# Fruit/nut trees for zone 4b



## Montanarchist (Feb 24, 2005)

Does anyone have fruit/nut trees that produce regularly in zone 4?

I've got a 3 apricots (moongold, sungold, goldcot) and 4 apples (sweet 16 and Honeycrisp) but they aren't old enough to produce yet (never will be if the darn goats keep getting into them).

I'm planning on planting two butternut (a type of walnut) trees, two hazelnut, two chinese chestnut, an alderman plum, a superior plum, a Carmine jewel cherry, and a northstar pie cherry this spring. Anyone have any suggestions or warnings.


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## Labrat407 (Aug 24, 2007)

Ginkgo trees also produce in zone 4


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

I am a zone 4 gardener- the growing days really make a difference. I would read the ST Lawrence catalog- and Fedco- they specialize in our zone trees, check out burnt ridge nursery for closer to home stuff. - We planted honeycrisp, sweet 16, prarie spy, liberty, several others, but none are producing as the rootstock really makes a difference, so we went with Anaktova - not sure on spelling- it takes 8 or more years for fruit. Planted northstar cherry last summer and the deer ate it LAST NIGHT- Why didn't I have a ring around this lone tree? Kept telling dh that I needed to get out there and protect it- went out today to do it, and- well, it was only 21/2 feet tall. Dont forget to fence- Good luck with the apricots- we planted some too, we dont expect to get fruit every year because of the late frosts, but if an occassional year works- hurray! Also reliance peaches- nova pears from St Lawrence, ordered toka and italian plum, as lost the plum last year to winter. (and Stanley seems to lose his blossoms to late frosts) We do have 2 spizenburgs and Cox orange pippen, but dont know how that will work. Even though they are supposed to do well here, a friend in a better microclimate than mine lost their several year old Spizenburg to sunscald wound_ Read the gardenweb info - that is helpful in heirloom trees and cold climate forums. The apple grower as mentioned in another thread is a wealth of info, and Fruits and Berries for the home Garden by Lewis Hill (reading that now) Have you found what other folks in your area grow? Anyway- we are still working out the bugs too, reading, applying, and having fruit tree funerals till we get it right.


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## Montanarchist (Feb 24, 2005)

InHisName said:


> I am a zone 4 gardener- the growing days really make a difference. I would read the ST Lawrence catalog- and Fedco- they specialize in our zone trees, check out burnt ridge nursery for closer to home stuff. - We planted honeycrisp, sweet 16, prarie spy, liberty, several others, but none are producing as the rootstock really makes a difference, so we went with Anaktova - not sure on spelling- it takes 8 or more years for fruit. Planted northstar cherry last summer and the deer ate it LAST NIGHT- Why didn't I have a ring around this lone tree? Kept telling dh that I needed to get out there and protect it- went out today to do it, and- well, it was only 21/2 feet tall. Dont forget to fence- Good luck with the apricots- we planted some too, we dont expect to get fruit every year because of the late frosts, but if an occassional year works- hurray! Also reliance peaches- nova pears from St Lawrence, ordered toka and italian plum, as lost the plum last year to winter. (and Stanley seems to lose his blossoms to late frosts) We do have 2 spizenburgs and Cox orange pippen, but dont know how that will work. Even though they are supposed to do well here, a friend in a better microclimate than mine lost their several year old Spizenburg to sunscald wound_ Read the gardenweb info - that is helpful in heirloom trees and cold climate forums. The apple grower as mentioned in another thread is a wealth of info, and Fruits and Berries for the home Garden by Lewis Hill (reading that now) Have you found what other folks in your area grow? Anyway- we are still working out the bugs too, reading, applying, and having fruit tree funerals till we get it right.


Thanks, I'll check out gardenweb. There are some crab apples in town, (10 degree colder average than us) and spys in the little town north of us (about our temp).


