Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Thanks to Mother Earth News!!!


On Monday, Mother Earth News posted a blog article written by Rick about Grandma Greuel's famous crab apple jelly. Please check out the link below:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/grow-it/awesome-apple-offerings-plus-an-heirloom-crab-apple-jelly-recipe.aspx

Cheryl Long was kind enough to add a piece about our tree sales. As many of you know, Wagon Wheel Orchard has a focus on preserving antique apple and pear trees. The best way to make sure a variety survives for future generations is to get several trees planted in different locations. This year we have added dozens of endangered trees to our bench graft offerings. One of the trees we are now grafting for 2011 is the very same "Grandma Greuel's Crab Apple" as mentioned in the article.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Grafting season is again upon us!

At Wagon Wheel Orchard we always say that “variety is our specialty”. We have a decided focus on preserving antique and heirloom fruit trees through our grafting services. We have over 700 fruit varieties in our orchard and as you can see from the list below there’s something for everyone.

Let us make sure your old homestead variety is passed on by custom grafting trees for the whole family (very cool gift).

We do bench grafts or custom grafting of apple and pear trees at $9 each with no shipping charges, all taxes included and only a 7 tree minimum!

ROOTSTOCK (Controls the size of the tree) Our default rootstock for apples is M111 and we use the disease resistant “Old Home” series for pear rootstock. Both will produce a semi-dwarf tree that should be in the 15 to 18 foot tall range when mature. We use these rootstocks for their adaptability and health. If you have an alternate preference, please email us at Wagonwheelmail@aol.com with your request.

SCION WOOD We are also offering scion wood at $4 a stick with no shipping charges (taxes included) and only a 8 stick minimum. Please contact us at Wagonwheelmail@aol.com for volume discounts above 40 sticks. Sticks will be approx 12” long and as close to ¼” thick as possible.

Please check local regulations before you request your trees, grafts or seeds. Please note that this a partial list of the varieties we have in our orchard and do not order any that are patented.

PAW PAW SEEDS Fruit tastes like banana custard. 2/$1 (16/$8 order min. or no min. if combined with scion or bench graft orders) We can also supply bulk orders – email for details.

Please check local regulations before you request your trees, grafts or seeds. Please note that this a complete list of the varieties we have in our orchard and do not order any that are patented.

Below is a list of the trees we have at Wagon Wheel Orchard in 2011. The trees listed with an asterisk are available in limited quantity - please list an alternate variety in your order.

