Peach and/or cherry and/or grapes for zone 6a?

In addition to veggies and perennials, I'd like to start growing fruit on my property. Does anyone have any recommendations for peach and/or cherry (sour or sweet) and/or grape varieties that would do well in clay soil in zone 6a?

I'll probably be using the fruit mostly for fresh eating, canning/freezing, and preserves.

Also, how fussy are grapevines and peach and cherry trees in terms of disease resistance, pruning, and other maintenance? (I'm perfectly happy to fuss over my plants, but I've never grown fruit trees or vines from babies and I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes.)

Thank you! :)
pam

Peaches are subject to more diseases and pests than grapes and cherries.

Grapevines need to be pruned annually. I don't grow them because my favorite variety, Red Flame, requires a warmer zone.

Most [but not all] varieties of sweet cherries need a 2nd variety as a pollinator. Stella is one that doesn't. I grow it here in Zone 5b in clay soil. One thing about sweet cherries is that the trees can grow HUGELY tall very rapidly - too tall to reach the cherries unless you are constantly pruning it back, or unless you get a cherry grafted to a true dwarfing rootstock. Raintree Nursery has these.

check out the article in the 'home' section of www.demosnews.com, entitled luscious fruits for a short summer season.

You might also check with your extension service for specific varieties or if you are lucky enough to have an arboretum or botanic garden nearby, that is another good place to check. Many states have demonstration gardens.

These comments are from 7a sandy clay soil. Usually ammended with manure, rotted leaves and some chemical fert, nitrogen is very low though I am building the soil up slowly

Peachs/necterines are a real pain, frequent spraying and severe pruning, if the leaves were not medicinal, I'd get rid of mine and I am down to 4 now. The Alberta varities are some of the best here.

Apples should do well for you, my favorite for flavor and disease resistence has been Arkansaw black. Tough plant if a bit slow to bear. hard flesh, good keeper, lovely flavor, sort of a Granny Smith/ Winesap combo.

Pears The old fashioned Kieffer (sp) bears early, I don't spray it unless fireblight shows up, and I usually just prune hard. Lots of sand in it's skin, but peeled it is wonderful for fresh eating if you like a crisp pear, canning and preserves, hard fleshed. There are trees in my mother's woods (6b rocky acid clay and chert type soil) that are still producing that were planted so long ago there is nothing left but the chimneys of the old houses. I'm nearly 50 and they were there long before I was born. Does not keep well, refrigerate and process quickly.

Asian pears, if hardy there, fireblight is a problem but not a bad one, dormant spray enough here, varieties are supposed to be Moonglow and Mutsu, not what I got, but they are good trees.

Raspberries, Cumberland, Kiwigold, Carolia ( probably not a good choice for that far north) have done very well for me, I prefer Kiwigold, flavor is good if mild, birds haven't yet discovered that yellow is ripe, so that problem is solved so far, silly things bore constantly in pots,July to November, till I finally got them planted. Best varitiy for me so far. Carolina good but not as good, produced well in its first year, shouldn't have let it but..... and the fruit is red so birds are a problem as with Cumberland,which is black,. Cumberland is a weed from Hades, but really produces, low care except erradication of excess canes, if it touches the ground you will have many more. Birds usually get 90% or better. Good starter till you build up enough of better varities. Heritage, so-so, OK but not as good as others. Few diseases, I've never seen anyon any of my raspberries, but birds eating your crop is a real problem.

Blackberry, gathered a good one from the wild, both size and flavor, have yet to find a good flavored thornless, but Norse has a couple I might try this Spring.

Blueberries, do wonderfully here in amended clay acid soil, acid is the key point with them and drainage, but not dry, ask around up there as varities vary a great deal on how they do in various places, Earliblue and Climax are the best around here but you are likely to be different.

Grapes, Flame does very well here, while in 6b at my mother's, deep rich limestone soil, Tennessee's bluegrass region, we have good luck with Concord, several muscidines, magnolia is the only varietey I remember, and Delaware. fungus is a severe problem, you will need to spray several times a year though the milder chemicals usually work well. Flame doesn't get sprayed here and still produces but only about 1/2 the crop is fit to eat.

Add a lot of worms to your soil amendments. They'll help break down the clay.

Peach up at my mother's is Belle of Georgia, produces with no care but pruning, though sporadicly, monster tree, must be 20 feet across.

I'm in zone 4-5, but yesterday I read where I'm now zone 6. Anyway, I have a grapevine that produces grapes. The only thing I do is prune it in the spring. I was never shown how to prune, I just started pruning and it worked so that is what I do every spring. I have never fed my grapevine. Just water it every once in a while. It is so easy for me. I ordered two more varieties for this spring. A red seedless called Reliance and a green seedless called Marquis. The Marquis was recommended from Steve at Cummins nursery. I told him I wanted a sweet seedless green grape and he said for my area Marquis is great.

I have a peach tree that I have never done anything to except prune. I also have raspberry bushes that to me are easy to care for. Just plant and water and feed if needed. I have good soil, so I don't remember feeding mine very much. I just work up my soil by adding mulch that breaks down into good soil. (shredded leaves, straw, compost)

I also have Ozark beauty strawberries that I really like. I almost pulled them out last spring because I thought they were bums. I decided to wait until the end of the season to see what they would do and boy am I glad I waited. As the summer went on, they got bigger and better. Towards fall they were the best. Patience is a big key to gardening. DM