How to choose the best fruit tree varieties and bushes for the Moscow region. The Moscow region is divided into three agro-climatic regions according to heat, moisture supply, terrain and soil type.

The first agro-climatic region includes the following regions: Taldomsky, Dmitrovsky, Zagorsky, Lotoshinsky, Shakhovskoy, Volokolamsky, Klinsky, Mozhaysky, Ruzsky and the western part of Solnechnogorsky, Istrinsky, Odintsovsky and Naro-Fominsky.

The second agro-climatic region includes the central part of the Moscow region. According to the type of soil cover, this area is divided into two sub-areas:

With loamy soils - this includes such administrative districts as Pushkinsky, Mytishchinsky, Shchelkovsky, Balashikhinsky, Krasnogorsky, Khimki, Luberetsky, Ramensky, Voskresensky, Leninsky, Podolsky, Chekhov, Serpukhovsky, Stupinsky and the eastern part of Solnechnogorsky, Istrinsky, Odintsovsky and Naro-Fominsky :

With sandy and sandy loamy soils - this includes the Noginsky, Pavlovo-Posadsky, Orekhovo-Zuevsky, Shatursky administrative districts, most of the Yegoryevsky and insignificant - Voskresensky and Ramensky (left bank of the Moscow River) districts.

The third agro-climatic region is the warmest; it occupies the southeastern part of the Moscow region; here are the following administrative districts: Kashirsky, Lukhovitsky, Kolomensky, Zaraisky, Serebryano-Prudsky and a small southeastern part of Yegoryevsky.

The best varieties of fruit trees and shrubs in three agro-climatic regions of the Moscow region

The condition of fruit crops in each of these areas will be different after severe winters. The growth, development and longevity of the same variety in each of these areas will also be different. Therefore, when zoning fruit crops, each variety is considered taking into account the requirements of the variety itself and the agro-climatic conditions of the area.

For berry crops, the zoning of varieties within the region is not essential, since they all winter well with a large snow cover.

The area of ​​a large garden is never equal in its relief, i.e. it has low and high areas. Even under the most favorable growing conditions, fruit trees of the same variety growing in different places in the garden will be unequally damaged after a harsh winter. For example, the Melba and Pepin saffron cultivars were severely frozen in the lowlands during a severe winter and were not damaged in the elevated areas.

This circumstance must certainly be taken into account when selecting varieties, and when placing fruit trees in the garden.

Not always the garden is located in conditions suitable for the optimal growth and development of such basic crops as apple, cherry, strawberry. And even in difficult conditions of location and poor soil, the gardener has the opportunity, by selecting breeds, changing agricultural technology, to grow some berry plants on his backyard. So, currants, actinidia, lingonberries, rose hips, lemongrass, blueberries, walnuts, etc. can be cultivated in the forest area. In conditions where apple and pear fruit crops are subject to severe freezing at the snow level, highly winter-hardy skeleton-forming agents must be used. In this case, apple and pear varieties grafted into their crowns give more guaranteed yields than when growing ordinary trees.

Finally, in particularly warm and sheltered places, gardeners can successfully grow grapes and apricots, though not every year getting a harvest. But for a true gardener, this is not the main thing, especially if it is known that even in the south of the country an apricot does not produce ten crops in ten years.

Currently, there is a large set of crops and varieties of fruit and berry plants, which, with a skillful combination and proper agricultural technology, make it possible, from mid-June to the end of October, in the conditions of the Moscow Region, to have fresh fruits and berries, and winter varieties of apples (with the right storage mode) - from October to May next year.

The census of orchards (1970) in the Moscow region gave very interesting data on the varietal set for the main crop - the apple tree. It turned out that in industrial gardens there are 16.6% of trees of summer ripening, 36.7% of autumn, 36.4% of winter and 9.9% of late winter. Apples can be stored and used fresh for summer consumption of 5-30 days, autumn - 60-75, winter - up to 120 and late winter - up to 200 days. Approximately the same set of apple trees in the orchards.

