Fruitnut, did you get any Bosc fruit? My Bosc had fruit 3 years after planting. It's a huge vigorous tree and gets the award for the World's Ugliest Pear Tree. My son planted a Bosc this year and yesterday, he was staring at it and announced that it had to be related to my Bosc. Bosc is the Icabod Crane of the pear world, with branches going every which way, and twisting to go off in all different directions. Branches are sparse and gangly and the tree looks like a doofus. However, I love the Bosc pears, so the tree can do whatever it wants as long as it gives me those delicious pears. I don't think I can ripen Bosc on the tree. Pears snap off at the least whisper when they are ready to be picked, so they get knocked off with the slightest wind. In fact, they must be picked very carefully, because they will fall when touched. My Seckel fruited for the first time this year, 5 years in the ground. That's a marvelous pear, well worth growing. I've ordered a Comice, so it will go in the ground next spring.

Thanks pitandiego! So, 9-10 months means the fruit won't be mature 'til March - April '08? Ughhh! Your temps are far more suitable to nana-growing, so you may not have my answers! But I'm assuming that these fruits are *not* going to be happy w/freezing temps... Presently, our nighttime temps are hitting the mid 40's (daytime temps are mild, mid- to upper-70's). Growth has slowed, of course - but the fruits are still hangin' in there! Late Nov, I think we'll be hitting mid-30's at night. Mid Dec is when the 20's arrive (Brrr!). And I think that's when the nanna plants got "hit," last year, and looked dead. Should I wait 'til the afternoon before our first predicted frost, and try to cut the flower stalk down (and the nanna plant as well - leaving the pups)? Or do they stand a chance, if they remain on the plant? Bearing in mind, he's appx 15' tall and there is NO way for me to throw anything over them (nor can he come into the house or GH, unfortunately. Saba is just *toooo* big!) If I do cut the stalk down, what do I do then? Do the fruits stand a chance of ripening? (i.e. put the individual hands into baggies w/apples, or whatever). Leave 'em on the flower stalk and move 'em someplace warm? Or am I pretty much S.O.L.? (I'm still thrilled that it fruited, but I was hoping to be able to EAT something!) Thanks for any advice! -Nancy

I an in zip 19933 and have brown turkey and mission. They need to be protected every year or they die to the ground. I have them in an open field, so no protectin from the wind. I have been there 6 years. I think the lowest temp was 5 above. I think there is a post here of somone finding a large fig tree near the coast with large figs.

Linda, Hello again ! I havn't posted in a while(probably since last year)but yes, I do have another gourd crop this year as well. I had an unbelievable harvest last year of 108 birhouse gourds. This year I have more birdhouse growing as well as the martin house ones and some bushell gourds. All are doing extremely well and growing like crazy and loaded with gourds. I think I may have a storage problem this year, but I guess that would be a good thing. Sounds like you had a good crop last year as well. I really wanted to plant some of the dipper gourds like you did but did not receive any seeds. I tried to start some apple and mini gourds but had no luck with them germinating. Well here's wishing you the best on this years crop ! Thanks for your update. Brian