Showing posts with label Quince. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quince. Show all posts

Saturday 15 September 2018

The first Quince.

The first Quince fruits in my garden - planted on OCTOBER 2011.
If you leave a quince on a sunny windowsill it will slowly release a
delicate fragrance of vanilla, citrus, and apple into your kitchen.
When you stew quince in sugar and a little water or wine, it becomes
not just edible but delicious - sweet, delicate, fragrant.







Sunday 12 March 2017

Growing Quinces.

Growing Quinces | How To Grow | Grow Your Own:
"As well as the annual winter prune, quinces need a little attention early on in the year.
Give them a top-dressing of general-purpose fertilizer each February (using Growmore or Bonemeal), just before the tree bursts into leaf.
Sprinkle this evenly on the ground under the canopy.
It should be given in March of each year and raked lightly into the soil beneath the canopy of the tree.
A month or two latergive your tree its annual cloak of mulch, setting down a few inches of leafmould, garden compost or similar organic material.
The magnificent quince blossom arrives much later than other fruit trees (usually around May) but even at this time of year frosts are still a threat.
If the mercury plummets then cover the blossom as best as you can with a couple of layers of horticultural fleece.
If you plant in an area free from frost-pockets you should avoid this problem."
'via Blog this'

Saturday 15 November 2014

How to Transplant Quince.

How to Transplant Quince | Home Guides | SF Gate:
Quince (Cydonia oblonga) adapts well to all soil types and a range of moisture conditions, making it easy to adapt to transplanting. Grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, quince produces large fruits called pomes that are commonly used in fruit sauces and other recipes. Nursery grown quince must be transplanted in the ground in order to grow to maturity. If a mature tree cannot stay in its place in your yard, you can dig up the tree and transplant it to a new location. Basic plant needs remain the same for both situations.

Removing Mature Quince
1
Cut an 18-inch-deep (45.72 centimetres) circle around the tree, using a sharpened spade to cut through the roots. Multiply the trunk diameter by nine to calculate the radius needed for the circle. Prune the roots in this way at least two months or up to two years in advance of transplanting, to reduce the shock and improve the chances of a successful transplant.
2
Water the roots deeply the day before you plan to transplant the tree. To ensure the roots are evenly saturated, water around the base of the tree until water pools up on the surface. Allow the water to drain into the soil for about an hour, then water the plant again. Fall is generally the best time to transplant the mature tree. Wait until after the fruit has dropped in fall, but allow a few weeks before the first expected frost, to transplant before the tree enters dormancy.
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3
Mark a circle about 6 inches (15.24 centimetres) outside the original root pruning zone, using a garden hose. Cut the roots around the new circle to a depth of about 18 inches. Tilt the tree back with a shovel and sever the roots on the bottom of the root ball with bypass pruners or a sharpened spade.
4
Lean the tree from side to side so you can push a square piece of burlap under the entire root ball, taking extra care to ensure the soil stays intact around the roots. Grab the corners of the burlap and the tree trunk, and lift the quince tree out of its hole. Gather the burlap corners around the tree trunk and tie in place with natural twine.
Planting Quince
1
Mark an area for the quince transplant that is two to three times wider than the root ball or the nursery container. Use line-marking spray paint or lay garden hoses to indicate the size for the planting hole. Select a site that receives full sun to partial shade.
2
Till the soil about 6 inches deeper than the root ball or planting container or to a depth of about 24 inches.
3
Add 4 to 6 inches of organic humus material, such as finished compost, dried grass clippings, leaf mold, aged manure and sphagnum peat moss if you have poor soil, or extremely sandy or clay soil. Till the soil a second time to mix the amendments with the native soil.
4
Dig a hole equal to the height of the root ball. Remove the quince tree from the nursery container, if applicable, and place the root ball in the hole. Leave the burlap in place until you place the tree in the hole, then untie the twine and leave the burlap in the hole under the root ball.
5
Fill in the hole with the amended soil up to the level of the tree's root crown. Pack the soil gently to remove air pockets, then add more soil if needed.
6
Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch around the base of the tree, without pushing the mulch directly against the tree trunk. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and insulates roots, but pushing it against the tree trunk can cause rot or infestation. Replenish the mulch in early spring when new growth appears.
7
Water the tree deeply to ensure the roots and surrounding soil are evenly moist. Repeat watering as needed to keep the soil moist until the tree establishes itself. Quinces need at least 1 inch of water each week, but up to 1 1/2 inches a week is best until new transplants spread roots and establish themselves. Push a rain gauge in the ground just outside the tree canopy to measure the amount of rainfall, then supplement irrigation to make up the difference.
8

