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.

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.

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.

Bartlett, Red Bartlett, and the pear varieties we sold last year will all pollinate Potomac.

Stardust is self-fertile, so it can pollinate itself. It blooms a little later than most cherries, which is good for Garrett County. Its fruit is ripe in July.

Fruit is yellow with a nice orange blush. The flesh is white and very sweet.

This tree is on a rootstalk that has been documented to do well in most soil types in our area. It is drought tolerant and will be well anchored compared to most rootstalks that can withstand a range of soil types. This rootstalk is slightly more tolerant of heavy clay and some excess moisture than most, however, as a general rule, this type of soil is not the best for fruit trees. The tradeoff is that you will need to provide some type of support for this tree for life.

Please note that licensing to sell Stardust is significantly higher than the costs of our other trees. Therefore, we had to charge a higher price for it.

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. For pollination, it would pair well with Crimson Crisp, Northwest Greening, and other late season bloomers on our list.  See our “Product Snapshot” page for details on its pollinators.

To avoid the fee, return the drill clean and as you picked it up.

Use the Acreage Meter on the drill to calculate the acreage used.

If you return the drill dirty, you will need to pay a cleaning and maintenance fee of $350.00.

Individuals must have a contract and credit card number on file with us to rent the drill.

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.

Remove from tree and clean inside at least once yearly.

These tree guards are made from corrugated plastic and are about the thickness of a piece of cardboard.

YOU WILL NEED TO PICK THESE UP AT OUR OFFICE IN GARRETT COUNTY, MARYLAND. We do not ship.