekend looking for different types of compost. I only found three,all the rest are basically the same in Florida at least around here. I did find one Blueberry bush ,YEAH ,seems healthy... I changed the soil and transplanted to a bigger pot I have it in the morning sun and afternoon shade we will see. I planted some watermelon in 2 of the block cells as an experiment they are growing quick and seem happy.. I planted some tomatoes in containers and have them next to the blueberries.I also planted an herb garden in 2 containers i had for awhile they contain, Rosemary,basil,parsley,thyme,oregano,also some spearmint and peppermint. Within 2 days the Bugs have located and began thier attack,whiteflies and mites i belive..... i have been holding them off with palmolive and water. A friend told me ivory soap 2 tblespoons mixed in 1 quart warm water or liquid castile soap same mix,works well I'll try it.... I have to get the soil in the beds this weekend and finish mulching around the beds...I kickin around with idea of micro sprinkler sytem on a timer.They are fairly inexpensive and would work well with my goofy schedule. I have not recieved my worms yet but the compost pile seems to be doing well.Guess i'll have to call uncle Jim's and see what the delay is.. Almost forgot i ordered my muscadine grapes they will be here in Oct,along time to wait but i need to prepare the soil anyway so it worrks out well.. Glad i got the time to share and be part of your gardens Good luck to all and Happy Gardening...

I don't purchase much plastics but you can't avoid packaging. Most likely depends on the factory and how they deal with it off the run-rack. If they put the snug lid on to test the fit and package then ship it that way i bet some big off-gassing happens. That 'new car' smell. My Jeep was new off the lot but the top was down that summer. : ) All other cars recently have been a year or two old, new to us. A recent vacuum stunk out of box as parts were in bags. New lids for my pyrex containers did not stink but were not in sealed packaging. (so glad they offer replacement lids). I ran them through the dishwasher as i do any new arrival for the kitchen. I lives for a while near a small factory that made rubber/plastic tubs, the cheap ones with the rope handles. Bright colors. That stunk passing by. A bleach rinse is a great solution. I don't use much of it but always have it. I do a usual daily spray with vinegar and a big one with bleach when needed... Charcoal, the natural chunks for the grill, is in the truck right now behind the seats on the floor. Gets that 'doggy' scent out in no time.