More comprehensive List for blueKYstream and others interested

[TreeDaddy]

Thanks Native Hunter for putting this list together! Things have been crazy busy but I finally got around to putting an order together. I didn't know how much help planting I'd have this time, so I decided to focus on pears. I ordered 16 pears from The Wildlife Group. I had a list in mind focusing on the late dropping pears before calling. I spoke with Allen there briefly.

He was saying the late dropping ones are a bit more susceptible to fireblight than the others generally speaking. Ms Laneene is probably one of the most susceptible (sold out). I thought Gilmore Christmas, Gallaway and Hunter's Choice (sold out) might be the worst offenders based on the descriptions on the website. I think he said Gallaway was a little better than Gate in that regard and Kiefer is resistant but not immune. He further explained after the first couple years, they can typically fend it off. Based on the descriptions on the website and what I read here, some of that information surprised me a bit.

I have 4 spots I plan to plant these to supplement some chinese chestnuts and american persimmons I planted (except 1 spot has none). I included some spray with my order. It would be tough to spray them multiple times the first couple years (afterwards I wouldn't) but we'll see. My preliminary order:
3 Gate
4 Becton
4 Gallaway
1 Gilmore Christmas
1 McKelvey
1 Arthur Ledbetter
1 Moonglow
1 Orient
16 Total

I think it should work. If you see any glaring holes or suggestions for improvements, I'm open to anything of course. Thanks again for your help!

What did the roots look like on the pears?

All of them from my order from Wildlife group appeared to be J rooted


i was told that this is common with the OhxF97 root stock

Anyone else have this experience?

bill

 

[blueKYstream]

What did the roots look like on the pears?

All of them from my order from Wildlife group appeared to be J rooted


i was told that this is common with the OhxF97 root stock

Anyone else have this experience?

bill

I won't receive them until the end of the month. I can post a picture at that time if you like.

 

[blueKYstream]

What did the roots look like on the pears?

All of them from my order from Wildlife group appeared to be J rooted


i was told that this is common with the OhxF97 root stock

Anyone else have this experience?

bill

I got my order on March 27th. All or nearly all pear trees had leafed out. I had hoped that maybe they'd have them in cold storage, but perhaps they are field grown. I'm not sure. I don't recall any of the roots being J-hooked. The roots were what I would consider average or perhaps on the small side. I planted on March 28th and 29th. We had a hard frost a couple days later. Every tree was hit hard and defoliated. Most have regrown leaves while others are still working on leafing out fully as of June 22nd.

I lost 2 trees, a Gate pear and an extra pear they threw in without marking. I had no idea what sort of warranty The Wildlife Group has, if any, so I sent an email. They said they were only guaranteed to arrive in good condition. I replaced those two I lost with a Dr. Deer pear and a Kiefer pear from Walmart (I also picked up a Dunstan Chestnut and 'Deer Candy' Persimmon) on clearance. FWIW: they will begin to take orders again in October after the new catalog posts to the website.

 

[Native Hunter]

End of 2019 Update
A few people have asked me about updating this list. Shown below is the revised list after 2019. This shows my successes, failures and items still under evaluation.Keep in mind that something which seems to work at one location might not do well in another.

Apples: The following will give you a pretty wide variety of drop times and good disease resistance. These are proven varieties in South Central KY without spraying. Don't plant just any apple in KY unless you want to be spraying and babying them to keep them alive. Get the wrong apple and you will never have any fruit on it without constant life support.

• Liberty - Outstanding DR. Late Summer.
• Priscilla - Outstanding DR. Incredible eating apple. Mid Summer.
• Arkansas Black - Good DR. Late Fall.
• Dozier Crab - Good DR. Late Fall.
• Yates - Possible the best deer apple. Starts slowly dropping late October and goes well into December most years. Great DR.
• Betsey Deaton - Minor to moderate CAR but great cropping. Mid Summer
• Black Limbertwig - Outstanding DR. Late Summer to Early Fall.
• Black Oxford - Good DR. Late Summer to early fall.
• Horse - Good DR. Early to mid summer.
• Bevan’s Favorite - Very dependable. July dropping and good taste for early apple.
• Margret (aka Striped June) - Very dependable. Very tart and small. June ripening.
• Callaway Crabapple (good DR and good Crops, but fruit doesn't drop without shaking tree)
• Dolgo Crab from WG - Good DR and heavy crops but most apples rot on tree. Need to shake like Callaway.
• Eliza’s Choice Crabapple - Big crops that need shaking like Callaway and Dolgo to get apples to fall. No disease.
• Summer Champion - Good DR. Great early eating apple. Moderate crops.
• Myers Royal Limbertwig - Huge Red apples. Tart. Mid to late summer. No signs of disease. Heavy cropping.
• Freedom - Looks good after two seasons of fruiting. Seems very DR. Late summer.
• Caney Fork Limbertwig - Not as clean as other limbertwigs listed above but good deer apple. Fairly late dropping.

