Forbidden Fruits : Most Home-Grown Apples and Pears Have Been Out of Reach in Southern California--Until Now

Southern California is hardly considered apple and pear country--citrus and avocado country, to be sure, but not apple and pear country. The weather simply does not stay cold enough long enough here for trees to produce apples or pears of the common varieties. Some local nurseries may stock ‘Bartlett’ pears or ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Red Delicious’ apples, but those trees will bear fruit only in the few higher-elevation growing areas.

There is a ray of sunshine, however. In recent years, pomologists, amateur and professional, have made considerable strides toward developing and discovering apple and pear varieties suited to our mild climate. Such varieties have low-chill requirements and produce quite well here. One is the ‘Gordon’ apple, which was introduced about 10 years ago. But there are three newer varieties, ‘Dorsett Golden,’ ‘Anna’ and ‘Early Dawn,’ all highly praised for their taste, vigor and productivity. Planting all three will supply you with apples from June through early October, a period when there are no fresh apples available in the markets, except those imported from New Zealand and Chile.

Dorsett Golden, which originated as a chance seedling from the popular ‘Golden Delicious’ variety, comes from the Bahamas and has the lowest chilling requirement of any of the mild-climate apples. Its flavor is slightly more tart than that of Golden Delicious, but the texture is the same. Its coloring also is different; the skin of Dorsett Golden is more of a rich yellow color, blushed with red.

The tree is vigorous and grows rapidly. This variety is a very early producer, with a harvest period beginning in late June. Sometimes it sets a smaller secondary crop that is ready for harvest in October.

One big advantage of Dorsett Golden is that it does not require another apple variety planted in close proximity for good pollination and proper fruit set. The only disadvantages are that the fruit won’t store for long periods and that it doesn’t produce as well as the other two new apples if planted in the very hot inland valleys.

Anna, developed in Israel, is a cross between Golden Delicious and an Israeli apple. Its taste is sweet, with a crisp, juicy texture, making it a nice dessert fruit. The color is greenish, splashed with a good deal of red.

Anna should have a companion apple tree to cross-pollinate with. Although Anna will produce crops without another tree, the fruit won’t fill out normally and production will be somewhat reduced. If you plant Anna, be certain to plant a Dorsett Golden as well. Both varieties produce a profusion of beautiful blossoms starting in January or February.

Early Dawn, the newest member of the trio, originated in Southern California, also as a chance seedling. Described as tart-sweet, it is a highly aromatic apple that is delicious either fresh or cooked. The fruit is gorgeous yellow, blushed with red. The cut fruit resists oxidation; that is, it doesn’t turn brown when sliced. Adapted to a wide range of local climatic zones, this small tree has produced good crops from San Juan Capistrano, near the coast, to the hot interior valleys. The harvest period begins in August and lasts until early October.

Trees for Dorsett Golden and Anna are widely available at local nurseries, or your nursery can order one from a wholesale grower. If you have trouble finding Early Dawn, write to its producer, L. D. Claypool, P.O. Box 1195, Ontario, Calif. 91762; or telephone (714) 986-5349. Several other low-chill apple trees are suitable for our climate. As previously mentioned, the Gordon apple has become a popular tree. Three older Southern California favorites include ‘Beverly Hills,’ ‘Pettingill’ and ‘Winter Banana.’ However, the quality of those will probably not match that of the three newcomers.

Six varieties of pears have low-chilling requirements and are suitable for growing in our area. Four of them have the typical pear shape and taste, although their flavors do not really match up to those of ‘Comice’ and ‘Bartlett.’ The other two are Asian pears, which have an entirely different flavor and texture. Also known as apple pears, they have a crisp, crunchy texture like an apple and a juicy sweet-tart flavor. Asian pears are becoming more popular in specialty produce markets, sometimes commanding prices as high as $4 a pound.

The fruit of ‘Baldwin’ has light green skin, and the flesh has a buttery texture and a mellow pear flavor. ‘Flordahome’ produces very attractive fruit, yellowish green in color, with juicy, sweet flesh. ‘Fanstil’ produces very large crops of green fruit with a yellow blush; the flavor is sweet and mild. ‘Hood’ is yellow and green in color, and soft in texture. For proper pollination, different varieties of pear trees must be planted together--Flordahome with Hood and Baldwin with Fanstil are good combinations.

Flordahome and Hood ripen in late summer. Baldwin and Fanstil are ready for harvest in late summer or early fall. These pears are usually picked before they are fully ripe and allowed to ripen in a cool place; this improves the flavor and texture. However, some growers of Flordahome and Fanstil allow the fruit to stay on the tree with good success.

‘Ya-li’ (pronounced “yah-lee”) and ‘Tsu-li’ (“soo-lee”) are the Asian pears that can be grown here. They must be planted together to cross-pollinate. These trees have superior landscaping value compared to other pear trees, and they produce fruit at an earlier age. The fruit of Ya-li and Tsu-li have a squat, fat, pear-like shape and a greenish-yellow coloring. The fruit generally ripens in August and, unlike the other pears, is allowed to ripen on the tree. To test for ripeness, simply sample the fruit (which will still be hard like an apple) right from the tree. Asian pears store much better than other pears; they may be kept several months in the refrigerator.

You can find low-chill pear trees at Pacific Tree Farms in Chula Vista, (619) 422-2400, and at Palos Verdes Begonia Farm in Torrance, (213) 378-2228. For the Asian pears, telephone Turk Hessellund Nursery in Montecito, (805) 969-5871, or write Fowler Nurseries Inc., Garden Center Dept., 525 Fowler Road, Newcastle, Calif. 95658 for a free price list.

Available for sale now, apple and pear trees are planted and cared for in much the same way. After purchasing your tree, choose a sunny site, and dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the root system. Fill the hole with water. Let the water drain completely and fill it again. If the water does not drain within 12 hours, choose another site or refer to a soil guide for correction methods. Improper drainage is the main reason that young trees don’t survive. If the hole passes the test, place the tree in it and refill with the original soil.

Planting time is a good time for adding slow-release fertilizer tablets, which provide nutrients for a long period without burning the roots. Follow label directions carefully. Those tablets also are ideal for fertilizing the established trees. To provide the roots with sufficient moisture, be sure to water sufficiently during the planting process.

For the first six weeks, water the young trees two times a week if there is no rain, or daily during hot spells. Then establish a weekly watering routine (in the absence of rain). Deep watering is vital, but avoid soaking the lower trunk area. Trickle irrigation is best.

Apples need thinning. After the first fruit drop, thin the remaining fruit to one or two apples per cluster. Pears seldom need thinning. To prune and train apple and pear trees, consult a good pruning book for the best results.