Pre-blueberry fruit picking: two varieties of goumi, Nanking cherry, and haskap. Birds got most of the Juneberries (Serviceberry, Saskatoon). And don’t currently grow strawberries.

Excluding for the moment Juneberry, the real surprise to me here is the humble Nanking cherry. Though it colors up later than haskap or goumi, it gets sweet as early as they do, or sweeter earlier. Also, it’s a legit tree fruit that grows as low and precocious as a bush. A miniaturized tree fruit.… Continue reading Early June Fruit: Juneberry, Haskap, Goumi, Nanking Cherry

Red and white Nanking cherry:

Carmine goumi is considerably sweeter than Red Gem and Sweet Scarlet goumi, also much larger, more pulp, less skin. Carmine is like a small red grape with one big long seed in the middle, shape of a skinny football. Unless dead ripe, goumi will have some tartness to it. Again, Carmine is significantly sweeter and… Continue reading Goumi Time

Six and a half months ago, in mid November, I cut this Emerald Strawberry (UCD 143-36) scionwood, about 50 cuttings. I bundled them with vinegar-water soaked paper towels and wrapped them inside of a couple plastic grocery bags. I put them on the cement floor of my attached garage and forgot about them. After a… Continue reading accidental 100 percent rooting

Tart-sweet flavor when picked at this stage pre-ripe with green pulp. Fully ripe fruit would have purple pulp and be sweeter. Maxie variety of haskap propagated by Maxine Thompson:

Carmine goumi large size (near ripe green and early ripe orange), Red Gem goumi medium size (near ripe green, early ripe orange, ripe red), wild seedling goumi very, very small not ripe (at least I hope it is wild goumi seedling which is what it was sold to me as rather than Autumnberry, which is… Continue reading Goumi Color and Size

A few haskap ripe a week ago, mid May.

Earliest goumi fruits have barely turned red but robins are already gobbling and squabbling. And hawk floating low eyeing robins.

Clockwise from top left above: Goumi, Nanking Cherry, Goumi, Haskap, Blueberry, Asian Pear, Haskap, Goji, Peach (center that needs thinned). Clockwise below: Plum, blossoms, juneberry, juneberry, juneberry. Looks like the juneberries will ripen before June. Birds will make quick work of them. Some haskap will ripen before June. And possibly some goumi. Nanking cherry maybe… Continue reading May Fruit Developing