January 27, 2010

Stanly 4-H’ers now accepting plant orders

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 — Stanly County 4-H’ers are taking orders for blueberry plants, blackberry and muscadine grape vines, figs, pecan and fruit trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, including “Knock-Out Roses.”

The annual plant sale is a fundraiser for the county 4-H program. Funds raised are used for 4-H scholarship programs and activities such as “Summer Blast” day camps, afterschool programs and the school enrichment 4-H embryology program provided to second grade classrooms throughout Stanly County.

The muscadine grape vines and blueberry plants offered this year are two years old, in one-gallon pots and are well adapted for growth in the Southeastern U.S.

The following fruit varieties will be offered:

Muscadines

(Price: $8 each) 1 gallon

Self-fertile varieties:

• Cowart-Black — Medium black fruit; large clusters; ripens early to mid season; excellent flavor; good quality and wet stem scar; plants are vigorous and disease resistant; popular for wine, commercial, pick your own and home use.

• Carlos-Bronze — Medium, bronze fruit and clusters; pleasing flavor; very productive; good bronze variety for wine making; recommended for commercial use.

• Noble-Black — Medium black fruit; large clusters; ripens mid-season; plants are vigorous and disease resistant; excellent for making a red table wine.

• Triumph — Greenish-bronze fruit; largest bronze of the self-fertile varieties; very productive; winter hardy; excellent pollinator; recommended for home and commercial use.

Female varieties: (Cross-pollination is necessary.)

• Higgins — Reddish bronze, medium fruit; excellent flavor; vigorous plant and disease resistant.

Blackberries

(Price: $8 each) 1 gallon

Thornless varieties: (Trellising is recommended.)

• Ouachita — Medium to large fruit size; high yield; fruit is sweet, firm and attractive.

• Triple Crown — Large fruit; excellent sweet flavor; ripens later than most varieties with good yields; fairly firm fruit.

• Apache — Larger, glossy fruit; higher yields than other erect thornless varieties; ripens mid-June.

Blueberries

(Price: $8) 1 gallon

Rabbiteye type:

• Climax — Early ripening; produces medium size berries with sweet flavor; plants are upright with intense green foliage; one of the very best for harvesting.

• Powder Blue — Late-season ripening; highly productive with medium to large size; sweet fruit; darker blue in color; upright plant with good foliage.

• Premier — Early to mid-season; large fruit; excellent flavor; light blue in color and good quality; plants are upright with good foliage; highly productive.

• TifBlue — Early to mid-season in ripening; present standard among Rabbiteye blueberries; plants are upright and vigorous growers; berries are a good quality, medium to large, light blue fruit; holds up well until last berries are harvested; for fall leaf color, TifBlue rates as the best ornamental for fall leaf color.

• Onslow — Ripens mid to late season; self fertile; produces large fruit; semi upright vigorous plant.

• Brightwell — Early to mid season ripening; medium to large fruit; sweet flavor; light blue color; upright vigorous plant; constant producer.

Southern Highbush varieties:

• O’Neal — Very early ripening, large fruit; medium blue color; firm, good flavor; vigorous upright growth.

Figs

(Price: $12 each) 2-3’ bare root

• Brown Turkey — Bears twice a year; flesh turns from various shades of amber to pink; skin is copper-brown; self-pollinating and very hardy; ripens early and late summer.

• Celeste — Very large and a yellowish color; flesh is white; skin is violet to purple brown; ripens early summer; self-pollinating; very sweet.

Fruit trees

(Price: $13 each) 4-5’ bare root

Apple:

• Red Delicious — large, dark red fruit; juicy; pleasant aroma; good for cooking and eating; ripens late September to early October.

• Yellow Delicious — large, yellow skinned fruit with red blush; white flesh; sweet flavor and crisp; good for eating; pies and sauces; one of the best pollinators; ripens mid-September to early October.

• Winesap — medium to large in size, dull red color; tart; crisp, juicy, yellowish flesh; great for cooking, baking and cider.

• McIntosh — Red; mildly tart; soft texture when cooked; gives apple sauce and cider a spicy kick; bakes up juicy and tender; ripens mid- September.

• Arkansas Black — Sweet flavor; excellent juice; medium size; dark red skin; firm, white, crisp flesh; ripens October to November.

Peach:

• Belle of Georgia — Old time favorite; large, firm; white; freestone flesh; hardy; vigorous; self fertile; good for eating; ripens early-August.

• Windblow — Ripens early July; freestone flesh: pulls away readily from the stone; most popular for canning and freezing.