Other Apples that could possibly work – need more time to evaluate

• King David - Looked good for a while in 19 but apples dropped too early. Keep watching a while.
• Sundance (just recently planted – need time)
• Brushy Mtn Limbertwig (Has shown moderate FB but bears big apple crops. Still Watching.)
• Terry Winter (not great so far. Lots of apples rot on tree. Need more time to eval.)
• William’s Pride (only recently planted – need time)
• Franklin Cider (only recently planted - need time)
• Enterprise (only recently planted - need time)
• Several varieties from Northern Whitetail Crabs still under evaluation. Most looking good but one eliminated so far.
• Roxbury Russet (slow bearing so far. DR looks good)
• Old Fashioned Limbertwig (Was looking good, but had to move tree. Small crop last year. Looks DR and clean so far)

Apples to avoid in KY:

• Goldrush (Gets CAR bad)
• Winter King (aka Stark) premature fruit fall and rotting
• American Summer Pearmain (FB and other diseases bad)
• Mrs. Bryan (FB magnet)
• Golden Hornet Crab - apple eventually mummify and don't drop.
• NWC variety of Yellow Delicious - Heavy CAR in 2019. Will Topwork in 2020.

For persimmons, I would suggest:

• Topworking any existing male trees that aren't too large with female scions that cover a long drop period. For instance, an early variety is Morris Burton and a late variety is Deer Magnet. This is the best thing you can do to get persimmons fast.
• You can also set seedlings and start having fruit on the females in about 10+ years if all goes well. You can also topwork the males.
• You can buy grafted persimmons from the following places, but they are high dollar: Wildlife Group, Stark Brothers, Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery, Chestnut Hills Nursery and England's Orchard. Check out their web sites. Look at England's first.

Don't forget Pears: Deer love them and they are easier to grow than apples in KY. They are also faster fruiting than persimmons. My pears look supermarket quality without any spraying, but you have to get the right ones. Grafted pears can also be bought for about 1/2 the price of a grafted persimmon. Recommended Varieties:

• Kieffer (beware of fake Kieffers...they are toxic like FAKE NEWS
  
  ) - Good Dr and drop into early November.
• Moonglow - Early Fall. High DR.
• Ayers - Summer. Excellent eating. High DR.
• Senator Clark - Early Fall to mid Fall. Good DR.
• Gallaway (minor Fireblight. Good cropping.) Drops into November.
• Hunter’s Choice - WG warns of possible FB. I have not seen any. Good late dropper for me.
• Becton - Late fall dropper and clean growing so far.

Pears under evaluation that look Promising – but need more time:

• Gate (super clean growing so far) (Planted in 14 and no fruit yet. Blooms Froze in 18 and 19)
• Mrs. Lanene (same info as Gate)
• Olympic Giant (Planted in 17. Need more time)

Additional Noteworthy Information:

• Chinese Chestnuts are outstanding for Deer. They seem to produce great nearly every year. The problem is that they will mostly be done early. My trees start dropping in mid September and are finished by mid October, but the deer will clean every one of them up. They are a high draw.
• I have some Sawtooth Oaks that drop in November, and honestly even though I love my apples and pears, it seems that nothing else I have draws deer like these sawtooths. I saved some nuts this year and plan on trying to get some of these started in different locations on the farm. These trees grow fast, but I have noticed that getting multiple trees close together is very important for pollination. Keep this in mind when planting them.

I also wanted to mention that we have some great local varieties of apples that are not available commercially, so I have not included them in this list. Hopefully this time next year we can update this list again. Best wishes to all and Merry Christmas!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Good to hear about the Chinese Chestnuts. We planted 4 in close proximity for pollination purposes in 2018. Growing well so far.