APPLES

**** Asterisks mean limited supply ****

167Th Delicious* (unknown delicious type apple from Gardner, KS homestead)
Adams Pearmain* (1826, Victorian English dessert apple with a nutty sweet flavor)
Airlie’s Red Flesh* aka Hidden Rose
Akane (Japan 1937, disease resistant, reliable Jonathan type apple)
Alexander aka Emperor or Emperor Alexander (pre 1800s old Russian variety)
Alkmene* aka Early Windsor (Early Cox type apple – crisp and tart)
Almata (large red apple with pink flesh, ripens Oct)
American Beauty (mid 1800s Massachusetts, wine-like flavor, ripens early October)
American Pippin* (old American cooking and cider apple) none avail 2011
American Summer* (listed 1857)
Antonovka (pre 1826 Russia, cold hardy variety used as rootstock in the north)
Apricot Apple* (orange to red flesh, supposed to smell and taste like an apricot, mid-season)
Arkansas Black spur type (plenty available)
Arkansas Sweet* (pre 1905 Arkansas, a fine all around apple)
Arlet (Switzerland, modern apple)
Ashmeads Kernel (old English russet apple with “pear drop” flavor, hardy trees)
Ashton Bitter* (English cider apple) none avail 2011
Astrachan Red (Russian pre 1800s)
Atlas* none avail 2011
Aunt Rachel (a fine early season southern apple)
Autumn Pearmain*
Bailey Sweet*
Baldwin (1740 Massachusetts, once one of the most popular commercial varieties in the US pre-WWI)
Baldwin Red Flesh* (ours has not fruited yet)
Bancroft* (1930, Ottawa, Canada, dessert apple with subacid flavor, late October)
Belle de Boskoop (1850s Netherlands, great sharp dual purpose apple)
Belmont* aka Belmont Waxen (pre 1866 old market variety)
Ben Davis, Black (very popular old southern apple)
Benoni* (mid 1800s Massachusetts, high quality dessert apple)
Bentley Sweet* (early 1800s, firm, juicy and very sweet, October)
Benton Red* (no info yet)
Berner Rosen* (1888 Switzerland)
Beverly Hills*
Big Red Sauce Seedling DL31
Black Gilliflower* (clove scented)
Black Oxford*
Black Twig*
Blenheim Orange (England 1740, aromatic dry flesh which cooks well)
Blue Pearmain*
Braeburn
Bramley's Seedling (the definitive English cooking apple, makes a great applesauce)
Breaky*
Brown's Apple (English cider apple, makes a very fruity varietal cider)
Buckingham (the definitive southern apple, September)
Burgundy (a beautiful dark red September apple, firm, crisp and tangy)
Calville Blanc D'Hiver (plenty available, more vitamin C than an orange!!!)
Cameo* (a crisper Red Delicious seedling)
Canada Reinette*
Canadian Strawberry*
Cannon Pearmain* (pre 1866)
Caney Fork Limbertwig*
Carolina Red June (Tennessee early 1800s)
Carter's Blue (“Blue” for its heavy bloom, blue appearance until rubbed or washed, 1840s Alabama)
Catawba (mid-1800s southern apple)
Cathead (1600s, England, makes a very sharp applesauce, unique “cathead” shape)
Celestial*
Charette* (hasn’t fruited yet)
Charles Ross* (1890, very limited quantity available, rare dual purpose English apple)
Chatagnier
Chenango Strawberry (1850, New York)
Chestnut*
Chisel Jersey*
Cinnamon Spice*
Clark of Kentucky*
Claygate Pearmain (large, soft and juicy, late season old English apple from Surrey)
Coe's Golden Drop* (dessert apple)
Cole's Quince* (1849 Maine)
Cooper's Market* (pre 1866)
Cornish Gillflower *(1812, Cornwall, England, firm dry flesh, sweet and aromatic)
Cortland (1898, New York, McIntosh type apple)
Cortland North Pole*
Court Pendu Plat (pre 1613 France, late bloomer, pineapple like acidity)
Cox Orange Pippin (1825 England, one of the worlds greatest eating apples)
Crimson Beauty* (1880 Canada. Fruits have rather soft flesh with a subacid to acid flavor)
Crimson King (1895 English cider and culinary apple)
Crimson Spire*
Cripps Pink*
Criterion (1968 Washington, USA, crisp, sweet, a good all purpose apple)
Dabinett (small, aromatic old English cider apple from Somerset)
Danvers Winter Sweet*
Davey* 1928 Massachusetts, slightly coarse firm flesh with a mildly sweet perfumed flavor)
Deane*
Delcon (Large, sweet, crisp, juicy, white flesh. All purpose apple, very disease resistant)
Delicious Red (original)*
Discovery (1949 England, Crisp and juicy with a hint of strawberry, disease resistant)
Drap D'Or* (listed 1731 Thomas Hitt A Treatise of Fruit Trees, dual purpose)
Duchess of Oldenburg (1700s, Russian, early season, firm, juicy flesh with a subacid flavor)
Dudley Winter*
Dunning* (1922 New York, firm, crisp flesh with a sweet flavor)
Dyer*
Early Genitan*
Early Harvest (very early apple – great for applesauce)
Early Joe* (like all early apples this one is great for applesauce, 1800 NY)
Early Ripe
Early Strawberry* (NY 1838, medium sized, tender, crisp and juicy, ripens late June)
Egremont Russet (1872 England, the most popular russet apple at the present time)
Ellis Bitter* (no info – as the name implies this may be cider only)
Emerald Spire* (many apples with “spire” are columnar in growth habit)
Empire ( a cross of Red Delicious and McIntosh – leans towards Mac in flavor)
Empress*
Enterprise*
Erwin Baur*
Esopus Spitzenburg (Thomas Jefferson’s fav, very flavorful, crisp, firm, spicy, the ultimate gourmet apple)
Etters Gold
F. McFarland Red Apple (from an old KS homestead)*
Fall Orange*(1773, Mass, aromatic white flesh is tender, crisp and juicy)
