ken: I've been doing tons of research on this subject for weeks now. I know there are lots of issues to keep in mind for potted trees -- nutrition, frequent watering, protecting them from root freeze during the winter and using special pots for the walnuts so that the taproot doesn't get all curled up in the pot, etc. I know all about how apples don't breed true and will need to be grated to get good apples. I know that seed-grown trees will be huge at full size. When my husband and I move to our rural paradise in a few years, I want to plant these trees and have them grow into enormous giants that our children and their children can enjoy all their lives. Dwarf trees are cute, but I want majestic towering beauties. I want to grow from seed to get the full experience from start to finish in caring for trees. It all looks like a really fun process to me which is why I'm doing it the slow way. There's something really exciting about throwing a bunch of seeds in pots and just being surprised with what grows. I know I could get predictable results from nursery raising seedling in less time, but there's less adventure and discovery in that process. canadianplant: There are indeed named cultivars for black walnuts which were selected for superior nut production -- size, taste, meatiness and thinner shells. I might keep a couple of wild ones, but I want to practice grafting too. There are named cultivars that were selected for superior timber production too.

Originated at the Morden Research Station, Agriculture Canada, by C. R. Ure for the Prairie Fruit Breeding Cooperative, selected as P. A. 13 by the University of Alberta, Edmonton, tested as PF51, and introduced for commerce by the Beaverlodge Research Station in 1990. The tree is moderately vigorous, rounded, and has a strong framework It is hardy to zone 2b but is moderately resistant to fire blight and susceptible to cankers. The fruit is medium large, 6-7cm (2.5-3") in diameter, round to oblong with a shallow stem cavity and shallow basin. It matures in early to mid September. The skin is moderately thick, light green base, streaked and washed with several shades of red with lighter lenticels. The flesh is greenish white, very crisp, aromatic and with a pleasant nutty flavour. It is very good to excellent for fresh eating, good for cooking and juicing, and stores for 14 weeks but looses its flavour towards the end. Note: The cultivars >Norda= and >Norkent= which are presently on the market, are nearly if not completely identical. It is unlikely that two crosses so diverse could be so similar in all aspects. The mix up may go back to the original material sent for testing. Do not pick early . The fruit must mature fully to develop full flavour. Norkent

I can't speak for apple farmers, but I can speak for corn farmers. We will have little to no crop this year. We do have crop insurance. We pay a premium, just as you do any insurance policy. We certainly won't get 500% of our crop in payment - but it will be something. You can decide how much insurance you want on your crop (before you even plant it in the ground) and your payback is decided on that. You don't change that once a disaster has already struck. You can get a bigger payback (more than the input costs) if you pay a higher level of premium. But remember - not every year will you collect on crop insurance. Paying the very high premium is generally not a good use of money. You have to "prove yields" over many years time. This has to be done through government agency's and very good record keeping. If you do not have a higher proven yield, you would get paid on the "county average. The government might say the county average for corn is 149 bushel/acre. Generally our yields are 200 bushel/acre on a OK year. We like to exceed that on a good year. We would have far more $$$ if we had a normal crop this year, but at least we will have our inputs covered by the crop insurance payment and we won't be looking at a negative income. You have to also understand how much money goes into farming,and I am speaking from a family farm aspect. I spend well over $100,000 in seed, chemical, and fuel costs each spring. A new combine is over 1/4 million dollars - and that is just the machine, not the head that combines the different crops. You need a head for corn, and a different head for soybeans. I pay a generous amount in taxes also. I pay close to $30,000 in property tax alone. Last year was a very good year. Grain prices were high. Even with very careful planning, I gave a SERIOUS amount of money to the IRS. I get really really fed up when I hear how farmers get so many handouts... I hand a HELL OF A LOT back! Our family also works 7 days a week - 365 days a year. We have livestock with our operation. There are no days off. This lifestyle is our choice - but everything we have WE EARNED!

Yes, crabs make good pollinators for apples, providing the bloom times coordinate and the tree is close enough - and this one is :-) Often commercial apple orchards interplant with crabs to ensure proper cross pollination but often different apple selections are planted in close enough proximity so that occurs with the different varieties. I wouldn't rely just on it happening on its own - it usually doesn't - and research on growing apples commercially will confirm that: "All apple cultivars require cross-pollination with a pollinizer (not to be confused with a pollinator, which is a bee) to ensure commercial quality fruit and yields. Varieties differ in their self-fruitfulness. For example, Golden Delicious is considered partially self-fruitful, while Red Delicious is not. Regardless of the degree of self-fruitfulness, provide cross-pollination in every planting. With respect to cross-pollination, all red sports and spur types are considered the same as the parent variety. For example, Yorking is not a pollinizer for York Imperial. Closely related varieties may not pollinate one another—for example, McIntosh, and Early McIntosh. Triploid varieties do not pollinate any varieties. Otherwise, all varieties with satisfactory pollen are pollinizers of one another if the bloom periods overlap. It is advisable to have three pollinizer varieties in all Stayman and Winesap blocks." Orchard Pollination