Based on the daily rate of apple consumption, the number of trees with different ripening periods should be calculated for the backyard garden as follows: out of ten trees, one tree should be of summer ripening, two of autumn, three of winter and four of late winter. And of course, in order to preserve apples of winter and late winter varieties, appropriate cellars, cellars or other winter-proof rooms with the most favorable regime for stored varieties should be prepared.

All of the varieties listed below are widely propagated in the nurseries of the Moscow region (Tables 1-4).

Table 1. Apple varieties for the Moscow region

Table 2. Cherry varieties for the Moscow region

* - Only in favorable places, i.e. sheltered site, southern or southwestern slope, fertile soils, good water and air drainage, etc.

Table 3 Pear varieties for the Moscow region

Table 4 Plum varieties for the Moscow region

Early currant varieties: Memory Michurin, Dove, Black Lisavenko, Exhibition, Elegant, Altai dessert, Early sweet (white); medium: Leah fertile, Stakhanovka Altai, Bradthorpe, Dutch red, Chulkovskaya (red) and Pobeda late variety.

Early varieties of gooseberries: Moscow red, Pink; medium: Russian, Smena, Kolkhozny, Krasnaya Zarya; later: Date, Lada, Finnish I.

Medium raspberry varieties: Novosti, Kuzmina, Newburg, Kaliningradskaya, Kostinbrodskaya; mid-late variety Ottawa and late variety Latham.

Early strawberry varieties: Beauty Zagorya, Granddaughter, Early Makherauha, Dawn, Early Leningradskaya; medium: Festival, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Ideas, Purple, Redcoat; later: Talisman, Zenga Zengana.

Choosing a New Variety of Fruit Trees for Your Garden

Interest in new varieties usually appears after the garden is planted and yields, when it is already possible to judge this or that variety by comparing it with the one in the garden. However, this does not mean that a new variety will be able to grow well in a particular garden, it is important how it will behave in a given garden. For comparison, of course, only the most winter-hardy varieties are suitable in the first place. If the new variety is equal in winter hardiness to Moscow Grushovka, Shtreifling or Antonovka ordinary, then it can be planted in the garden; if it is less winter-hardy than Pepin saffron, Melba or Welsey (which, for example, grow in the garden), then it is not advisable to plant a new variety in the garden. It is more reliable to grow it after grafting into the skeleton of any resistant variety. We advise you to be guided by the same considerations when choosing new varieties of other crops.

Experienced gardeners who have been gardening for many years develop new varieties themselves. Obtaining hybrid seeds is fairly easy for an experienced gardener, but selecting the best, most disease and pest resistant, most winter hardy, and highest yielding plant from a large mass of plants is not easy.

A serious difficulty lies in the objectivity of evaluating your offspring. As a rule, the grower does not have the best varieties in control, as well as the required number of plants to obtain reliable data. Therefore, the variety he created; which has not passed proper competitive variety testing, is not readable by new specialists and is not recommended for wide distribution. But if the variety passes the study and turns out to be the best in terms of a set of characteristics, then it receives citizenship rights for a certain area.

These gardening features should not be forgotten if you are going to breed a new variety.

Productivity of fruit trees and shrubs

Starting from July, the garden is literally littered with fruits and berries. There's nothing to be done here. Seasonality in gardening is seasonality. We will be ready for such a pleasant and at the same time laborious annual inevitability.

For harvesting fruits, you can use, firstly, home canning. This method of storing fruits is now becoming more and more fans. It is simple, cheap, convenient and, moreover, fascinating. In practice, 3-4 times less sugar is required than for jam, less time is spent; the taste and dietary qualities of canned fruits are extremely high, and in winter and spring, such fruits are an indispensable third dish on our table. For home canning, you need a seamer, glass jars and lids. Fruits and berries can be processed into juices. For this purpose, a press is used, but you can use a juicer, a juicer.

Secondly, storage facilities must be prepared for winter consumption apples.

To do this, it would be good to know the ripening dates of apple trees planted in the garden, and for this, write down or indicate on the site plan all the varieties planted. The variety of an adult apple tree can be determined by formal features, for example, the fruits are “... large, slightly greenish, with stripes, very tasty” - an apple variety with this characteristic is called Dessert Petrova.

