Aside from eating apricots fresh off the tree, we also make them into jam, fruit leather, and even dry them cut into halves. At first I thought we'd never like eating them dried, but we missed them when they were gone.
Here's a run-down of fruiting trees in our yard:
Apricot - Blenheim Royal
Apricot - Gold Kist
Grapefruit - Rio Red
Almond - Nonpariel
Almond - All-in-one
Lemon - Lisbon
Pomegranate - Wonderful
Tangelo - ??
Pecan - Western Schley
Tangerine - Algerian
There's a lot to be aware of when selecting a fruit tree in our climate. We've killed more apple trees and raspberries than I care to recall. The grapefruit tree, on the other hand, has required nothing but water and an occasional dose of fertilizer and we just picked our second wheelbarrow full of grapefruit. Be aware of chill hour and pollination requirements for the variety you select. Just because it's for sale at the nursery doesn't mean it will do well here. Know what you want before visiting the nursery and you'll make much better choices. Maricopa County gets about 450 chill hours so anything needing more than that might not fruit in a warm year. Be aware of cross-pollination requirements, meaning you need two different but compatible varieties of the tree in order to get a good crop. (This information is available in cooperative extension publication AZ 1269 Fruit and Nut varieties for the Low Desert)
Do you recommend the Blenheim Royal or the Gold Kist apricot? I have selected a Blenheim at the nursery, but I'm worried that we don't get enough chill hours in Phoenix/Gilbert.
ReplyDelete