Fall Pippin*
Fallawater
Fanny (pre 1869 Pennsylvania, early apple)
Fiesta*
Fireside
Fletcher Sweet* (no info found)
Florence*
Flower of Kent (pre 1826)
Four Corner’s Red #1 (old KS farmstead apple)
Fox (an old Smoky Mountain apple collected by Henry Morton of Gatlinburg)
Fox Hill*
Foxwhelp* (cider variety)
Franklin*
Freedom (disease resistant)
Fresh Candy (we will not graft as we are getting patent)
Fuji ( yeah, the one in the grocery store)
Fuji, Red Fuji* ( a redder version of the popular apple)
Gala (the original)
Gala, Royal (a much redder version of Gala)
Gala, Grand*
Garden Royal*
Gardner Madison Apple (unknown farmstead apple from Gardner KS)*
Gilpin* aka Carthouse pre 1817 all around good early apple
Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious Improved
Golden Pearmain
Golden Pippin*
Golden Reinette* (Europe mid 1600s, crisp, yellow flesh with a sweet subacid flavor)
Golden Russet (1700s, all around great apple, fresh, cider, cooking and keeping)
Golden Sweet* (very old Connecticut variety, very sweet)
Goodland* (excellent large apple with fireblight resistance)
Goof*
Grandma Greuel’s Crabapple (our family’s very own crab for jellies and preserves)
Granny Smith
Gravenstein (1868 Australia raised by Mrs Thomas Smith aka “Granny”)
Gray Pearmain*
Green Cheese*
Green Sweet*
Grimes Golden
Haas (St. Louis MO 1800s, once very popular late Sept apple)
Hall (late 1700s NC, a smaller apple with exquisite flavor)
Haralson* (1913 USA, predominately red apple ripening in October)
Harcourt* (good disease resistance)
Harvey* (mentioned in 1629, another great large English culinary apple, ripens late Sept)
Hawaii
Hawkeye Delicious (the original Red Delicious, grown by Jesse Hiatt in Peru, IA 1870)
Hazen* (1980, North Dakota, grown for its resistance to fireblight)
Herrings Pippin (1908, England)
Hidden Rose (a red fleshed apple with little info, ours hasn’t fruited yet)
Holiday (1940 Ohio, sweet, crisp and juicy with a wine-like flavor)
Honeycrisp (yeah, that Honeycrisp, one of the best modern apples)
Honeygold* deer damage in 2010
Hoover* (mid 1800s South Carolina, dark red over yellow, firm, juicy and tasty. A good keeper)
Howgate Wonder* (1915 Isle of Wight, held the world record for largest apple – over 3 lbs!)
Hubbardston Nonesuch (early 1800s, Massachusetts, sweet, juicy, crisp, and fragrant.)
Hudsons Golden Gem (fine flavored, juicy, good sized russet apple, but an early bloomer)
Hunt Russet (known for keeping in a cellar over a year, rare old apple)
Huntsman (fast growing early producer – great Midwest apple 1800s)
Hurlbut* aka Hurlbut Sweet*
Idared (1942, Idaho, white, tinged green, crisp, fine-textured flesh with a pleasant vinous flavor)
Ingram* (1850s, Missouri, said to be a late bloomer and will miss late frost damage)
Itzstedter Apfel* (late 1800s Itzstedt, Germany, beautiful dessert apple)
Jakes Seedling* (we know little of this August apple as ours hasn’t fruited yet)
James Grieve* (1893, Scotland, good all around dual purpose apple)
Jefferis (have plenty – great backyard or pick-your-own tree as fruit ripens over several weeks)
Jersey Sweet* (we found listings for this apple in England and France but no history)
Jim Dandy* (no info)
Johnny Appleseed (a graft from the last surviving tree Johnny himself planted, a Rambo-type apple)
Jonagold (1943 New York)
Jonathan, Original* aka Philip Rick(1826, New York)
Jonathan, Disease Resistant
Jonathan, Red (a more highly colored sport (mutant) of Jonathan)
Judy*
Judy’s Favorite (western Kansas homestead apple)
Junaluska (1800s, NC, grown by a Cherokee Chief, thought lost but rediscovered in 2001)
Kanipe Redflesh*
Kansas Black
Kavanagh*
Kazakhstan seedlings (not available until 2012)
Keepsake* (most likely a good keeper)
Kerrys Irish Pippin* (1802, Ireland, firm, crisp slightly dry with a good aromatic flavor)
Keswick Codlin* (1793 England, somewhat soft all purpose apple)
Kidds Orange Red* (1924 New Zealand, yellow w/red stripes, crisp, juicy, sweet flesh with a rich flavor)
King David (1893 Arkansas, good for all uses, late bloomer and disease resistant)
Kingston Black (pre 1847, Somerset, England, produces a full-bodied single variety cider)
Kinnairds Choice (1855 Tennessee, yellow apple turns red on side towards sun, dessert)
Knobbed Russet* (introduced 1819 England, one ugly apple, resembles a potato)
Lady aka The Christmas Apple (dates back to Roman Empire, small, used in Christmas wreaths)
Lady Finger* (listed by Coxe in 1817, very elongated apple)
Lady's Sweeting* (1845 New York, very sweet late variety)
Langford* (no info known yet)
Late Strawberry* (1848 New York, medium sized, yellow with red splashes, juicy, crisp)
Lawver* aka Lawyer (confusing history – mid 1800s, good culinary apple that stores well)
Legace* (no info yet)
Liberty (best disease resistant apple – similar to Jonathan, great choice if growing organic)
Lincolnville Russet*
Lodi (1911 New York, this is my Grandma’s favorite applesauce apple, ripens July)
Lodi, spur type* (a more compact columnar version of Lodi, good for smaller areas)
Macfree (a disease resistant McIntosh type apple)
Macoun (1923 New York, gaining popularity recently, a crisper McIntosh type apple)