We also recommend that you record and mark on the site plan at what age the trees, what and when fertilizers were applied, in what doses, with what poisons, when and in what terms pest control was carried out, what crops the trees and shrubs bring, etc. For example, lime is supposed to be applied once every 8-10 years. Has lime been applied immediately under the entire garden and where exactly does the boundary of the unlimed area pass. Likewise with ash. Usually it is accumulated a little, and ash has to be added to separate areas as it accumulates. And it is better to mark on the plan exactly which areas it was applied to and which areas were not fertilized at all.

Or, for example, when planting trees, only some planting pits are filled with full norms of organo-mineral fertilizers, and the rest of the pits are filled with one peat mixed with soil. After two or three years, it becomes possible to supplement peat with manure and mineral salts by focal (according to the crown projection) application. And in this case, the notes or the plan will be very useful. We advise you to store all fertilizers and pesticides with a reliable label, under lock and key, where there is no access for children.

On the collection of fruits and berries

In the garden, it is important to successfully select varieties according to the ripening period and plant a reasonable number of plants in order to have time to harvest, take it home, and process it. If the berry or fruit hangs too long, they fall off.

For the correct organization of labor when picking fruits and berries, it makes sense to know how many (approximately) berries or fruits one person can pick per hour (Table 5). Depending on the yield, the speed of harvesting fruits and berries also changes.

Table 5 How many kg of berries or fruits can one person collect in an hour

For example, two adults per hour of gardening, with an average yield of crops such as apple and pear, can collect 70 kg of fruit, and strawberries up to 10 kg.

For cultivation in the Leningrad region, it is recommended to choose varieties that are distinguished by rapid fruit ripening, and have also successfully passed the frost resistance test. Along with the old tested varieties, novelties of recent years, resistant to diseases and pests, have proven themselves well here. Their flavor range is diverse - from sweet apples with a honey taste to the classic sour Antonovka.

Conditions for growing apple trees in the Northwest

The North-West region, including the Leningrad region, is often called the zone of risky farming. The local conditions cannot be called good for most horticultural crops. The harsh climate and poor soils affect the quantity and quality of the crop. It should also be taken into account that in many places there is a high level of groundwater.

Apple trees in the Leningrad region begin to bloom at the end of May with an interval of several days - from 3 to 7, depending on the variety. Flowering can last up to 15 days; the cooler the spring, the longer this period. Some trees bear fruit in a year, and longer breaks are possible. This is due to unfavorable weather conditions (hard frosts, dry summers) and depleted soil.

Apple blossom in the northern regions begins at the end of May and can last for two weeks

How to choose an apple tree for the northern regions

When choosing apple trees for planting, pay attention to such characteristics as:

• tree height;
• precociousness;
• winter hardiness;
• disease resistance;
• maturation time;
• taste qualities of fruits;
• fruiting frequency.

Tall apple trees can reach a height of 15 meters. But as a rule, a tree grows 5-7 meters, and the roots go three and a half meters into the ground. Vigorous apple trees do not tolerate stagnant water on heavy soils, they are adversely affected by the high standing of groundwater. In conditions of waterlogging, the top begins to dry out, and the tree dies.

Medium-sized apple trees (semi-dwarfs) do not grow above 3.5 meters, low ones (dwarfs) do not exceed three meters in height. The roots of these trees are located close to the surface of the earth. The lumpy root system of "dwarfs" and "semi-dwarfs" is best suited for planting in the Leningrad region.

Low-growing apple trees are best suited for growing in the Leningrad region

When choosing a variety, be guided by the following recommendations:

• Varieties that are resistant to diseases will require less effort from the gardener when caring for apple trees.
• Despite the fact that tall apple trees retain their ability to bear fruit longer, in the northern and eastern regions of the Leningrad Region, preference should be given to apple trees grafted onto a dwarf rootstock.
• For the Leningrad region, with its rather harsh climatic conditions, frost resistance is one of the most important characteristics.
• The more precocious a variety is, the higher the probability of obtaining high yields. A good indicator is fruiting 3-4 years after planting. Apple trees grafted onto a dwarf rootstock also begin to bear fruit earlier. Almost all varieties of apple trees with medium-sized fruits have a high precocity.

