Frequent commenter Coyote Ken asked if I had any recommendations for pears to plant. Ken lives a few miles of Lake Superior's southern coast.
The challenge is two-fold:
- Winter coldhardiness
- Lack of heat during the growing season to ripen the fruit.
Bartlett is the standard by which all other varieties are compared. In fact, if any of Ken's neighbors had ever planted a pear tree, it would have almost certainly been a Bartlett. Since none of his neighbors are growing pears, it seems probable that Bartlett was tried and found wanting.
Growing Degree Days
Growing Degree Days (GDDs) is a way of comparing different regions and of comparing historical data to the current year. The most common way of calculating GDDs is to average the daily high temperature, in Fahrenheit, and daily low temperature. If the average is above 50F, then to subtract 50F from that number and add to the tally.
So, if Bartlett pears ripen around August 22 in Eaton County most summers then there is historical data that suggests that in Michigan Bartlett pears need approximately 2200 GDDb50.
Jumping up to Chatham, Michigan which is somewhere near where Coyote Ken lives, we see that the 20 year average for October 10 is 1900 GDDb50. That suggests that inadequate heat to ripen Bartlett will be a real problem.
But that isn't the only way to use GDDs
If we know that we will only have 1900 GDDs in Chatham most years, then we can walk back in time using Eaton County data and find out what day that is likely to be. That date is August 7 or approximately two weeks before Bartlett ripens. That gives us the information to start looking through lists of pears that have a snowball's chance near Lake Superior.
10 days before Bartlett:
Harrow Gold
Clapp's Favorite (large fruit)
Ubileen
Coscia
Summercrisp (I am cheating here, but it is said to be tasty before fully ripe)
14 days before Bartlett:
Harrow Delight (tends to drop before ripe)
20 or more days before Bartlett:
Butirra Precoce Morettini
Bella Di Guigno
Beurré Giffard
Golden Spice (very cold-hardy)
In general, the price of earlier ripening is smaller fruit. Nearly all pears require a second variety for pollination reasons. The varieties with "Harrow" in their names are resistant to fire blight.
Fedco, Raintree, One Green World, Burnt Ridge and Cummins nurseries are good places to look for some of these odd-ball varieties.
I know that some of my readers are rock-stars at growing food. Please feel free to add your opinions in the comments. That includes poor recommendations on my part. I tried to leave off pears that had mediocre flavor or were rumored to take a long time to come into bearing.
I will look into this. It is nice to have some variety out there in the orchard and in the kitchen. Thanks Much Joe.
ReplyDeleteHaving trouble finding growing degree days in NH.
ReplyDeleteLots about pest control using that data but confusing.
Is last frost and first frost close enough?
Not sure if this will be helpful: https://www.agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/plant-industry/growing-degree-days.htm
DeleteIPM (Integrated Pest Management) is very tuned into Growing Degree Days. That is why you are seeing so much about pest control.
Off subject for sure but didn’t you publish a homemade electrolyte recipe at some time? I can’t search your website and it is still hotter than satans crotch here.
ReplyDeleteOne gallon tap water.
DeleteOne cup of sugar (Use measuring cup. Not all cups are 8oz)
One teaspoon of non-iodized table salt. (Use measuring spoon. Level to slightly heaping)
Two packets Koolaid beverage mix. I find lemonade covers the taste of the salt best but sometimes I use lemonade + tropical punch.
Premix dry ingredients so the flavor does not cake up.
Pour into half full jug. Shake. Add remainder of water. Shake again.
Thank you! I’ve been trying to walk while recovering from shoulder surgery. Not fun in 110 degree heat indexes. I’ve been cramping and I hate to take those Gatorade electrolyte powder mixes.
DeleteWe live about 5 miles from Coyote Ken's place, and 3.5 - 4 miles, as the crow flies, from Lake Superior. I attended Michigan Tech (decades before it became "woke') and we were taught that Michigan's Copper Country is a true "modified maritime climate" due to being surrounded on three sides by the "Big Lake." Chatham is a fair bit south, further off the Big Lake, but still within the edge of the "snowbelt." We face a twofold challenge for our garden. Mid-May to mid-June with an east wind pattern bringing in cold air off Lake Superior, and September temperatures. We plant starts late and pray for reasonable temps in late August - mid September. (A proper greenhouse would solve the problem, but it's not in the budget especially with Bidenomics at work). 2024 has been as challenging with the garden as it has been politically. We had a cold, wet spring, followed by an extended run of hot and dry weather (Trump's fault). After not moving for 3 weeks, the garden blew up with the help of daily watering. Potatoes came up late and went down early...good numbers, but small. We'll have a lot of tomatoes, if they'll ripen. The feral/wild apples that set are very small from the lack of summer rain. We start making zucchini "chips" today. What I do know, is if anyone can get anything to grow outside its range, its Coyote Ken!
ReplyDelete