The Blairmont Apple Project

 New plants and scions arrive! Temperate Orchard Conservancy had 4 of the 6 apples I ordered. The scion wood was very good quality. But some was small; and they added an extra piece to make up for it. Here I got Mank's Codlin, Lanleigh Delight, Lord Burghley and Shockley-Grizzle strain. In a compulsion buy I spied a great looking Dorsett Golden in breaking leaf. Being pleased with my other Dorsett's I could not resist the $21 price. Later the wife spotted some nice bare root Florida King Peach tree budded like crazy. Bought a pair. A few days later we were in a big box hardware place. Getting the vapors from the crazy prices. $80 for fruit trees? No thanks. yet they had Strawberry pints at $2 Bought 6. Only to find we need another 6 for the strawberry pot we have. Then we noticed Pear trees. All with the high price. Then I found a well leafed out Bartlett Pear. Likely shipped there by accident as we rarely get the 800 chill hours Bartlett needs. It was $30 so we bought it. The ...

 Today's apple is one of the old Senior Citizens of Georgia bred apples. Often overlooked. Yet a proven reliable croppers. Like the other senior citizens; it predates the Civil war. Some sources reference a Kentucky Nursery selling it in 1870. But I have found 3 older catalog references, one in the circa 1825 time frame. Color can clearly vary; likely due to sun exposure: Here from Horne Creek/NC almost a tannish yellow. Or: From the Joyners at Horse Creek/NC; much more blushed and striped red over a yellow/orange base. Either way plenty of brown dots pervade. Quite a beautiful Apple. King Solomon is an apple that could be called a chubby medium. Not quite usually large. And it can Ripen from August to September. It is said to be a meaty apple with a small core. But can become bilennial. {Thin!} It is a vigorous tree with a spreading habit.  Flavor wise it is a definite subacidic apple that is fairly juicy. Has a courser grain. And a nice aroma. It is often said to be a flavor...

 Well I decided it would be good to talk about what apple varieties we plan on having and what are here.  Starting with Mank's Codlin. A very proper and well know type of cooking apple.  I have high hopes for Mank's Codlin as it has many interesting qualities. It is a pitcher which roots by cuttings. Always nice. It also grows in poor soils well; but only grows to a modest size. It makes heavy annual crops. It does well in  cold and wet climates. It makes a medium size, a bit bigger actually; apple. It is an August apple which keeps for 3 months. It is in Pollination group 2. It is a good apple to bake or makes a great sauce. Like other Codlins it can be picked the size of a walnut and cooked. Having different textures and clarity of flesh depending on the picking date. It is said to be the sweetest of all the tartish Codlins. And can be eaten fresh off the tree at full ripeness. Mank's Codlin is highly perfumed aromatically. It can range from green to yellow with a ...

 Greetings and hoping you are all warm and safe. Here we got 4-5" of snow and now have a series of very cold days for us. Of course the kids have enjoyed there first 2 snow days. The goats and dogs would be glad to see it go. The apple trees seem ok and even sold a pair of extra trees. Also ordered a small Scion order. Bringing Georgia's Kimrome and Shockley Grizzle to the collection. As well as 4 interesting UK apples. Langleigh Delight, Lord Burghley, Mank's Codlin and Willingham Cropper. Perhaps I will get one more small order done this year. But far less then last year.

 I've noticed Park's Pippin has a habit of setting lots of small spurring branches.  Hope that bodes well for future crops. This is on M111 so no telling what year it sets fruit.

 Greeting on Christmas Eve! Hope everyone has a fine and enjoyable holiday with safe travels for all. With other issues reducing scion purchases the coming year; I will shift most focus onto rootstocks and a greatly reduced scion buying budget. Hopefully 30-40 new types. However talking around I've learned how I did rootstocks last year was not optimum. I had heard it was ok to keep rootstocks for a short while in the moist sawdust. However I feel this may had lead to reduced root development which contributed to last years fireblight attacks.  From here on out I will till an area just prior to rootstock arrival and heel it in the ground immediately.  Then a wise fellow with the Geneva program said to consider summer chip budding as a way to escape a large chunk of our wet weather fireblight pressure. And this makes a lot of sense given our leaf fall often happens in December. Allowing the new chip grafts to heal over and take.  Setting them out un-topped and dormant...