The highest resistance to scab was noted in triploid varieties of apple trees (with a triple set of chromosomes). They are distinguished by early fruiting, early fruiting, produce large apples with a high content of vitamin C. The disadvantage of these varieties is defective pollen, which reduces the percentage of fruit set.

The best varieties for the Leningrad region

Not all varieties of apple trees can show their qualities in a cool and humid climate. Due to the short summer in the Leningrad region, there is a danger that winter apples will not have time to ripen on the tree. Therefore, give preference to summer and autumn apple trees, adding zoned varieties of late ripening to them.

If you plant summer, autumn and winter varieties in the garden, the likelihood of pollination of apple trees will be much higher.

Summer (early) ripening apple trees

Summer varieties of apples ripen in July - August. They are sweeter than the fruits of later varieties, but differ in friable pulp. They can be eaten immediately, but these apples cannot be stored for a long time. Fruits keep a trade dress no more than a month after collecting.

Apples grown in the Leningrad region have a higher content of vitamin C compared to fruits grown in the southern regions.

Table: summer apple trees for the Leningrad region

Photo gallery: early ripe varieties of apples

Juicy and fragrant fruits of Antonovka golden are distinguished by their sweet and sour taste.
White apples have a delicate sweet-sour pulp
The fruits of the Avenarius apple tree, named after the monk who bred this variety, are distinguished by a sweet taste and loose pulp. The Cowberry variety annually pleases gardeners with sweet and sour fruits with juicy coarse-grained pulp
Small-fruited Chinese golden early literally strewn with sweet and sour apples with a pleasant aroma
Candy apples - sweet, with honey-candy flavor
Lungwort is a partially self-fertile variety that produces juicy, sweet fruits with a honey aroma.
Sweet and sour Melba apples have juicy medium-firm flesh and a caramel flavor.
Mechta apples are sweet and sour, with loose flesh and without a pronounced aroma. The Finnish variety Pirja annually pleases with fragrant sweet fruits with a slight sourness.
Sweet and sour juicy fruits of the wine apple tree have a wine flavor
The fruits of the triploid variety Apple Spas are juicy, medium density
Apples of the Friendship of Peoples variety are sweet and sour and juicy, with pulp of medium density
In August, fragrant sweet-sour fruits with juicy and friable pulp ripen on the branches of the Grushovka Moskovskaya apple tree.
The fruits of the silver hoof apple tree are dense, sweet and sour, with a raspberry flavor
Chudnoye apples are juicy, sweet and sour, with a pleasant aftertaste

Autumn varieties of apple trees

Apples of autumn varieties ripen in early September. After harvesting, they must be kept for 10-20 days before being eaten. These apples can be stored until December.

Table: autumn varieties for the Leningrad region

Photo gallery: mid-ripening varieties of apples

Fragrant apples of the Antonovka 600 variety have a pleasant sweet and sour taste.
The Aelita variety bears fruit annually, has sweet-sour fruits with a bright scarlet blush. In the variety Bessemyanka Michurinskaya, the fruits are sweet and sour, with a wine flavor, they have almost no seeds.
Juicy sweet apples of the Cinnamon Striped variety have a characteristic aroma and flavor of cinnamon
Juicy and fragrant, with a slight sourness, the fruits of the Auxis variety leave a spicy aftertaste.
Apple tree Marat Busurin annually pleases gardeners with fragrant and juicy sweet and sour fruits The fruits of the apple tree Polyvitamin are characterized by a high content of vitamins A, B and C, have a sweet and sour taste The Sergian apple tree bears fruit annually, produces fruits of a sweet and sour taste, with soft and juicy pulp.
Sweet apples of the Ural Bulk variety ripen on the apple tree every year, regardless of weather conditions
Uslada apples are sweet with a slight sourness, have juicy pulp with raspberry flavor
Sweet and sour small apples for a long time with a pronounced plum aroma look very elegant on the branches

winter apple trees

The fruits of winter apple varieties are harvested at the end of September and in October. They reach maturity within a month after picking, some varieties can be stored until spring. Late apples have a denser pulp, the taste is mostly sweet and sour.

