Sansa is a cross between Gala and Akane. Akane is a Japanese apple that is naturally disease resistant. When asked to describe Sansa’s flavor, its been stated that Sansa is “just an early ripening Gala.” Other than the fact that it ripens one week ahead of Gala, it’s basically a Gala.

Sansa apples aren’t seen very often in stores because the trees are strictly a home-growers choice. The branches aren’t unilateral which presents challenges for the commercial industry. In other words, it will grow to look like a tree rather than have branches that can be manipulated onto trellises.

One drawback of Sansa is that the tree grows slower than some other varieties.

Sansa has a sweet, tart taste, and is considered one of the better tasting early varieties. They are great fresh eating apple and can be used in cooking and baking. However, to use them for sauce, you will need to blend them after cooking, as they doesn’t cook down smooth.

Sansa is also not a good storage apple. Storage is limited to no more than a month under refrigeration.

But if you are looking for that apple with a great taste that you can eat right off the tree, Sansa is it!

Pollinate with Liberty, Yellow Transparent, Summer Rambo, or Smokehouse. Tree will grow to be 18′ to 20′ and will be free standing at maturity. Sansa apples ripen in August.

Crimson Crisp is not quite as cold hardy as our other offerings, but it will grow here in Garrett County. You will want to plant this one in full sun but where it has a little bit of a wind-block.

Crimson Crisp has been our top seller ever since we started the GSCD Fruit Tree and Bush Sale, so this year, we are offering it as a dwarf tree so folks with smaller spaces can grow it too.

Most dwarf trees are placed on rootstalks that cause the roots to grow out horizontally, making the tree less stable and unable to handle drought without extensive watering. But we put this tree on a double splice rootstalk. It’s a more expensive rootstalk that has all the benefits of a traditional dwarf rootstalk but it causes the roots to grow vertically downward, making the tree far more stable and drought tolerant.

Pollinate with Wolf River, Smokehouse, Summer Rambo, Baldwin, and Gold Rush. Grows to be 10′ to 12′. Will be more sturdy than standard dwarf trees. Ripens in August.

Peaches prefer well-drained soil, but our Madison peach is on a rootstalk that will tolerate some wetness and some heavy clay, as long as it is not excessive.

Madison produces medium-sized, bright red, free-stone peaches that ripen around mid-August. The peach flesh is juicy and firm without a lot of fibrous flesh.

Madison tends to produce overly heavy crops so it is recommended that you prune off some of the peaches early in the season to allow others to grow larger.

The tree is vigorous and will be about 18′ to 20′ at maturity.  The rootstalk produces strong, high tensile roots that anchor well in the soil.

Tree is self-fertile. 18′ to 20′ at maturity. Can tolerate some mildly wet and heavy clay soil. Will not need support once mature. Ripens in August.

The skin of a Shiro is generally tart, giving the plum a more sour taste than many purple plums. It is recommended that they be eaten when they are fully ripe and soft. Before they ripen, they can be astringent.

The Shiro can be eaten raw, but makes a great dessert plum. They are favored for preserves and jams. Notably, Shiro’s also function well in savory dishes, often being added to soups and casseroles.

Shiro’s are famed for their medicinal properties. In Japan, they are made into Umeboshi, which is used to aid in digestion, reduce inflammation, and fight off virus’.

Interestingly enough, Shiro plums are a natural room deodorizer, and can be used to freshen the air in your home.

Once ripe, you will need to keep your plums in the refrigerator. They are fragile, bruising easily, and have a short shelf life.

This particular variety of Shiro will grow in Garrett County. They are zone 5a, though, so you should not plant them in a frost pocket, and it would be good to protect them from strong winds.

It will grow in clay soil, but you need to address any drainage issues, as it does not tolerate waterlogged roots. Use some support for this tree lifelong.

Will grow to be 10′ to 15′ tall. They will ripen in July. It is partially self-fertile, meaning it can produce fruit without another plum tree, but you will have a more robust harvest if you plant another Asian plum. We are not offering another Asian plum this year, but are looking into offering one next year.

Tree is semi self-fertile, meaning it will produce fruit without a pollinator but harvest will be scant. Pollinate with another Asian plum. We are not offering another Asian plum this year, but hope to next year. 18′ to 20′ at maturity. Can tolerate clay soil but needs to be well-drained. Will not need support once mature. Ripens in July.

My Dad planted Reliance peach trees here in Garrett County back in the 1970’s, and they were still bearing for decades. He had them planted down in a frost pocket to boot. I still remember his amazement at being able to grow his own peaches in this area.

Reliance is freestone and self-pollinating. It ripens in July.

Reliance is so cold-hardy you can grow it dependably in zone 3, and we have it on a super-cold-hardy rootstalk as well. But, since peaches aren’t natural to Garrett County’s harsh climate, it would be wise to provide a little protection from high winds and ice storms. We also recommend that you use tree guards and some sort of fencing around the trees while they are small because deer love them.

This peach variety is good for fresh eating, canning, and freezing.

Tree is self-fertile. 18′ to 20′ at maturity. Can tolerate some mildly wet and heavy clay soil. Will not need support once mature. Ripens in August.

Potomac has good taste, with pleasing subacid notes. It is a green pear with fine textured skin. It may develop a red blush where the sun hits it.

