Fruit trees in Northern Ontario/Zone 2?

[northernhomestd]

Does anyone have any suggestions for growing fruit trees in a zone 2? Our summers are fairly short, it's been known to snow here in June and July(I've been here 2yrs and havent seen this happen....Yet lol). Days can be extremely warm and night-time temps drop drastically. Is it possible to have fruit trees or am I just wasting my time on a dream

[majik]

Try getting in touch with the folks at T & T seeds. They specialize in extreme climate gardening and work with prairie researchers to breed hardy stock. Their web site is: http://www.ttseeds.com/PHP/home.php?app=0 Unfortunately, the fruit and tree section doesn't seem to be working, but you can request a catalogue.

[Tracy Rimmer]

There are a lot of northern-hardy fruit varieties developed through the Morden research facility. Many of them are sold through T&T online, but here in Manitoba, we get them through many local nurseries.

Where in N.Ontario are you?

[northernhomestd]

Thanks for the information, I will definitely look into T&T. Majik I love your definition....extreme weather hits the nail on the head LOL. Tracy, I'm in a community just outside of Kirkland Lake, 5kms to the east. We have 4 lots, I'd say about a 1/4 acre. Definitely not a big space but it's a start.

[ronbre]

check with your local extension type offices..but i would imagine that you could do some apples and pears..canadaguia nurseries used to be a good source..but haven't used them in years.

service berry should also grow..and i'm sure raspberries and others..but you said fruit trees..i would say not likely even the hardiest of peach family or cherry family would grow that far north

[northernhomestd]

Raspberries and blueberries grow like weeds here...we have a few of each in the yard, but spacewise it's better for us to go picking in the bush. Service berry, I've never heard of these...more research...my poor garden is getting neglected lol.

[Tracy Rimmer]

By serviceberry, I believe they might mean what we know as a saskatoonberry. If you have any marshy areas, you could probably do some cranberries, as well.

There are several varieties of northern-hardy cherries -- I have some growing in our orchard. Only just put in last year and this, so I can't tell you how successful they are yet, but they're growing quite happily. I'll check my records and get variety names for you.

We have apples, plums, cherries, gooseberries, loganberries, red currants, black currants, rhubarb, saskatoonberries, chokecherries and sea buckthorn. I also collect wild rose hips in the fall -- I would imagine you have plenty of wild roses there, as well. Our area is pretty much parkland/prairie. We're right on the edge of where the landscape changes from one to the other, about four hours west of Kenora.

[celina]

in the sault i grew grapes well...others had nice apple trees...i know crab apples grow in your area....but i also agree with ttseeds..they are great and stock i have ordered was good..

i find it weird in southern ont..only 3 hours south of where i grew up..they have magnolias, plums, pears. cherries...it's insane....

[northernhomestd]

Wow, you guys are amazing. I can’t express how much I appreciate your help/suggestions, again a big thanks! Dh on the other hand probably isn’t all that thrilled with more options available as it means more digging and tilling for him LOL….
Tracy: Originally being from the Toronto/Peterborough area I have no idea of what Saskatoonberries are either lol, I asked dh since he is from here, knows what they are but has never seen any around here(personally I think he’s fibbing, he just doesn’t want to have to go picking lol).
I hope the cherries do well, I’d love to have cherry trees. Being up here is so different than being down south. Down there no thought really has to go into the garden…plant it and chances it will grow are pretty good… complete opposite here.
Everywhere you go around here there are wild blueberries, raspberries and miniture strawberries(my dh calls them strawberries, when he said we should pick them I told him he was crazy LOL). There are wild roses everywhere also….this will sound stupid but what do I do with the rosehips?
Celina: I believe there’s a grapevine growing at the front of the house, unfortunately I didn’t get to the little clusters and cover them before the birds got to them….According to a neighbor the previous owner would go into the bush to gather plants(mostly what we’d consider weeds down south) for the garden, so I’m not really sure if it’s a grapevine or not, the leaves are much smaller than the concord vine I had in Toronto. None the less whatever it is it is growing out of control, right up a jack pine.
I agree, it’s definitely weird how different the growing conditions are….although a few weeks longer, I don’t find the winters nearly as harsh up here then down south. More snow yes, but with the wind down south I find it colder in TO lol.

[Tracy Rimmer]

My aunt lives in Peterborough, and my brother has a place at Bobcaygeon; I grew up in Muskoka DH and I met at uni in Toronto and lived there for nine years before moving west.

My orchard records show an Evans and a Valentine for my first two cherry trees. I added a Romeo to that this year. I also have a Pembina Plum and a BrookGold plum, and for apples we have a variety of cultivars: Norland, Norkent, Battleford, Gemini and this year we put in Dolgo crabs.

There is a hardy kiwi that grows here, too -- T&T sells them. Check out the Morden Research Centre for hardy cultivars -- lots of information on northern hardy fruit through them. There is also the MB Fruit Grower's Association - I know you're not in MB, but your climate is a lot more like ours than that of Southern Ontario, where most of the "Ontario" research focuses.

If you're thinking of putting in an order with a nursery, T&T are great, for both service and quality of product.

Rose hips are very, very high in Vitamin C. They have more VitC by weight than oranges. You can make fantastic jelly from them, and they also make good syrup and ( ) a pretty good wine!

[rxkeith]

to get an idea of what will grow, google st lawrence nursery. they are based in the states, so don't know if it will be practical or possible to order from them. they have extremely winter hardy varieties.


keith

[Sanza]

There's also The Saskatoon Tree farm by Calgary that has a big assortment of hardy fruit bearing plants. I have the everbearing strawberries and the hascap or honeyberry from them and they're doing great. I've had great luck and good service from T&T also and from Veseys

[rileyjo]

Hi Northernhomestd, and Welcome!

I went to college in South Porcupine and I met some of the friendliest people there. Great little gold mining town. I'm a northern too but I'm currently living near Ottawa (still kinda north on the map, but not, if you know what I mean).

I've seen peach trees in fruit in the Soo. I dont know the cultivar but the trees were sheltered by a stone wall. A neighbour of mine on Manitoulin Island was having great luck with Asian Pears. The is a great little heritage apple nursery just outside of Collingwood, worth searching out.

I have to agree with your weather assessment...Toronto is darn miserable when there's no snow and the wind is coming off the lake. The dampness cuts right thru you.