Anyone have experience getting fruit in zone 5

[shockandawe12]

Not doing enough research, I got a Parfianka and a Sirenevyi pomegranate. Wondering if anyone has experience or has heard of anyone getting fruit with the use of a green house in zone 5?

From what Ive read Sirenevyi is not going to be good for this. Maybe some early ripening varieties already listed on the forum?

The harvest times listed from nurseries are all over the place for poms. Seems like they're not too reliable.

Thanks

[alanmercieca]

Zone 6b I believe is the coldest I have heard of someone getting pomegranate fruit with the aid of a greenhouse, and that person brings most of the pomegranate bushes out during the spring, he has one in the ground too, not sure if it had time to ripen fruit or not. In Zone 5 I am guessing that the bushes would need to stay in the green house longer, to extend the growing season, bringing the plants back in the greenhouse in the autumn, and leaving them out at least a month longer in the spring. It should be possible if your greenhouse is good enough. In Vermont one person does not bother taking their fig trees out of the greenhouse at all, I know fig trees are not the same exact kind of plant, and Vermont is zone 3 some years, yet if it can be done for fig trees in a much colder location, you should be able to manage the same with pomegranates.

[pombazaar]

I'm on the border now of 6A/B and have had pretty good results on 5 confirmed varieties: Parfianka, Kazake, Austin, Salavatski, and Belbek. Pomegranates are a lot more forgiving than figs and generally more winter hardy but a critical factor for fruit production is seasonal growth time. If you have a greenhouse and can extend your season start and end by a couple months, you should have no trouble. It would also be worth testing some of the more super hardy varieties in ground covered during the winter after their second or third year in zone 5.

From all the reports I've read Sirenevyi is a very late producer, even in California. I attempted rooting it for two seasons with no luck and decided to throw in the towel.

[greenfig]

Sirenevyi is very late, maybe you can trade it for Sumbar or Salavatski?
Parfianka will ripen but I doubt it will be sweet , probably quite tart because it needs lots of heat to get the nice taste

[shockandawe12]

Thanks for the replies, I will try to grow them/ maybe trade cuttings if they don't produce fruit.

The sumbar variety looks like a good option. Seems again like different sellers are claiming different hardiness for these pomegranates.

I didn't know about hardy Uzbekistan and Bulgarian varieties I will look into those. The few posts around the net seem to say they're much hardier. Anyone heard anything about what the fruit is like?

[alanmercieca]

Here is a description of Belbek, I have no idea what the fruit of the others are like viewtopic.php?p=1290#p1290

[pombazaar]

Uzbekistan varieties are among some of the most cold hardy pomegranates.

• Uzbek for example is one of the most common varieties and is cold hardy to -11.2 F / -24C. However, it is a late ripening pomegranate.

• Belbek is a hybrid developed from "Uzbek" and is cold hardy to -0.4F / -18C. It is earlier than Uzbek and the taste is about the same.

• Ak-Dona is an Uzbekistan variety and is hardy to -9.4F / -23C without freeze back. It is listed in Dr. Levin's Pomegranate book.

• Kaj-acik-anor is an Uzbek-Tadzhik variety. It is listed as a Group A / most cold hardy variety in Dr. Levin's Pomegranate book. Kazake and DK from Shevlan also comprise Group A. DK from Shevlan is unconfirmed for fruit production.

• Bulgarian varieties are grown in ground throughout Europe at least zone 6B. There are 4 varieties that are good options, although I'm unsure whether they're early or late. Bulgaria var. 1, Bulgaria var. 2, Bulgaria var. 3 / Super Hardy, and Bulgaria Delight.

• Goulosha Pink is confirmed in ground throughout Eastern Europe. It is an Armenian variety and is cold hardy.

The main thing to make a mental note of is that in zone 5 you are never going to have poms the size that you see in the grocery store. Those are typically the Wonderful variety. Wonderful is a great variety noted for size and commercial level juice production but there's nothing really unique about the variety. Just keep this in mind. I think you actually have a lot of viable options in your zone. Taste is also kind of a relative term with pomegranates. You have to decide if you prefer sweetness over acid or vice versa and then try to find varieties that fit your taste preference that ripen early. Personally I prefer the middle ground and options like Parfianka and Belbek are fantastic.

If you want an in ground tree that produces fruit, I would build up a few of the most cold hardy varieties in containers the first 3 years. In year 4 put them in ground and protect them that following winter. In the fifth year see how they fare with reduced protection. It's a gamble but is also one of the reasons why this forum exists. We're hoping to determine the best cold hardy, early variety options that can be planted in ground in zones 6 and 5. You can also try an in-ground greenhouse protected approach.

Feel free to use the exchange section of the forum to sell or trade your Sirenevyi. Perhaps someone in California or a similar region may want it.

Here are some photos of Bulgaria var. 2 and Bulgaria var. 3 (Super Hardy) late in the season. Your fruit would probably be around this size at mature bearing age, perhaps slightly larger.

Late_Harvest2.jpg (551.81 KiB) Viewed 6613 times

Late_Harvest1.jpg (353.56 KiB) Viewed 6613 times

[shockandawe12]

Very appreciated, Thanks for the info. The size isn't too much concern for personal use, Some pomegranate is better than no pomegranate.