Lucky you! All I have to show for this year on my apricot trees are a handful of Goldkist apricots, nothing else has fruit on it. Now that is out of 7 trees, go figure. I don't get why some years there's nothing on the trees. I would hav had a better harvest, but I didn't spray the blooms this year. I have a few set on my autumn glow as well. Nothing on the Mormon apricot, blennheim, moorpark and katy are all fruitless. The goldkist are average at best.

Carla:

Glad you like the Robada. It is my best ever. But things vary from year to year. This year they weren't quite as good as one previous year. But they were still superb. I'll have a report on about 12 varieties in a couple weeks. I still have three varieties to fruit; Moorpark, Autumn Glo, and Earli Autumn. That will be 2 1/2 to 3 months of apricots.

Since I have a goal of year-round fruit, I also have Autumn Glo and Earli Autumn by Dave Wilson, and I will be getting my first fruit this year if my couple of little greenies hang on to the tree until August. I was also looking at LE Cooke's Autumn Royal apricot, which is supposed to ripen in September. Has anyone tried Autumn Royal??

Carla in Sac, happily munching on her last Robada

Here is a link that might be useful: Autumn Royal

Year round fruit... must be nice!!!!

Do you grow a lot of citrus? One thing i'd love to be able to grow. I'm a huge fan of oranges...probably my favorite fruit.

Frank:

I had year around fruit within 18 months of moving to CA in 2000. The same when I put up my greenhouse. My Washington navels ripen the first three months of the year. That is all the gap I have between summer fruits. The navels have been excellent but not as good as much of the stone fruit, JMO. They are easy to grow. No thinning, very little pruning, and few pests.

May I ask, where can I order the Robada apricot. I have a few apriums (cotton candy) and pluots (dapple dandy). Would they be ok for pollinizing? You've sold me, and I'm a sucker for a new fruit tree.

John:

If you are getting a Robada you might as well try Tomcot as well. Tomcot has been more widely tested and found to do well all across the country. As well as an apricot can do anyway.

Tomcot is about 10-14 days earlier than Robada and of comparable eating quality. Tomcot and Robada would be my first recommendations for any would be apricot grower out of about 12-15 varieties I'm growing.

Both can be purchased from Van Well Nursery. They have good prices and good trees. Check them out on the web. And good luck with those apricots!!

Autumn Royal Apricot-The link says it ripens in September in California. Then it would ripen in October on Long Island NY, that is a late Apricot. My Apricots ripen in July. I've got a dozen new Apricot grafts in a very good location in front of the house. I'd like to try a late Apricot as well.

Hey Fruitnut, thanks for the suggestions and nursery. I think I'll take you up on that and order both trees from Van Well. I'll be planting another 10-12 trees this Fall/Winter and hoping my time staggering will work for me in the future. I sure do appreciate all the wisdom this forum gives so freely!

Year 'round fruit isn't so hard to do in Coastal Central California valleys.

By using lots of different varieties, I've managed to extend the season for a number of fruits.

Apples: first fruit ripens in late May (not this year, too cold) and the last apples ripen in February.

Cherries and apricots: first fruit ripens in May, last variety ripens in August. Cherries are amaziingly reliable, but apricots are hit and miss. Several trees didn't even bother to bloom this year, I have no idea why. It's not for lack of chill, because we got a bumper bing cherry crop this year.

Oranges: earliest variety is February, last one to ripen is Valencia, which is usually around November-December (19 months to ripen from bloom).

Mandarins start in January and go into May.

Mulberries start in May and go into August.

The only thing I've not managed to get a long season for is peaches because our climate is too cool. I get peaches from May through September, but the only good ones are the ones that ripen in July and August.

There are all sorts of subtropical fruits that ripen at odd times in the Winter: for example, cherimoyas start to ripen in April, same for tropical guavas. Pineapple guavas ripen around thanksgiving. I had Jelly palm fruits in January, they were pretty good.

I need to get myself a robada apricot, it sounds wonderful.

Axel:

I can't praise Fowler's Nursery enough for bare root, where I bought my Robada, Orangered and Tardirouge apricots. Although I go there to buy, I learned just this spring that they DO ship if you call them on the phone to order, although their website says pick up only. Their rootstocks are grown on decomposed granite and are full of roots, and I think are hand-dug right before purchase. All of the trees I have bought from them take off after planting. Plus they have trees you won't find anywhere else!

Carla in Sac

Here is a link that might be useful: Fowler's Nursery

Hi Carla, I know this is old thread. But are you in zone 9? I have been reading on Robada, but the growing zone isn’t to 8. I’m in 9, AZ , wonder if I can grow them here.

Thank you