A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum I would like some fruit trees.. Gala Apples, Peaches

Ohhh.. cool!

Pinkhorse, look for a few more nursery listings online for Gala apples and see what they say about pollinators. It may be that they consider Golden Delicious the best pollinator, but there are probably others almost as good.
ALL peaches are self-fertile, so go with what sounds good to you. Elberta is probably the most popular, and I can say that it's fantastic. Red Haven is excellent. I've seen both of these at Lowe's and Wal-Mart in past years. Buy them before they begin to blossom or leaf out for best transplanting. Dwarf fruit trees are more productive for their size, and tend to fruit within a year or 2 from planting. Semi-dwarf are preferred over standard.

Ok, thanks Dave!! I will probably go with the Elberta Peaches if I can find them.. you said you have seen them at Wal-Mart and Lowe's.. that is good, cause I have both locally.

When is a good time to get them?? I don't want to wait until they are all picked over.. but it is snowing tons here right now.. so not a good time to plant.

As soon as they get them in, you can plant...when it stops snowing!

what happens if you pollinate an apple tree with pumpkin pollen? sorry all i think about is pumpkins haha

Inever heard of that.

Nothing will.You can only pollinate plants of the seame species e.g. winter squash & summer squash will cross pollinate each other.

good answer enrique.

What do you guys suggest for Pears? I saw an Anjou Pear tree I think it was for $13.50 at our Big Lots.

Pinkhourse; we got our fruit trees from Stark bros--I tell you this because that is the only place I have ever found the lodi apple that I loved so much.
and I have seen other 'lodi' apples for sale in the area and i was so happy to see them, but when I got them home they were not the apple I had grown.--so I am guessing tht starks was/is a bit different. but from them, it was a wonderful apple.

1)we had an Elberta queen peach out at the farm---
2)and we also had a Reliance peach
---(my peach trees didn't do so very well--it is too cold here for them I guess.--but the Elberta queen made a wonderful pie as well.
3) a Jon-a-red apple--it made very good pies.
4) a Lodi --it made the very best applesauce, but don't wait for the apples to turn 'yellow' --when they are that ripe they are not even good eating apples.

we had 2 pear trees too but I cannot find the papers for them, so sorry I cannot help you there.

You are better off to buy what the local nurseries sell(as far as brand or type). They know what does well for your area.

Ok.. I will check at Lowe's. Not sure if WalMart has trees out yet or not.. I haven't noticed any.

Try a variety called Relience Peach. Its a cold hardy peach that will grow in your area. Actually many peaches (and other fruits) will grow in zone 5. I am in zone 5 and grow kinds of peaches, and 2 nectarines- they are doing fine, and growing well. I grow a bunch of apples, and pears as well. Look at a USDA growing zone chart to see what area you fall under, and go from there.

growing fruits from seeds will not bear a true type of fruit that it is. A gala apple is a cross between, a Kids Orange and a Golden delicous. The tree more than likely would be one of those, not the cross. Also fruits like apples, pears, and peaches etc, are very slow to bear fruit growing that way- thats why most fruit trees you buy are grafted. Grafting ensures it will be a true variety, and controls the trees size (dwarf, semi Dwarf, standard etc). Grafting is done by joining a Scion Branch to a rootstock, often another type of fruit (quince is often used for pears etc).

Well I am kind of on hold as far as buying fruit trees right now anyway. My husband is off work indefinitely and has to have surgery so we are really in a bind financially.

My family is also in financial trouble.The cost of living is rising quickly and my dad only earns around 9.50 per hour and has to take care of a family of seven and now that I'll soon be old enough to get a job,maybe we'll get out of debt.

By the way,have you ever thought of growing nectarines? They're fuzzless peaches.

I am sorry to hear you are in the same boat as we are. Hopefully things will improve for both of us.

And no, I hadn't really thought about nectarines.. are there advantages to those versus peaches?? Or are you just curious..?

Nectarines taste similar to peaches but the major disadvantage is that they are subject to the same diseases such as peach leaf curl.With oil at 120 bucks per barrel and rising I don't think things will improve at least for a couple of years.

I think I will stick with peaches. I LOVE fresh peaches..

And you could be right.. I just pray you are not.

Nectarines, and peaches are very much the same- Just nectarines do not have the fuzzy skin. Its believed that Nectarines are a "sport of peaches" meaning a mutation that sometimes occurs. They are grown the same, and look identical, other than the skins differ. You prune them the exact same way as peaches!