Potomac is cold-hardy. We have placed it on a rootstalk that is also Fireblight resistant and cold-hardy. It will be drought tolerant and freestanding at maturity.

Potomac is self-fertile, however it will bear more fruit with a pollinator. You can use either Harrow Sweet or Russetted Bartlett to pollinate. Tree will grow to be 18′ to 20′ tall and be self-supporting. It will tolerate heavy clay soil but prefers silt. Fruit ripens in September.

Baldwin is a 1700’s heirloom. It has also been known as ‘Calville Butter’, ‘Felch’, ‘Late Baldwin’, ‘Pecker’, ‘Red Baldwin’s Pippin’, ‘Steele’s Red Winter’, and ‘Woodpecker’.

Most of the commercial Baldwin crop was planted in New England. Much of it was wiped out in 1934, and remaining orchards were never replaced. As is often the case, newer orchards opted to plant more current varieties.

Baldwin is prized for cider and hard cider. West County Cider makes a specialty “Baldwin” cider from trees originally planted in 1900. It is also a good baking apple, as it holds its shape well.

Baldwin is a hard apple. In fact it is so exceptionally hard that the apples have few blemishes or blights, and need little in the way of pesticides. (Makes you wonder if the reason it was replaced had something to do with the fact dentures were wooden back then. It makes a good market apple because it doesn’t bruise easily.

Baldwin can last for months when properly stored.

Baldwin’s have a sweet-tart flavor that is often described as tasting like “wine and roses”. They have a high sugar content but maintain a balanced flavor profile. They are prized for cheese trays and baked goods.

Baldwin trees are hard to find, as very few are grown today. Planting one is a good way to help increase their numbers so that this historic tree does not become extinct.

Baldwin is a cold-zone apple. It thrives in Garrett County cooler winter temperatures but you should not plant this tree in areas above zone 6.

Pollinate with Crimson Crisp, Wolf River, Smokehouse, Summer Rambo, and Gold Rush. Tree will grow to be 18′ to 20′ at maturity and be free standing. It can handle some heavy clay soil but does not do well in wet areas. Baldwin ripens in October.

As is the case with so many of the heirlooms native to the region, it has good natural disease resistance, and it is super cold-hardy, easily growing in climates as cold as zone 3.

Smokehouse is good for cooking, baking, cider, and eating fresh. It will keep for several months when stored properly. It is a large, flattish-shaped, yellow apple with red stripes. It is known to be a reliable bearer. The apple is tender and very juicy and has often been described as tasting like apple cider.

Smokehouse is a late season bloomer, which is great for Garrett County.

Pollinate with Crimson Crisp, Wolf River, Smokehouse, Summer Rambo, Baldwin, and Gold Rush. Tree will grow to be 15′ to 18′. You will want to give this tree support for life. It does not do well in heavy clay soil. Fruit ripens in October.

It was discovered in 2009, as a naturally occurring russetted limb on a Bartlett pear tree.

To make this particular tree even more exclusive, we put it on a high-end rootstalk that you generally won’t find in stores. It grows well in most soils, including heavy clay and even somewhat wet conditions. It has deep roots that anchor well. It is cold-hardy to -25 degrees F, and is resistant to Fireblight and pear decline. Additionally it is tolerant to Crown Gall.

And, get this, it grows to full pear-tree size, which is 20′ to 25′, and it can reach full height in around 5 to 6 years!

It fruits in late August to early September, and the pears will store for up to 8 months under proper refrigeration.

Hurry and order if you want one of these trees. Our supplies are very limited due to the rarity of both the tree and the rootstalk.

Tree can be pollinated with Harrow Sweet or Potomac. 20′ to 30′ at maturity. Can tolerate some mildly wet and heavy clay soil. Self-supporting once mature. Ripens in September.

The peaches are medium to large with sweet, yellow flesh. Interestingly, Contender peach slices do not brown quickly when exposed to air, so they look nice on a platter. (Think of all those covered dish dinners where you could take sliced peaches!) It is freestone and excellent for fresh eating, canning, and baking.

Like the other two varieties we are offering, Contender needs 1000 chill hours to fruit. Therefore, you should not plant this peach in a warm climate.

Contender received the 2014 American Society for Horticultural Science Outstanding Fruit Cultivar award. It was originally developed through a breeding program started in 1951, focused toward creating a variety that would be resistant to bacterial spot and fruit between the other two main cultivars, Loring and Elberta. Contender was born out of that program in 1988 and has since gained world-wide respect for its consistency and productivity to both fresh and commercial markets. It is the standard peach in northern areas. It is somewhat resistant to Bacterial Spot.

Peach trees do need full sun and well-drained soil. Additionally, you should prune peach trees yearly, keeping 1′ to 3′ new growth. Contender is self-pollinating but the fruits will be more abundant and bigger if you use another variety of peach to pollinate. Both Veteran and Raritan Rose will pollinate it.

Contender pits are more toxic than some peach pits. DO NOT crush and eat them or use them for medicinal purposes.  

Tree is self-fertile and will not require a pollinator. 18′ to 20′ at maturity. Can tolerate some mildly wet and heavy clay soil. Self-supporting when mature. Ripens in August.