Apply a general fertilizer around the quince, if desired, or use organic fertilizers, such as blood and bone meal, or fish emulsion. If you add plenty of organic humus to the soil at the time of transplanting, fertilizer isn't necessary, but quince benefits from a fertilizer in late winter before it breaks dormancy.
'via Blog this'

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Why Grow Quince?

Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor:
the quince — now that’s something different.
It’s a member of the same family grouping, known as pome fruits, with many of the same characteristics, including beautiful pale pink or white spring flowers; rich, dark green summer leaves with a white undertone; autumn color; and interesting twisted branches that enliven a winter garden.
Quinces are also fairly hardy and want winter chill, though they’re not fond of humidity. The large fall fruits resemble apples or pears, depending on the variety, and are usually bright yellow, much like a lemon, though you can find some with a green or orange cast.
Many experts consider the quince to be the golden apple of legends and myths.
That being said, there are some notable differences that can be seen in these family members.
Unlike pears and to a lesser extent apples, quinces are slow growing, though they’re long lived once they reach maturity.
The trees are also relatively small, usually between 10 and 25 feet in height, and can be grown as a shrub or a tree.
Smaller varieties can be grown in a large barrel or container.
Quinces are also self-fertile. A few quince varieties might be sweet enough to eat off a tree, but usually they’re too tart to eat raw.
They are great for jams, jellies, preserves and syrups; mellower when cooked; make a nice addition to the apples in an apple pie; and can be used as the base for candies.
Paying attention to botanical names is important if you’re looking for a true fruiting quince.
Its “real” name is Cydonia oblonga. You might more readily find a flowering quince, a member of the Chaenomeles genus. While the different flowering quinces do have beautiful spring flowers and set a type of fruit, they’re not quite as showy of a landscape plant, and the fruit is marginal.
farmhouse by Girasole Sonoma Girasole Sonoma Where to grow: In USDA zones 4 through 9 it will grow reliably, though it can be grown in zone 3 as well.
Favorites: Apple (Orange), Aromatnaya*, Champion*, Cooke’s Jumbo, Havran, Limon, Karp’s Sweet*, Kuganskaya*, Pineapple, Portugal, Seeker Gevrek, Smyrna, Van Deman *Can be eaten fresh off the tree. landscape by Wendy Cutler Wendy Cutler
Planting guidelines: Look for a bare-root or container tree with evenly spaced branches.
Plant when the soil can be worked; for bare-root trees, in late winter or spring; for container plants, between fall and early summer as long as the soil can be worked. Choose a spot in full sun with good drainage; quinces aren’t fussy about soil type.
Dig a hole as deep as and twice as wide as the rootball and set the plant in place, spreading out the roots. Fill in with soil and water thoroughly. Add mulch up to about 3 inches from the trunk to suppress weeds and prevent water loss.
Remove any weak or crossing branches. If you want to train your quince as a tree, remove all central stems except for one to serve as a trunk, then prune the branches into an open vase shape.
If you want to espalier your quince, remove all but a few strong branches on each side.
traditional landscape by Enroot Landscape Planning and Design Enroot Landscape Planning and Design
Care requirements: Water deeply every two to three weeks if you don’t have spring or summer rain.
Lightly apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer around the root zone in late winter and early summer.
Thin only if the fruit load threatens to break the branches.
Pruning: Unlike most fruit trees, a quince tree doesn’t need much pruning.
If you’re growing it as a shrub, keep up to five central stems as trunks and thin out tightly angled branches to open up the interior of the plant.
If you’re growing it as a tree, remove any additional strong central trunks and any crossing or tightly angled branches, as well as those growing below the preferred canopy line.
Cut the branches back by about 50 percent the first few years.
After that simply prune to shape and remove dead or weak branches.
Remove any suckers growing from the base of the plant.
Pests and diseases: Pests are not much of a problem, although codling moths can sometimes invade.
Fireblight is usually the real issue with these trees, leaving the plant with dead branches and leaves that look like they’ve literally been through a fire.
It’s an easily spread disease, so encourage air circulation with an open shape and immediately prune off infected branches about 6 inches below where the disease appears.
Sterilize your pruning tools after each cut (yes, it’s that easily spread) and dispose of clippings well away from the rest of the garden.
Harvest: Once the fruit is fully colored in fall, it’s time to harvest.
Yellow and orange fruits should have no green left; green varieties will have mellowed in color.
You can also tell if it’s ready by the strong fragrance of the fruit and the fact that it will easily twist away from the stem.
The fruit does bruise easily, even though it looks fairly sturdy, so handle with care.
Store for a couple of months in the refrigerator while you look for new quince recipes but beware: It’s fragrance may be delightful but overwhelming.
'via Blog this'