Our Franklin Cider apple trees are growing fairly rapidly with no signs of disease. FWIW.

 

[Native Hunter]

Good to hear about the Chinese Chestnuts. We planted 4 in close proximity for pollination purposes in 2018. Growing well so far.

Our Franklin Cider apple trees are growing fairly rapidly with no signs of disease. FWIW.

Yes, I could have probably added Franklin to my approved list because of how good it has looked so far, but I like to be close to 100% certain with a little more history than I have. Mine had about 5 apples this year and the tree grew extra clean. I don't know exactly when the apples dropped but I just noticed at one point that they were gone and I didn't see them on the ground, so assumed the deer had eaten them.

 

[sandbur]

End of 2019 Update
A few people have asked me about updating this list. Shown below is the revised list after 2019. This shows my successes, failures and items still under evaluation.Keep in mind that something which seems to work at one location might not do well in another.

Apples: The following will give you a pretty wide variety of drop times and good disease resistance. These are proven varieties in South Central KY without spraying. Don't plant just any apple in KY unless you want to be spraying and babying them to keep them alive. Get the wrong apple and you will never have any fruit on it without constant life support.

• Liberty - Outstanding DR. Late Summer.
• Priscilla - Outstanding DR. Incredible eating apple. Mid Summer.
• Arkansas Black - Good DR. Late Fall.
• Dozier Crab - Good DR. Late Fall.
• Yates - Possible the best deer apple. Starts slowly dropping late October and goes well into December most years. Great DR.
• Betsey Deaton - Minor to moderate CAR but great cropping. Mid Summer
• Black Limbertwig - Outstanding DR. Late Summer to Early Fall.
• Black Oxford - Good DR. Late Summer to early fall.
• Horse - Good DR. Early to mid summer.
• Bevan’s Favorite - Very dependable. July dropping and good taste for early apple.
• Margret (aka Striped June) - Very dependable. Very tart and small. June ripening.
• Callaway Crabapple (good DR and good Crops, but fruit doesn't drop without shaking tree)
• Dolgo Crab from WG - Good DR and heavy crops but most apples rot on tree. Need to shake like Callaway.
• Eliza’s Choice Crabapple - Big crops that need shaking like Callaway and Dolgo to get apples to fall. No disease.
• Summer Champion - Good DR. Great early eating apple. Moderate crops.
• Myers Royal Limbertwig - Huge Red apples. Tart. Mid to late summer. No signs of disease. Heavy cropping.
• Freedom - Looks good after two seasons of fruiting. Seems very DR. Late summer.
• Caney Fork Limbertwig - Not as clean as other limbertwigs listed above but good deer apple. Fairly late dropping.

Other Apples that could possibly work – need more time to evaluate

• King David - Looked good for a while in 19 but apples dropped to early. Keep watching a while.
• Sundance (just recently planted – need time)
• Brushy Mtn Limbertwig (Has shown moderate FB but bears big apple crops. Still Watching.)
• Terry Winter (not great so far. Lots of apples rot on tree. Need more time to eval.)
• William’s Pride (only recently planted – need time)
• Franklin Cider (only recently planted - need time)
• Enterprise (only recently planted - need time)
• Several varieties from Northern Whitetail Crabs still under evaluation. Most looking good but one eliminated so far.
• Roxbury Russet (slow bearing so far. DR looks good)
• Old Fashioned Limbertwig (Was looking good, but had to move tree. Small crop last year. Looks DR and clean so far)

Apples to avoid in KY:

• Goldrush (Gets CAR bad)
• Winter King (aka Stark) premature fruit fall and rotting
• American Summer Pearmain (FB and other diseases bad)
• Mrs. Bryan (FB magnet)
• Golden Hornet Crab - apple eventually mummify and don't drop.
• NWC variety of Yellow Delicious - Heavy CAR in 2019. Will Topwork in 2020.

For persimmons, I would suggest:

• Topworking any existing male trees that aren't too large with female scions that cover a long drop period. For instance, an early variety is Morris Burton and a late variety is Deer Magnet. This is the best thing you can do to get persimmons fast.
• You can also set seedlings and start having fruit on the females in about 10+ years if all goes well. You can also topwork the males.
• You can buy grafted persimmons from the following places, but they are high dollar: Wildlife Group, Stark Brothers, Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery, Chestnut Hills Nursery and England's Orchard. Check out their web sites. Look at England's first.

