Best apple/pear varieties for middle GA?

[chrislibby88]

Can you guys recommend some good hardy apple varieties for middle Ga? I’ve seen some old threads in the past talking about this, but I can’t seem to find them right now.

Scratch the apples. Not enough chill hours, and we have too many cedars to clear out.

I am looking for some recommendations on pear varieties. I like the sound of Kiefers cause of the hunting potential with the late fruit, but I don’t think we get the chill hours for them either.

Also open to other ideas for fruit trees.
So far in my list is PawPaws, Mulberry, Asian persimmons (not for hunting, for yard fruit)
We have wild muscadines in the yard already, and a lot of wild persimmons on the property.

 

[sportsman94]

I have no real experience with them yet, but Yates and Arkansas black apples from TWG are what I planted in our orchard this spring.

 

[westcobbdog]

Reb soldier Yates of Yatesville developed a good apple variety.

 

[bhouston]

I have planted Arkansas Black, Yeats, Liberty and Abell (Hallman Farms variety). I havent had too much luck with the apples in Johnson County. Seems like not enough chilling hours. They are the first ones to go when the fire blight show up. The pear varieties are MUCH more successful. If you do plant the apples, also plant some crabapples nearby as they are great pollinators for most all apple varieties.

 

[chrislibby88]

I have planted Arkansas Black, Yeats, Liberty and Abell (Hallman Farms variety). I havent had too much luck with the apples in Johnson County. Seems like not enough chilling hours. They are the first ones to go when the fire blight show up. The pear varieties are MUCH more successful. If you do plant the apples, also plant some crabapples nearby as they are great pollinators for most all apple varieties.

Good tip on the crab apples. Guess I need to find a variety that doesn’t need much cold.

 

[rshunter]

Planted 8 apple trees 15 years ago in Meriwether. Yates, Liberty, Arkansas black and 1 other I cant remember. Only 1 lived and its the variety I cant remember. Kept them watered and fertilized but they just never amounted to anything. Bought them from a grower around McDonough. I know if I had to do it over again they would have all been pear trees. Even my one good tree the deer dont seem to eat them much, if at all. They will break a low branch and scrape under it though so I guess it has that going for it LOL.

 

[ngamtns]

I would contact David Vernon with Century Farm Orchards. He has a lot of varieties and could recommend the best for middle Georgia. He has great customers service. https://www.centuryfarmorchards.com/

 

[trad bow]

Make sure you don’t have cedar trees around your apple trees. Cedar rust is death to apple trees.

 

[chrislibby88]

Make sure you don’t have cedar trees around your apple trees. Cedar rust is death to apple trees.

Ahh. Yea we have a lot of cedars. So apples are a no-go. After further reading I don’t think we get the cold hours needed for apples to well south of the fall line. We saved a bunch of store bought cherry pits, but further reading revealed that they won’t do south of the fall line too, and they barely work in north GA.

Pears it is. I’m going to get some PawPaws 100%. We already have a pile of wild persimmons on the property, May add an Asian one in the yard. I think we are going to look into Mulberries too.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Jim Boyd]

I’ve got 52 pears from Hallman’s.

5 varieties.

They are 3 years old now (IIRC) and are growing like crazy.

A few made pears last year but two years running now, we got zapped with a late freeze. 2023 the cold was worse than 2022.

Pretty sure I will get zero pears this year.


Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Long Cut]

I’d go Persimmon or Pear, in that order.

These late freezes beat up the Pears

 

[Flash]

Make sure you don’t have cedar trees around your apple trees. Cedar rust is death to apple trees.

Some varieties are more tolerant than others. I have a few trees forgot most of the kinds but my Ark blacks are horseshoe tossing distance and do fine each yr. Others some times good others bad. Had cedar rust get into and lose others

 

[billc]

Have a place in Jones County. My parents place there had several Kieffers that had a big crop every year when I was growing up so I have been planting them and a few other types on my place over the past 25 years. Have lost most to blight. You have to spray every week with streptomycin to control blight and I'm a few hours away. Even then the late freezes have zapped them most years. Best bet is female persimmons but I can't find them at nurseries any more. They hold fruit well into November every year and require no care. My attempts at grafting female scions onto male persimmons were unsuccessful last 2 years. Will see how this years attempt went next visit.
Good luck and look for female persimmons at the nurseries

 

[Flash]

What Apple Trees Grow Well in Georgia

The apple season in Georgia generally spans mid June through early December. Many different varieties of apples can be grown in Georgia. However, it's best to select the type of trees to propagate based on region of the state because weather conditions and temperature fluctuate, depending on the...

www.gardenguides.com