Saturday 27 July 2013

Quince.

Monty Don: Quince among men | From the Observer | guardian.co.uk:
Growing quinces successfully depends upon rich, wet soil, although Jane Grigson says they do well in 'the driest of upland fields and the hottest of small village gardens' in France. Certainly they need sunshine, but don't gamble on the dry-upland bit. If you have a wet patch of ground they will reward you for it. Order or buy a quince now (it is worth shopping around the net and nurseries for the variety you want) and plant it between now and March. Plant it like any other fruit tree - with care but not reverence, digging a wide, but not too deep hole, loosening the subsoil and adding no organic material below the roots but plenty as a mulch on the surface in a 1m-radius around the tree. It will need staking for its first three years but no special care or pruning again in its life other than keeping it weed-free.

Monday 10 October 2011

My Quince.

Temperate Climate Permaculture: Permaculture Plants: Quince Tree

Bought 10 Oct 2011.
Quince - Leskovac / Serbian Gold
Large pungent aromatic apple-shaped fruits that ripen to a lovely shade of yellow and make the most delicious jelly.
Despite their Mediterranean origin quinces thrive in damp soils and heavy clay, should fruit reliably throughout Britain.
Season: October - November
Rootstock: Quince A (semi-dwarf)
Planting Distance: 4m (13ft)
Approximate Height: 3m (10ft) after 10 years
All quinces are self-fertile. Instances of poor pollination are nearly always caused by bad weather at blossom time, limiting the activity of insects.
This quince tree is growing on a semi-dwarf rootstock, ideal for the average garden.
Quinces need a sunny site and a neutral soil to crop well, a pH of 6.5 - 7.5 is ideal.

Growing tips
• Quinces prefer a sheltered site, neutral soil and plenty of mulching and watering in the early years, and they baulk at chilly wet weather.
Otherwise they are easy garden trees, self-pollinating and attractive as standards or half-standards on pear-seedling rootstock (conversely, the commonest pear rootstocks are quince).
• You should need only one tree as most varieties crop freely from youth to old age.
In Dorset, my mother has a 'Portugal' at least 80 years old and 12 metres (40ft) tall, with twisting branches which bow to the ground before returning skyward.
It produces a huge crop of golden fruit each year.
• Pick quinces in October or early November and ripen them loosely packed in boxes in a cool store, and well away from apples.
Unblemished fruits should keep all winter, releasing a fantastic aroma when you open the packing.
Try them studded with cloves and baked with a leg of pork, puréed with a touch of honey and served with game, or add a few slices to give a fragrant touch to apple pie.
My favourite use is exquisite ruby-red quince jelly, which has a flavour that lingers like good wine.
I eat the first jars with bread or meat within weeks of bottling, but hang on to the last, loath to finish it until next year's supply is in sight.

The hardiest quince of all is 'Leskovac', which crops heavily with large apple-shaped fruits.
Quince charming - Telegraph