Don't forget Pears: Deer love them and they are easier to grow than apples in KY. They are also faster fruiting than persimmons. My pears look supermarket quality without any spraying, but you have to get the right ones. Grafted pears can also be bought for about 1/2 the price of a grafted persimmon. Recommended Varieties:

• Kieffer (beware of fake Kieffers...they are toxic like FAKE NEWS
  
  ) - Good Dr and drop into early November.
• Moonglow - Early Fall. High DR.
• Ayers - Summer. Excellent eating. High DR.
• Senator Clark - Early Fall to mid Fall. Good DR.
• Gallaway (minor Fireblight. Good cropping.) Drops into November.
• Hunter’s Choice - WG warns of possible FB. I have not seen any. Good late dropper for me.
• Becton - Late fall dropper and clean growing so far.

Pears under evaluation that look Promising – but need more time:

• Gate (super clean growing so far) (Planted in 14 and no fruit yet. Blooms Froze in 18 and 19)
• Mrs. Lanene (same info as Gate)
• Olympic Giant (Planted in 17. Need more time)

Additional Noteworthy Information:

• Chinese Chestnuts are outstanding for Deer. They seem to produce great nearly every year. The problem is that they will mostly be done early. My trees start dropping in mid September and are finished by mid October, but the deer will clean every one of them up. They are a high draw.
• I have some Sawtooth Oaks that drop in November, and honestly even though I love my apples and pears, it seems that nothing else I have draws deer like these sawtooths. I saved some nuts this year and plan on trying to get some of these started in different locations on the farm. These trees grow fast, but I have noticed that getting multiple trees close together is very important for pollination. Keep this in mind when planting them.

I also wanted to mention that we have some great local varieties of apples that are not available commercially, so I have not included them in this list. Hopefully this time next year we can update this list again. Best wishes to all and Merry Christmas!

Almost all Greek to me in Minnesota. Dolgo, Golden Hornet, and Liberty do fine.

Golden Hornet has a very long drop time for me, starting in the fall.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

Almost all Greek to me in Minnesota. Dolgo, Golden Hornet, and Liberty do fine.

Golden Hornet has a very long drop time for me, starting in the fall.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, that's why I give apple advice to people in KY but don't try to advise people in Minnesota. I've known for years that what works well in one place may not work well in another. In fact, in both the original post and in this update I was even more specific and specified "...South Central KY...."

Despite that fact, I do enjoy your posts and posts of others on here who share their apple information for other locations which aren't applicable to me. I find it informative and useful nonetheless....

 

[sandbur]

Almost all Greek to me in Minnesota. Dolgo, Golden Hornet, and Liberty do fine.

Golden Hornet has a very long drop time for me, starting in the fall.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, that's why I give apple advice to people in KY but don't try to advise people in Minnesota. I've known for years that what works well in one place may not work well in another. In fact, in both the original post and in this update I was even more specific and specified "...South Central KY...."

Despite that fact, I do enjoy your posts and posts of others on here who share their apple information for other locations which aren't applicable to me. I find it informative and useful nonetheless....

Same here!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Native Hunter, post #66 - Our Franklins are clean too. No fruit yet, but trees look great.

 

[blueKYstream]

Thanks for the update NH! I planted quite a few this Fall and Spring (2019). It'll be a while before I can add anything further. I don't have nearly the apple varieties you have but I hope to be able to add some things with the pears. I have some persimmons planted in '18, so it'll be a few more years on those. I haven't decided yet if I'll topwork them or not. Very interesting information on the sawtooths! I hadn't much considered those. I thought I was done planting (except for replacements), but I may need to find some more room by the sound of it!

 

[Jordan Selsor]

BUMP
How your limbertwig varieties looking this yr Steve? I have many of your mentioned LT varieties bench grafted and growing like gang busters. Would love some more feedback. Of all my grafts black LT is growing most vigorous. Very impressive. Have 3 yates on mm111 growing straight as an arrow I am anxious to set at the new farm.

 

[Native Hunter]

BUMP
How your limbertwig varieties looking this yr Steve? I have many of your mentioned LT varieties bench grafted and growing like gang busters. Would love some more feedback. Of all my grafts black LT is growing most vigorous. Very impressive. Have 3 yates on mm111 growing straight as an arrow I am anxious to set at the new farm.