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## Sandhills (Jun 15, 2004)

I planted an Intrepid dwarf peach 2 years ago from Stark Brothers. Last year we had a warm march that caused it to start blooming. Then in early april we had a night that got down to 10 degrees. I still had quite a few green fruits in May but many of them got knocked off. Between goat kids and human kids that tree has seen a lot of abuse. But I still got 2 peaches off of it. It keeps it's leaves much longer than my other fruit trees do in the fall also. I would highly recommend it. I also recommend Stark Brothers. I have bought trees from another catalog and from a couple of local nurseries but my Stark trees are much healthier than any of the others. Also, Stark was good about replacing my trees when my mailman left them on a piece of stainless steel in full sunlight on a warm day in May. I didn't find them till that night and they were fried. My second order has done fantastic.


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## Mr. Dot (Oct 29, 2002)

prometheus said:


> Does anyone have fruit/nut trees that produce regularly in zone 4?
> 
> I've got a 3 apricots (moongold, sungold, goldcot) and 4 apples (sweet 16 and Honeycrisp) but they aren't old enough to produce yet (never will be if the darn goats keep getting into them).
> 
> I'm planning on planting two butternut (a type of walnut) trees, two hazelnut, two chinese chestnut, an alderman plum, a superior plum, a Carmine jewel cherry, and a northstar pie cherry this spring. Anyone have any suggestions or warnings.


Zone 3/4 here - also Montana. I've planted quite a few fruit trees around the place the past few years - all of them bareroot stock. They're all still young but some are starting to produce.
The apples have been in the longest (4~5 years?) and I've yet to see a blossom. They're alive and growing but taking their time.
The plums have been in 2~4 years and some of them really woke up last season gave some decent fruit.
The pears have been in 2~4 years and the oldest are just now beginning to offer more than a handful of fruit.
Had two cherries - one died but is coming back from the rootstock. Not sure what the rootstock is going to eventually give me - the one left has been in 2 or three years and has produced increasingly each year. Pie cherries of course - to cold for sweet cherries. Montmorency is the variety I think. Excellent cherry and vigorous.
I have one hardy peach that is surviving the winters so far but is still young and haven't seen a blossom yet. Variety: Reliance.
The two apricots are also newcomers but I got a single fruit from one of them in their first year.
A couple of grape varieties that are coming along slowly. One a white and one a purple.
A couple or three hardy kiwi that stay alive but don't prosper. Late frosts always knock them back just as they are getting frisky. 
Several elderberries - three varieties - that are doing ok. They want more water than I'm prepared to give them during the summer. Still young but bearing.

I've also thought about butternut trees but I've wondered if they would bear before I'm fertilizer.

Another thumbs-up for St. Lawrence Nursery St. Lawrence 

They're expensive given the shipping distance but offer excellent stock. If nothing else their catalog is great reading - especially the huge apple selection. That said, most of what I've got in the ground has come from Costco and occasionally Ace or Lowe's and most of those are picked up at a discount when they are trying to unload at the end of the season rush. Budget and all. I'm thinking maybe I'll invest in a few specialty apples from St. Lawrence this Spring.

In the warning department I'd keep your goats away from the pitted fruits - especially cherries. Wilted leaves of cherry trees are supposed to be quite toxic to goats. 

Labrat407 - what do ginko produce?


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## Labrat407 (Aug 24, 2007)

Mr. Dot said:


> Zone 3/4 here - also Montana. I've planted quite a few fruit trees around the place the past few years - all of them bareroot stock. They're all still young but some are starting to produce.
> The apples have been in the longest (4~5 years?) and I've yet to see a blossom. They're alive and growing but taking their time.
> The plums have been in 2~4 years and some of them really woke up last season gave some decent fruit.
> 
> ...


They produce Ginko Nuts. Male and female trees are needed. The female trees, do have an odor to them that some find unplesant. Trees are usually males that are sold for decoration. 
Sory for the long wait for the reply, I missed the post.


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