I've always removed the flowers on young potted nursery stock but but this year I'm doing it alittle different. Last spring I got a bunch of tiny tissue culture plugs and they grew very strong so I'm going to leave a very light crop on them this year. I pruned out all the small twiggy wood and any branches that grow in ward to the middle of the plant. From there I left only 2 fruit buds on the the tips of the remaining branches. Hopefully it's not a mistake? We shall see! It won't hurt my feelings if I lose few anyway cause I got too many as it is. Emerald is great plant but will need protection in your zone. I put up a PVC frame around mine and cover with plastic if I need too. It only takes a few min to assemble and then place a small propane heater in there with it. Here is recent pic of my Emerald and it's just about in full bloom now. How much fruit can expect from a Emerald this size? It's 6ft x 5ft and loaded with buds. I will thin it some but I know Emerald is in a class of its own production wise. It leafs out very strong and can handle huge crops. This will be my first real harvest on this plant. Does the 5 or 6 bud rule per branch still apply here to this variety???

Emerald is low chill, 200 hrs or something like that. And those types are evergreen in my situation. The place I've heard of a commercial crop in fall is southern CA. I think they force that crop by pruning as well. The one pictured in a small pot could be chilled at 40F for two weeks in a cold room and be ready to really bloom early. I think chilling would be effective in August in my conditions. But you'd need a warm greenhouse in winter to make it work. Maybe 3 crops in 2 yrs. Don't think you could make 2 crops per yr without a lot of effort and money. But several sets on different 8 month cycles would give yr around fruit.

Fruitgirl gave you some great info. I would add to this that I can't help you with varieties as most everything I grow has a higher chill hour requirement than you are likely to have. What I wanted to chime in to add is that if your soil's ph is 6.5 or above then trying to lower it chemically (sulfur)is difficult and can lead to soil chemistry problems. My soil pH is 6.8 and the way I grow blueberries is to dig a hole 1 ft deep (blueberries are shallow rooted) and 2' in diameter. I fill the hole with 10% native soil, 10% compost and 80% sphagnum peat. The peat is naturally around 4.5pH (there may be some variability, but it is all in the blueberry range. You want pure sphagnum, not a potting mix that is peat based as those often are limed to raise pH. With this done a light annual topdressing of sulfur will counter act the native soil's tendency to shift pH upward. Grapes are also fairly easy to grow organically, at least they are around here. Raspberries are as well. I also grow asian pear trees and they are not at all easy to grow organically. Very prone to disease although the most drastic I have had to get thus far is using baking soda and wettable sulfur as fungicides (both OK for organics). I also used neem oil and insecticidal soap for an aphid colony that was being farmed onto the tree by ants. Apples I do not try to grow, but I have yet to see anyone grow them organically with success although I am sure somebody has done it. Very prone to pests and diseases. Still, I don't want to discourage you. It's not *that* hard and when I say it's hard to do organically I am assuming you do not wish to use products like pyrethrins or rotenone either (although they are considered organic). If you are OK with these then it's a bit easier to deal with bugs. Definitely do some reading from your university extension service though as they will have localized info and possibly variety recommendations tested and proven in your area. One 'trick' I learned from my extension service was using dormant oil sprays on fruit trees every late fall/early winter. The oil smothers overwintering pests and fungal disease. Made a *huge* difference in my growing season problem rate. Good luck and have fun!

I am just starting my garden in new place. Most of my plants died during transportation due to cold shock. I am looking for some fruit trees to plant. Since this is Banana forum, anyone who has ladyfinger banana plants that bear mini bananas, I would love to have them for my garden. I have some strawberry plants in exchange. I would love to get offer for any other plants/cuttings/seeds/bulbs