Maiden Blush (early 1800s NJ, listed by Coxe in 1817, good for cooking and drying)
Major* (cider)
Mammoth Black Twig
Maunzenapfel* (listed in England and France but little known)
May aka White Paradise or White Juneating (very early apple, good for applesauce)
Mays Apple* (rare variety with little info)
Mcintosh (1796 Ontario, the same one you still see in markets today)
McIntosh, Grandpa Greuel’s
McIntosh, Improved
McIntosh (spur type)*
McIntosh, Disease Resistant
McMahone White*
Medaille d'Or (early 1800s France, cider apple)
Melon* (1800 New York, crisp, fine, yellowish flesh with a subacid and aromatic flavor)
Michelin
Milam*
Milden*
Milo Gibson*
Minister Von Hammerstein*
Minkler*
Missouri Pippin (bears very young – old Midwest variety)
Monmouth Pippin*
Monstecuse d’evainoff* (we need to do more research on this variety)
Moore's Sweet*
Morgan Duft*
Mother* aka American Mother (1844 Massachusetts, an old classic American apple, great flavor)
Muscadet De Bernay*
Mutsu aka Crispin (1930s Japan, a Golden Delicious cross, great all purpose apple)
My Jewel*
New Brunswicker* aka Duchess of Oldenburg
Newt Grindle* (no info yet)
Newtosh*
Newtown Pippin aka Albermarle Pippin (pre 1759 Long Island, New York, first rate apple)
Nickajack many syns (an old Cherokee Indian apple)
Niedzwetzkyana Crab* (red fleshed popular apple)
Nodhead* aka Jewett Red (known in France)
Nonesuch* (there were many “Nonesuch” apples, this one hasn’t fruited yet)
Northern Spy (1800 New York, very popular large late season apple, excellent flavor)
Novaspy*
Nutting Bumpus* (great name, ours hasn’t fruited yet)
Opalescent (very fast growing)
Orange Sweet* (known in England and France, little other info)
Oriole (1914 Minnesota, soft, coarse flesh with sweet subacid flavor)
Orleans Reinette* (1776 France, dual purpose, fresh eating and cooking)
Ortley* aka Woolman’s Long Pippin, Cleopatra (1817 New Jersey, tender, juicy pleasant flavor)
Ozark Gold*
Paulared* (1960 Michigan)
Pewaukee* (mid 1800s Wisconsin a cross of Duchess and Northern Spy)
Pilot* (early 1800s Virginia)
Pink Pearl* (mid 1900s, an Albert Etter pink-fleshed apple)
Pink Princess*
Pionier* (dessert)
Pitmaston Pineapple (1785 England, tastes of pineapple and honey)
Polly Eades (late 1800s Kentucky, late blooming apple, large, rather tart)
Pomme d'Or* aka Golden Pippin
Pomme Gris (old possible Canadian variety)
Porter's Perfection
Potter*
Pound Sweet aka Pumpkin Sweet
Priestly* aka Bartlett, Bullet (described by Coxe 1817, excellent spicy apple, very abundant)
Prima* (1970) some disease resistance
Priscilla*
Pristine
Purpurroter Cousinot (Netherlands or Germany pre 1766)
Rambo (very early American introduction, known as Johnny Appleseed’s favorite)
Rawle's Janet (many syns – Genet, Geneteating – a very popular apple in the 1800s)
Red Blaze*
Red Hook*
Red St. Lawrence*
Redfree*
Reinette Jamin*
Reinette Simarenko* (1895 Russia, tender, crisp with a subacid flavor, a popular Reinette type)
Rhode Island Greening (1650 Rhode Island NY, this one will shock Granny Smith lovers)
Ribston Pippin (1707 England from French seed, some disease resistance and quite acidic)
Rolfe*
Rome* (1817 Ohio, popular large red apple)
Ross Nonpariel*
Roxbury Russet 1649 Massachusetts, many syns, a great American russet apple)
Rubinette*
Russell's Russet* (pre 1847 if this is “Russell’s”)
Saint Edmund's Pippin
Saint Lawrence*
Sam Young aka Irish Russet (an Irish russet apple brought to England in 1818)
Sansa*
Scarlet Surprise aka Bill’s Red Flesh (red on the inside!)
Scott Winter*
September Ruby*
Shay
Sheepnose aka Bullocks (pre 1817 New Jersey)
Sierra Beauty
Silken
Sir Isaac Newton’s apple*
Smokehouse*
Smoky Mountain Limbertwig (like all “limbertwigs” this trees has branches that droop down)
Snow aka Fameuse (very tender apple with extremely white flesh)
Somerset of Maine* (pre 1849 Maine USA)
Somerset Red Streak* (more popular in France and England than the US)
Sops of Wine aka Bell’s Favorite or Hominy (very old late summer English culinary apple)
Spartan* (1926 BC Canada, great northern apple)
Spencer*
Spice of Old Virginia (there is much confusion around this apple as “spice” was common)
Spigold
Spoon Creek Amish (unknown apple from an old Amish farmstead in KS)*
Starkey*
Statefair
Stayman Winesap (the most famous Kansas apple)
Stoke Red* (cider)
Striped Harvey*
Summer Banana
Summer Ladyfinger
Summer Rambo
Summer Sweet Paradise*
Surprise*
Swaar*
Sweet 16
Sweet Bough
Sweet Sal*
Sweet Yellow Crab
Switzer*
Tater House*
Tetofsky*
Tolman Sweet
Tompkins County King
Transparentes Des Cooncels*
Tremblett's Bitter*
Trent*
Tsugaru*
Twenty Ounce
Tydeman’s Late Orange
Tydeman's Red*
Utter*
Vandevere*
Virginia Gold
Wade*
Wagener
Waldhofler*
Wealthy*
Wefle Tardif*
Weiser Winter Tafelapfel*
Westfield Seek-No-Further
White Pearmain
White Pippin*
White Winter Pearmain*
Whitney Russet*
Wickson* (short supply – very popular cider apple)
Williams Favorite*
Williams Pride*
Winekist*
Winesap (original)*
Winter Banana
Wolf River 1881
Wynoche Early*
Yarlington Mill (plenty available)
Yates*
Yellow Bellflower*
Yellow Ingestrie*
Yellow Jay*
Yellow June*
Yellow Transparent*
York Imperial*
Zabergau Reinette*

