Pear Variety Recommendations

[OaklandCityFarmer]

We run an urban mini-farm in Oakland. One of our newer properties has about 140 feet of frontage and we were thinking of planting a row of pear trees to both add some beauty to the neighborhood and provide fruit for our operation and neighbors.

So, I'm looking for some good recommendations from folks about varieties they have used/tried in the past. Ideally these would be dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties.

Much appreciated,
Carlos

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not convinced the varieties that might do well here will work in your climate. I suggest talking to your extension agent, in the phone book under county government, to see what varieties would be recommended for your area.

If you have to have a variety, Starking Delicious is grown in this area commercially. It is one I chose but have not had any production off mine yet.

You might consider the Asian pears too. Those are very good straight off the tree. The Bartlett type are not that great straight off the tree but need to be stored and ripened first. But you probably know that.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Thanks for the reply!

True there is a slight difference in our climates.

From contacting local coop folks and others they recommend Bartlett (which I also agree isn't the best), Comice, and Seckel. Any thoughts? Fortunately we get a few months that are cold enough to suffice for chill.

I've never been a fan of Asian pears mostly because of the texture but maybe I should look into that again. . .

 

[wifezilla]

I have a pear tree and in retrospect, I should have planted a peach tree.

Pears ripen best OFF the tree and I have very little area to ripen them. Plus you are supposed to chill them. I have a small refrigerator.

So pears are a pain in the butt. Sure they are delicious, but a lot more work than my apple trees.

Plus for resale, nobody buys local pears. They would rather have the chemical drenched perfect looking ones.

Local peaches sell here for a very good price because the ones in the store always taste like styrofoam.

As for asian pears, I love those. Wish they would grow in my climate.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I have a pear tree and in retrospect, I should have planted a peach tree.

Pears ripen best OFF the tree and I have very little area to ripen them. Plus you are supposed to chill them. I have a small refrigerator.

So pears are a pain in the butt. Sure they are delicious, but a lot more work than my apple trees.

Plus for resale, nobody buys local pears. They would rather have the chemical drenched perfect looking ones.

Local peaches sell here for a very good price because the ones in the store always taste like styrofoam.

As for asian pears, I love those. Wish they would grow in my climate.

Hmm, a vote against pears. I definitely know that local pears will sell well here. Actually for most of the Berkeley hippies and San Francisco yuppies, anything local will bring in top dollar!

Now that I'm thinking about the heavy pruning needed for pears and the chill and the upkeep, there may be a different route. Although, I've had mixed luck with peaches. Between leaf curl, rot, disease, and pests something always seems to go wrong.

Now you got me really thinking...

 

[wifezilla]

Hmmmmm....

What type of fruit is easy to pick, easy to take to market and sells well that would work in your area?

You may end up with pears in the end, but different varieties need different chill times. Just something to keep in mind.

If I had more space it wouldn't be an issue, but my mini-farm is more of a micro-farm ( .167th of an acre, and there is a house, garage and shed on it too )

One thing I was shamelessly spending money on this year was Honeycrisp apples. OMG those are good! $2/lb was average.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Hmmmmm....

What type of fruit is easy to pick, easy to take to market and sells well that would work in your area?

You may end up with pears in the end, but different varieties need different chill times. Just something to keep in mind.

If I had more space it wouldn't be an issue, but my mini-farm is more of a micro-farm ( .167th of an acre, and there is a house, garage and shed on it too )

One thing I was shamelessly spending money on this year was Honeycrisp apples. OMG those are good! $2/lb was average.

Well we currently have figs, apples, citrus, and guava here in Oakland. It may make sense to go with Asian pears. Basically my requirements are: something that is easier to maintain/grow, is dwarf or semi-dwarf, and looks good on the street and can be grown on the street.

Our mini-farm is about 1/4 of an acre with a house, chicken coop, and shed. But we have a network of gardens we maintain, rent, and own that totals around 2 acres here in Oakland.

 

[sparkles2307]

As for asian pears, I love those. Wish they would grow in my climate.

Funny, I was told that for our cold weather I should have an asian pear... and MN is rivalling CO for cold!

I'm looking at a nursery in NY that specializes in cold-hardy varieties only. They have a few pear. I think a few kinds of peach will grow here too but I'm afraid to try it.

 

[wifezilla]

Interesting! I was reading up on Asian Pears and I kept finding sites saying they wouldn't grow in my area. Huh!

Maybe I need to look again!


Lookie what I just found!
http://www.naturehills.com/product/shinko_pear.aspx

 

[kleio]

Hmmmmm....

What type of fruit is easy to pick, easy to take to market and sells well that would work in your area?

You may end up with pears in the end, but different varieties need different chill times. Just something to keep in mind.

If I had more space it wouldn't be an issue, but my mini-farm is more of a micro-farm ( .167th of an acre, and there is a house, garage and shed on it too )

One thing I was shamelessly spending money on this year was Honeycrisp apples. OMG those are good! $2/lb was average.

Well we currently have figs, apples, citrus, and guava here in Oakland. It may make sense to go with Asian pears. Basically my requirements are: something that is easier to maintain/grow, is dwarf or semi-dwarf, and looks good on the street and can be grown on the street.

Our mini-farm is about 1/4 of an acre with a house, chicken coop, and shed. But we have a network of gardens we maintain, rent, and own that totals around 2 acres here in Oakland.

Hi,
Have you asked the folks at the Berkeley Horticultural Nursery about which pear trees might be suitable for Oakland?