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Pears come in two distinct sorts: so-called "European" pears, the familiar sort, and "Asian" pears; the latter are more of a crunchy texture, much like apples. Individual tastes vary, but here we will consider only European pears.
(The European pear's viability in North America was drastically threatened by fireblight; only the discovery that Asian pear are fire-blight resistant and could be crossed with the European pear saved the classic fruit for us.)
With pears as with apples: because they are grown commercially throughout our region, resistance to diseases and pests--especially, for pears, fireblight--is critical to success. While there are over five thousand pear varieties, only a few cultivars possess both substantial blight resistance and good eating quality. (Fireblight-resistant pear types are sometimes referred to as "Oriental Hybrids".) You can examine this list of fireblight-resistant pears to see if a type we don't mention is on it. Keep in mind that cultivars once considered "fireblight-resistant", such as Seckel, are rapidly becoming less so, so don't rely on older information about blight resistance of types.
Another consideration is cross-pollination: you cannot select cultivars without paying close attention to which pollinates what; Seckel, for example, is notoriously difficult to match up, while Magness pollinates easily but will not pollinate other types. Check the nurseries' charts.
As always with fruiting plants in this climate, hardiness also enters into the equation. Unlike annual vegetables, trees are something we put in for the decades, if not the generations; a tree that can survive nine out of ten of our winters is useless, because we never know which winter will be the one it cannot survive, and when it comes, as it surely will, there we are, back to Square One (and fruit trees typically take a few years to come into full bearing, too.) We need trees hardy to at least Zone 4, and to Zone 3 if we can find them in the type, because even though we are a warm Zone 5 (or a cool Zone 6), those Zone figures are averages.
Another factor with fruit is keeping ability. Pears, even the best keepers, are not like apples, some of which can keep--if well-stored--for over half a year; pears are typically good for, at very best, a few months, and more commonly only weeks. Pears divide (yes, yet another division) into "fall" and "winter" types (and occasionally a "summer" type); the late-ripening sorts, say those that come in after middle to late September, are "winter pears" and will keep much longer in proper storage than other sorts. But where there is, as for us, a non-trivial risk of freeze damage after mid-September, winter pears, despite the attractiveness of long keeping, are not a good choice.
With pears, another tricky difficulty is the way they ripen: from the inside out, unlike most fruit. The consequence of that is that a pear that reaches apparent ripeness while on the tree is almost certainly already well over-ripe at the core, producing an edible but most unappetizing-looking brown core. The standard approach is to pick pears under-ripe, keep them till needed, then quick-ripen them (which still takes a day or three) prior to use. Some cultivars are a little more forgiving than others about exactly when they are picked, which can be handy.
We eventually settled, after much review of the literature, for these two types:
Ubileen: a relatively new (in North America) type
from Bulgaria, Ubileen is a very early and prolific producer of large excellent-quality yellow (with a red blush) pears, "fine-textured, buttery, sweet, juicy, subacid, and aromatic",
which, however, have little keeping ability (circa 5 days at room temperature, somewhat longer in refrigeration--they are for fresh eating); it normally ripens around July
25th.The idea is analogous to our apples scheme: the early, short-keeping for a first rush of fruit, then the later, more keepable sort (in a relative sense) for storage.
Some other blight-resistant pear types worth consideration include Warren, Blake's Pride, and the "Harrow" series (Harrow Delight, Harrow Sweet, and some others).
As with other tree fruit, one's choice of rootstock is important, especially where--as here--it can get pretty cold in the winter (it usually doesn't, but, as noted above, fruit trees are a long-term investment and it only takes once). Most dwarfing rootstocks grafted to pears in colder regions carry an "OH X F" ("Old Home X Farmingdale") designation followed by a number. The type OH x F 333, a semi-dwarf rootstock, is quite hardy; mature trees on it will vary in size depending on site, scion variety, and cultural practices, but will typically be in the 12- to 15-foot range.
Some sources suggest mulching dwarfing rootstocks to a level above the graft union in winter for protection from severe cold. If you choose to mulch, wait until the ground freezes to apply the mulch, and be sure to pull the mulch away from the trunk again in early spring.
The cultivation of pears is very similar to that of apples (see which). There are also some useful links in the list farther below.
Those really interested in pears should take a look at The Great Book of Pears by Barbara Flores.
Besides any links presented above on this page, the following ought to be especially helpful:
Apples and Pears in Minnesota Home Gardens - includes a list of some especially cold-hardy pear cultivars, a few of which are "moderately" fireblight-resistant
Alphabetic List of Pears with Fireblight Resistance - invaluable resource
Heirloom Pears - some with fireblight resistance
(And don't forget that we have listings of nurseries on our suppliers page.)
Yes, yet another member of the delightful, fruit-rich Rosaceae family, pears come in about 30 species, of which only three are useful for edible fruit: Pyrus communis, the European Pear, cultivated mainly in Europe and North America; P. xbretschneideri, the Chinese white pear (bai li); and P. pyrifolia, the Nashi Pear, more commonly known as the Asian Pear or Apple Pear, the last two being grown mainly in eastern Asia. There are thousands of cultivars of these three species. Like apples, pears are "pomes", a term that refers to their seed pattern.
Pears have been an important fruit for at least seven thousand years. It is recorded that around 5000 B.C. a Chinese diplomat named Feng Li gave up his career to become an orchardist, growing pears (as well as other fruits). Homer, in the Odyssey, reckoned pears "a gift of the gods." The ancient Romans, always diligent agriculturists, left many careful records of pear growing and grafting techniques. During the Renaissance, pears were famously standard parts of classic still-life paintings. By the seventeenth century in Europe, what we may call "Modern" pear cukltivation was well under way. And, of course, the first day's Christmas gift was a partridge in a pear tree.
Though not so well known as hard apple cider, there is a hard pear cider, commonly called "perry", which is commonest in the U.K. and some northern European nations. There is even a distilled form of perry analogous to applejack. And certain pear cultivars are known as "perry types" (and are not usually good for plain eating).
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