Plum Heaven

             

Starking Delicious (7-2-14)

A short stroll away from the demonstration vegetable plot is the demonstration orchard, which more than makes up for any lack of harvest early in the season and then again later in the season.

Spring Satin Plumcot (6-17-14)

Starking Delicious Plum (6-17-14)

 The two plum varieties we have are the Starking Delicious Plum (Prunus salicina) and Spring Satin Plumcot (Prunus armeniaca). One of the advantages, besides the diversity in the garden, of planting two varieties is they ripen at slightly different times.

In Greensboro, NC our ‘Spring Satin’ tends to ripen a week or so before the Starking Delicious Plum. For the home gardener, this spread out ripening period translates into having fresh fruit from early to mid-June into early July. A mature plum tree can produce anywhere from 40-120 pounds a year and our two trees were in the higher range this year.

Sources:

Spring Satin Plumcot: http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/plum-trees/spring-satin-plumcot

Starking Delicious Plum: http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/plum-trees/starking-delicious-plum  

 Fruit Cultivars for Home Plantings:  http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6005

  

These Spring Satin Plumcots were either not picked soon enough and are
drying or have a disease. Many were still sweet.
(6-17-14)