• Elberta — Large, freestone peach; sweet, succulent red-blushed flesh; yellow skin; good for eating and cooking.

Plums:

• Burbank — Medium to large fruit; reddish purple skin; amber flesh; sweet and juicy; very hardy; good for canning and eating; early to mid-season.

• Damson — Small oval shape; slightly pointed at one end; smooth textured yellow green flesh; skin is from dark-blue to indigo; blossoms with small, white flowers in early April; harvested in late August or September.

• Methley — Early variety; reddish-purple skin and blood red flesh; very attractive; vigorous; self-pollinating; drought tolerant; regular bearer.

Pears:

• Kieffer — Medium-large, firm fruit; good for canning and preserves; ripens late August.

• Moon Glow — Very large, yellow fruit; smooth flesh; great flavor; juicy; good for eating, cooking and canning; ripens mid to late August.

Pecans

(Price: $50 each) 4-5’ in 7 gallon, tubular containers

• Desirable — Medium-large soft shelled pecans; very productive; consistent bearer.

• Pawnee — Pecans are large and sweet; excellent choice for limited space; most popular papershell variety.

• Choctaw — Abundant producer of large nuts with a thin shell; grows to maturity at an average rate; makes a wonderful yard tree.

Shade trees

(Price: $15 each) bare root

• Willow Oak (4-5’) — Medium-sized tree growing to 20-30’ tall; leaves are bright green and shaped like willow leaves; produces acorns around 15 years of age; very popular for its rapid growth.

• River Birch (4-5’) — Medium sized tree growing up to 40-70’; known for its beautiful bark; fast growing; nicely forked; wind and ice tolerant.

• Corkscrew Willow (3-4’) — Grows to about 30’ with rapid growth; branches are twisted and curled; foliage is bright green turning yellow in the fall; do not to plant near septic tank or water lines.

• Sugar Maple (4-5’) — Moderately fast growing tree; spectacular, yellow fall color; mature height can reach up to 60-80’.

• Red Maple (4-5’) — Moderately fast growing tree; three-lobed green leaves; spectacular red color in the fall; mature height can reach 40-60’.

Flowering trees

(Individually priced) bare root

• Red Dogwood (2-3’, $17 each) — Fast growing; mature height 20-25’; pink or red flowers that last deep into the blooming season.

• Pink Dogwood (2-3’, $17 each) — Fast growing; mature height 15-25’; pink flowers; leaves turn fiery red in the fall.

• White Dogwood (2-3’, $17 each) — Mature height 15-30’; creamy white flowers; fruit is a bright scarlet.

• Kwanzan Cherry (4-5’, $20 each) — Fast growing; mature height 30-40’; flowers are double pink; tree blooms in large clusters of 3-4 flowers; cluster looks similar to carnations; leaves turn golden in the fall.

• Yoshina Cherry (4-5’ $20 each) -- Mature height 20-30’; displays a pure white cloud of delicate flowers.

• Crepe Myrtles – (3 gal./$16, 7 gal./$40) -- Perfect addition to add color to your landscape; can bloom for up to 120 days throughout the spring and summer; beautiful winter bark; easy to grow. (Ht. 7-10’). Colors available: pink, red or white

Ornamental shrubs

(Price $15 each) 3 gallon containers

• Abelia

• Arborvitae

• Azaleas

• Dwarf Crimson Barberry

• Camellia

• Forsythia

• Gardenia

• Spirea

• Hollies

• Ligustrum

nDwarf Nandina

Knock out roses

(Price $20 each) 1 gallon containers — Available in double red, pink and yellow.

“The 4-H Fruit Plant Sale is a great opportunity for anyone to start their own small backyard garden or pick-your-own business while supporting the local 4-H program at the same time,” said Patti Talley, extension agent, 4-H and Youth Development.

Anyone wishing to order plants can call the Stanly County 4-H office at (704) 983-3987. Deadline to order is Feb. 25. Plant pick-up has been scheduled for March 10-11 at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center. Stanly County 4-Her’s will be available to help fill and load plant orders again this year.

Detailed plant sale information, order form and planting tips are available on the extension Web site at www.stanly.ces.ncsu.edu.

Plant orders can be also mailed to: NC Cooperative Extension, Stanly County Center, 26032-E Newt Road, Albemarle NC 28001.

Stanly County 4-H is a United Way funded agency. For more information, call the 4-H office at (704) 983-3987. Stanly County 4-H is a division of North Carolina Cooperative Extension.