It’s the rare and seasoned “vintage” gardeners that I love to corner, sit down with, and absorb every last morsel of the wisdom, history, experience, and storytelling that they gladly share with anyone who is willing to listen.
I took advantage of just that kind of opportunity recently when I met Tom Burford at the Backyard [...]

The PA Backyard Fruit Growers held their annual fruit tree grafting workshop last weekend. There were apples, pears, kiwis, grapes, and even a few berries available for grafting or propagation.
And of course the varieties offered were rare, antique, and unusual cultivars that are grown and maintained in the orchards and backyards of the organization’s members. [...]

If you’re not familiar with heirloom apples you may be surprised to discover just how many varieties of apples actually exist and can still be found growing in local orchards and backyard fruit gardens. Following is a partial listing of the heirloom apples being cultivated in Central Pennsylvania landscapes.

Following up on a recent theme related to the joys of heirloom apples, I wanted to conclude with a post identifying a few good sources for purchasing antique and heirloom apple trees for planting in the home garden or to start a backyard orchard.

I recently wrote about my experiences at an annual fruit tasting, and posted an article describing the enticing qualities of heirloom apples. Today I wanted to share my impressions on a few specific antique apple varieties that I had an opportunity to sample at the fruit tasting event.

Last weekend’s fruit tasting event provided me with an opportunity to sample many rare and unusual heirloom apples that were popular decades ago, but are pretty much nonexistent in today’s marketplace. It’s pretty amazing to come across so many heirloom apples that you’ve never seen or tasted before.

Strasburg PA isn’t known as a fruit growing hotbed, but over the weekend it was the perfect place for fruit aficionados as the Pennsylvania Backyard Fruit Growers held their annual fruit tasting at the White Oak Nursery just outside of Lancaster PA.