Table: winter varieties for the Leningrad region

Photo gallery: fruits of winter varieties of apple trees

The apple tree Gift to Grafskoy bears fruit annually, its apples are sweet and sour, of medium hardness
The Stars apple tree has sweet fruits with dryish pulp.
Partially self-pollinating variety Renet Chernenko has sweet and sour fruits with a pleasant taste.
Sinap Orlovsky apples are sweet and fragrant, with loose flesh of a greenish-cream color. Variety Ladoga, bred specifically for the Leningrad region, is distinguished by juicy sweet and sour fruits
The Druzhnoe apple tree bears fruit regularly, it has juicy sweet and sour fruits Antey apples are juicy, sweet and sour in taste, with a delicate aroma
In the small-fruited variety Kerr, apples are sour-sugary, tart
Variety Imrus is distinguished by sweet fruits with thin skin

Video: apple varieties for the northwestern zone

Features of growing apple trees in the Leningrad region

When choosing a place for an apple tree, pay attention to the climatic conditions and soil features of the garden plot. Apple trees do not like acidic soil and do not tolerate the proximity of groundwater. For most areas of the Leningrad region, preference should be given to undersized seedlings grafted on a winter-hardy stock. Tall apple trees can be planted using special technologies.

Planting an apple tree

Planting an apple tree is best done in early spring, in late April - early May. A place for seedlings is prepared in the fall, choosing for it a well-lit area of ​​the garden protected from the wind. In spring, it is recommended to purchase seedlings with a closed root system.

1. When planting in the hole, add ash (2 cups) and pour in a bucket of water.
2. The seedling is placed so that the grafting site is 2 cm above the ground, and carefully sprinkled with fertile soil.

Video: planting an apple tree at a high groundwater level

How to care for an apple tree

Caring for an apple tree in the Leningrad region includes the usual steps:

• watering;
• pruning;
• top dressing;
• disease and pest control;
• winter preparation.

A sufficient amount of rain falls in the region, and only in dry summers apple trees need additional watering. Tree pruning and pest and disease control are carried out according to general rules.

Most of the territory is dominated by poor soil, so the trees need regular feeding. The mulching of the trunk circle with organic fertilizers has a positive effect on the growth and development of apple trees. In autumn, it is useful to add ash under the crown (2-3 cups).

Particular attention should be paid to preparing plants for winter. At the end of the season, the following work is carried out:

The vagaries of the weather discourage inexperienced gardeners. In your favorite garden, apple trees are dying, you can’t get a cherry harvest for several years, a healthy plum is an impossible dream. How to grow a garden that would not be afraid of winter and provide the owners with fresh fruits in any weather changes?

Of course, a lot depends on the variety of plants planted in your garden. The work of breeders, in the direction of adapting plants to the climatic conditions of specific regions, made it possible to expand the list of varieties that are resistant to weather disasters, and at the same time promote southern crops to the middle and northern regions of Russia and the CIS countries. The gardens of cold regions have been replenished with new varieties of apple, pear, and plum trees. Apricots and peaches have been transferred outside the warm south. Breeders offer an increasing number of various berry-pickers to northerners.

It is quite understandable that the desire of gardeners in the northern regions to plant as large a list of frost-resistant crops as possible in a limited area, the characteristics of which indicate that they endure frosts of -35 ..-45 ° С. However, in home plantings, such frost-resistant crops do not always meet the expectations of the owners and freeze out at relatively (for them) low frosts of -25 ..-30 ° С. Why is this happening?

Frost resistance and winter hardiness - what's the difference?