Jordan, here is a report on the limbertwigs this year:

Myers Royal Limbertwig - Had one of the best crops of apples I have ever witnessed on any no-spray tree last year and appears to headed for another one this year. Tree is loaded with apples that look nice and clean so far.

Brushy Mountain Limbertwig - This tree is loaded down with fruit this year. Everything looking good so far.

Caney Fork Limbertwig - This tree is loaded with fruit and looking good. It is showing moderate CAR on the leaves, but that is normal for this tree. It doesn't seem to affect the fruiting, but the tree doesn't look as good as some of the other limbertwigs.

Black Limbertwig - I lost my main Black Limbertwig due to it being dug up and moved because of the new road. I only have a couple of young ones, but they look good. Very clean trees. I loved my old tree.

Old Fashioned Limbertwig - Still recovering from being moved and no fruit this year.

My farm is 11 miles from my home. At the farm I have a complete fruit failure due to the late freeze, but only minor damage at my home - heavy crops at home with just a few apples and pears showing signs of "frost rings" but most apples with no visible damage.

I ate my first apples in 2020 this week. I have Striped June and Bevan's Favorite both beginning to ripen - but it's going to be July before they really come in good. Everything is later this year due to the late freeze and global cooling we have been experiencing.

At home, I have a nice crop on just about every tree. It's going to be a great fruit year here but a failure at the farm. Glad I have good food plots over there and glad my neighbor put in 70 acres of beans this year to take up the slack!

 

[greyphase]

Could this be the start of a Limbertwig revival? My Myers Royal LT is carrying a good crop this year also and it's my favorite apple to eat off the tree, but my Red Royal LT is a close second. Of course I won't turn up my nose at a tree ripened Black or Victoria Limbertwig either.

 

[Native Hunter]

Could this be the start of a Limbertwig revival? My Myers Royal LT is carrying a good crop this year also and it's my favorite apple to eat off the tree, but my Red Royal LT is a close second. Of course I won't turn up my nose at a tree ripened Black or Victoria Limbertwig either.

Yes, let's call this the Year of the Limbertwig!

Myers Royal makes some of the most beautiful apples I've ever seen - large and beautifully colored. It's not my favorite fresh eating apple off the tree, but it certainly is good and also one of the best multi-purpose apples around.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Year of the LT it is:)
I have a row in my home orchard I plan to designate for nothing but LT varieties! Should have room for about 15!

 

[blueKYstream]

@Native Hunter, out of everything you have growing, do you have personal favorites you frequent most to taste? Perhaps I should ask another way, if you could move a few trees to put in your yard orchard, what would they be (ignoring pollination)?

 

[Native Hunter]

@Native Hunter, out of everything you have growing, do you have personal favorites you frequent most to taste? Perhaps I should ask another way, if you could move a few trees to put in your yard orchard, what would they be (ignoring pollination)?

Yes, I will give you a few of my personal favorites for fresh eating:

Bevan's Favorite - This is the best tasting early apple I have tried. When I say early, I mean early. They will be ready to eat by the first week of July. It isn't quite as good as some of the late apples, but the fact that it is ripe so early makes it special. It tastes much better than Striped June, which ripens just a few days before it.

Summer Champion - This is another early apple that comes in shortly after Bevan's Favorite but before Priscilla. It is slightly on the tart side but I still really like it.

Priscilla - This is one of my overall favorites for fresh eating, and if you store them correctly in the fridge, they will keep a long time so that you can keep enjoying them into the winter.

Grimes Golden - I started getting my first of these last year and love the taste. To me they are similar to (but better than) Yellow Delicious.

Ayers Pear - These are incredibly sweet, and nearly everyone loves them.

Kieffer Pear - If you have the true Kieffer, it is a great eating pear - very juicy and sweet when ripe. I love them right off the tree. I think a lot of people are growing fake Kieffers and don't know it.

Yates - The taste is great but the size is small to medium. In a heavy bearing year they will be the size of a typical large crabapple (2 inches or slightly less), but despite the size, I still like to be able to stand out in the yard and eat a sweet apple right off the tree in November.

Senator Clark Pear - Much like Kieffer but a little earlier.

Caney Fork Limbertwig - This apple doesn't grow quite as clean for me as Myers Royal Limbertwig, but it has a very nice, moderately sweet and complex flavor. Myers is much more productive, but this apple beats it in terms of taste. But, for people who favor tart apples, Myers is hard to beat. For me, Myers is my favorite apple to dry. It makes incredible apple chips with the addition of a little cinnamon and sugar.