PEAR (grafted on Bartlett or scion wood) asterisks mean limited supply
Ayers
Bartlett
Bosc*
Burford*
Comice (high quality dessert pear)
F. McFarland Homestead* (unknown 100+ year old variety)
Four Corners Homestead*
Harrows Delight*
Haunted House Pear* (unknown homestead pear)
Jeanne d'Arc*
Kiefer
Madison Gardner Pear 01*
Madison Gardner Pear 02*
Magness*
Moonglow
Olathe Lake Pear (unknown homestead pear)*
Olympic Asian*
Rescue*
Seckel*
Warden Seckel*

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Gathering scions

How to gather apple or pear scion wood for custom grafting:

If you have an old homestead tree that you would like to save – here’s your first steps.

Scion wood should be gathered after tree has gone dormant (late fall or winter) and before buds begin to break in spring.

You’ll need:

Pruners or sharp knife
Gallon sized sealable polyethylene bag
Damp paper towels
Rubbing alcohol (if gathering from multiple trees)
Masking tape
Black permanent marker

Go to the apple or pear tree you wish to propagate and use your pruners to cut approx 10” to 12” lengths of last years growth. Ideally these should have a diameter of 1/4 inch. Make sure the cuttings have several buds and they are well developed.

If you are cutting from more than one tree - rub some alcohol on your pruners or knife’s blade between cuts.

If you are gathering multiple varieties make sure to stop and add 6” of tape around your scion and label it before moving on.

Place the scions in a polyethylene bag with a few damp (but not dripping wet) paper towels and seal it closed.

Store the plastic bag above freezing (bottom of frig) until you ship to us. We like to use the envelopes with built-in bubble wrapping for shipment.

We will do custom bench graft at $9 each with a 7 tree minimum (all taxes and shipping included)

Please email us your request to wagonwheelmail@aol.com before you ship your scions then mail cuttings and a check for your total order to:

Wagon Wheel Orchard
15380 Edgerton Rd
Gardner KS 66030

We will graft apples on M111 and pears on Old Home (both semi-dwarf) unless you make a special bulk order.