Frost resistance is determined by the ability of the variety and species of plants to withstand without damage extreme negative temperatures during the winter period.

winter hardiness garden crops is determined by the resistance of the plant to prolonged low temperatures during the period of rest (“deep sleep”), including:

• to extreme cold snaps in the middle and end of winter (return) frosts,
• to sudden drops in temperature in autumn,
• to a sharp return of frost after the spring thaw.

Truly winter-hardy are only those varieties that are resistant to all temperature cataclysms in the autumn-winter-spring periods in a particular region, while the trees continue to function normally, and with minor frostbite, they quickly recover.

For example, varieties of fruit crops that calmly endure frosts of -35 ..-45 ° C in cold regions, in the south and in the middle lane, with temporary thaws uncharacteristic for Siberia, can be subject to severe frostbite.

Incorrect agricultural technology is one of the reasons for the freezing of fruit crops

It is impossible not to notice that one of the reasons for the freezing of frost-resistant crops is a violation of the requirements for agrotechnical methods of growing crops. It is not enough to purchase frost-resistant varieties. They must be correctly placed in the garden, taking into account all territorial and biological requirements.

• Provide each tree with sufficient spacing in the row and row spacing. Do not thicken plantings, especially crops that require full sunlight.
• Do not plant nearby crops whose proximity will oppress each other's root systems.
• Cultures need to be provided with a supply of moisture in the second half of the summer period. After harvesting, in the absence of rain, carry out pre-winter watering of horticultural crops.
• When fertilizing in the autumn, eliminate or significantly limit nitrogen fertilizers.

The best frost-resistant varieties of popular fruit crops for different regions

Of course, this list of varieties includes the most familiar, with established qualities. But each gardener from catalogs can choose for his garden varieties of crops that he personally likes. The only condition is that the crop variety must be selected according to the sum of indicators of resistance to weather disasters.

See the list of frost-resistant varieties of popular fruit crops for cold regions on the next page.

Fresh air, lush green plants, own organic crops and other delights of country life are appreciated by many people in the corners of our country. But not everyone can dare to create their own garden in such a difficult region as St. Petersburg. The climatic conditions of the North-West of Russia require special knowledge, skills and efforts from gardeners. In order for the seedlings of shrubs and trees to please you with all the colors in the spring, and in the summer with berries and fruits, you will have to try hard.

First of all, those plants that beginner gardeners planted with seedlings grown in the southern regions always suffer in winter. Most often, these plants do not tolerate wintering in the Northwest, and the time, effort, effort and finances spent are wasted. This can completely discourage beginner gardeners from further engaging in such activities, or it can become a factor that will help you understand that the North-Western region is a zone of risky farming, and in order to get the desired result, an important condition is the correct choice of planting material.

Where to buy the best seedlings in St. Petersburg

So where to buy seedlings of fruit trees and shrubs for winter gardens? Not only is it worthwhile to approach the choice of the seller competently, the seedlings should also be selected according to the zoned assortment of fruit and berry crops, using proven varieties that were grown in special nurseries in the immediate region.

Fruit trees and ornamental shrubs Maxiplant

In the plant nursery "Maxiplant", where you can always buy seedlings of fruit trees, flowers for your suburban area in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. Here are selected varieties of berry bushes, fruit trees, flowers and other ornamental plants that will delight you with their flowers and delicious harvest every year.

Nursery seedlings for the Northwest

The difference between "Maxiplant" is the fact that most of the plants are grown specifically for our region using a special system based on the principle of a closed root system, but for plants. For plants that are not very adapted to our harsh and changeable climate, you can pick up the necessary related products, namely land and fertilizers that are suitable for these plants, which will make your garden a real tropical paradise. Every spring, we analyze the purity and quality of seedlings, check the certification of planting material.

We sell the best seedlings

The best breeders from the Central and North-West regions are working to expand the range of plants in our nursery, so here you can always find the plants and seedlings that you need and are already adapted for such specific conditions as the climate of St. Petersburg!

For cultivation in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, the plant nursery "Maxiplant" offers to buy the best seedlings of ornamental, fruit crops, as well as coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs. Our plants will become part of your garden for a long time! Delivery in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region.