Good Morning, I came across these forums while browsing the internet and was astonished by all the knowledgeable members who take their time to provide advice to others; so, I thought I would try my luck thank you in advance to those who can help out! Background Info: -I consider myself an amateur in the garden as I have only recently moved into a home with actual gardening potential. -Upon moving into our home in December, we were handed a diagram labelling the fruit trees we currently have in our yard and were simply told that all fruit was edible. I have done absolutely nothing this year to the trees as I figured I would use our first summer to see what grows. Surprisingly, Mother Nature has taken good care of the trees on her own and almost all of the trees have produced fruit. -I dont know how old the trees are; however, the house was built in 2002, so I could assume that they are no older than 7 years. -I live in Calgary, AB, which according to my research is in Zone 3a. I am going to post each of our trees (with pics) in separate posts and heres where you come in; I need help/advice/feedback regarding the following: -Do you know what specific species of pear/apple/plum/cherry tree this is? -What kind of maintenance/pruning/etc. needs to be done to reach its maximum potential? -When do I harvest the fruit? -How do I store the fruit? -Is it ripe enough to eat or will it never ripen to a point where it is edible based on our planting zone? -Lastly, if you know of any good online resources, I would be grateful if you could drop me some links. Heres the next tree: Heyer Apple Many of these apples are blemished, while others are growing healthy and quite large. A few of these have fallen on their own but mostly the rotting ones.
Good Morning Newbie, This apple is Heyer 12, an old variety from Saskatchewan. It is still the standard by which new introductions are judged for hardiness on the Prairie Provinces. It's apple is actually fairly 'sweet' (measured in solubale solids) but because it is so high in the various acids it is very sour and tart. It's not a good eating apple but is one of the best for apple sauce. Some like it for pies. I cannot say for sure if the other apple you posted is Parkland. The skin color is too uneven and not dark enough to be Parkland. Having said that, skin color is affected by many factors. Parkland has pure white meat and is sweet with just a very slight hint of tartness. Parkland also tends to fruit in big clusters often 5 to 6 apples on a spur unless you have thinned out the fruits. I cannot tell if the other is indeed a Collet. The cherries are Evans. It's a sour cherry that makes excellent pies, jams, jellies and compote. The original tree was found just on the outskirt of Edmonton. Please don't quote me but apparently eating a handful in the late evening helps in getting a sound sleep. Kim suggested an excellent proposal - come to the annual Fruit Show at the Devonian Botanic Gardens on the 13th of September. There you will be able to compare your fruits and taste a lot more. DBG is in Devon, just west of Edmonton. You will also meet one of the perennial exhibitors (Garry and Linda) who are from Calgary. Peace Thean
Good Morning Newbie, It's me again. I just forget to mention that you should and must not hesitate to consult with Alberta Agriculture for any information pertaining to horticulture. Peace Thean