PS - If we have a good spring with no late freezes, I should have some major updates by the end of this year.

 

[blueKYstream]

Yes, I will give you a few of my personal favorites for fresh eating:

Bevan's Favorite - This is the best tasting early apple I have tried. When I say early, I mean early. They will be ready to eat by the first week of July. It isn't quite as good as some of the late apples, but the fact that it is ripe so early makes it special. It tastes much better than Striped June, which ripens just a few days before it.

Summer Champion - This is another early apple that comes in shortly after Bevan's Favorite but before Priscilla. It is slightly on the tart side but I still really like it.

Priscilla - This is one of my overall favorites for fresh eating, and if you store them correctly in the fridge, they will keep a long time so that you can keep enjoying them into the winter.

Grimes Golden - I started getting my first of these last year and love the taste. To me they are similar to (but better than) Yellow Delicious.

Ayers Pear - These are incredibly sweet, and nearly everyone loves them.

Kieffer Pear - If you have the true Kieffer, it is a great eating pear - very juicy and sweet when ripe. I love them right off the tree. I think a lot of people are growing fake Kieffers and don't know it.

Yates - The taste is great but the size is small to medium. In a heavy bearing year they will be the size of a typical large crabapple (2 inches or slightly less), but despite the size, I still like to be able to stand out in the yard and eat a sweet apple right off the tree in November.

Senator Clark Pear - Much like Kieffer but a little earlier.

Caney Fork Limbertwig - This apple doesn't grow quite as clean for me as Myers Royal Limbertwig, but it has a very nice, moderately sweet and complex flavor. Myers is much more productive, but this apple beats it in terms of taste. But, for people who favor tart apples, Myers is hard to beat. For me, Myers is my favorite apple to dry. It makes incredible apple chips with the addition of a little cinnamon and sugar.

PS - If we have a good spring with no late freezes, I should have some major updates by the end of this year.

I thought for sure you'd have a couple volunteer seedlings that came up on your place naturally that taste better than anything that can be found elsewhere . The only thing I've tried from your list so far is Ayers pear and I'd have to agree with you there. It'll be a couple years on the Yates and maybe one or two more on Kiefer. I have a few different sources of those, so hopefully at least one turns out authentic. I think wild blackberries may be my favorite. Have many of your persimmons begun fruiting yet or do they just not make your list?

 

[Native Hunter]

I thought for sure you'd have a couple volunteer seedlings that came up on your place naturally that taste better than anything that can be found elsewhere . The only thing I've tried from your list so far is Ayers pear and I'd have to agree with you there. It'll be a couple years on the Yates and maybe one or two more on Kiefer. I have a few different sources of those, so hopefully at least one turns out authentic. I think wild blackberries may be my favorite. Have many of your persimmons begun fruiting yet or do they just not make your list?

Wild blackberries are indeed a delicious treat in KY, and you really don't have to do much work to grow them. They will soon take over any field that isn't being mowed. I also have a patch of wild raspberries in my yard at home that are great. They are half the size of most blackberries but worth picking because of the great flavor. These raspberries just popped up near an old stump, and I let them grow there.

I'm getting loads of persimmons every year now, but I personally don't care much for their taste. In fact, I really think most of them taste a lot alike. One of the better tasting ones so far is a variety I got from Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery a few years ago called "Miller." It's a nice large size with a firm, clean looking flesh, and ripens in October here in KY. It is about the same size as Deer Magnet, but Deer Magnet is a month or more later dropping. If you blindfolded me, I doubt I could tell the difference in the taste. However, ask me again in a couple of years. I do have some more persimmon cultivars that should be fruiting in the future.

A special treat for me is chestnuts. I really love to eat them. Most fall from mid September to late October on my farm. You have to let them dry out for a few weeks in order for the sweet flavor to develop. You will also have several that have to be discarded because they will have worms. Perhaps the most overlooked gem is the Allegheny Chinkapins that we grow. They taste even better than chestnuts, and none will have worms. The only catch is that they are a little less than half the size of a chestnut, which requires a little more work to eat. The ones I have will drop well into mid November, and I'm trying to get more established - for both myself and the deer. They are a heck of a gun season draw.