Given care, pear trees may grow in Maine > Jerusalem artichokes yield lovely flowers, edible tubers

Dear Readers: Once a month I answer some of the questions I have received from gardeners around the state. In this column I answer a couple of those received in October and November.

Q: Recently I read an article about growing pears. Is it really possible to grow them in New England? P.L., Lincolnville

A: Indeed, it is possible. Pears, though not as common as apples in the Maine landscape, may be prolific if chosen and grown properly. If you’d like to try your hand at growing pear trees, here are a few pointers. Be sure to select varieties that are well adapted to your soil and microclimate. Some cultivars that do well in parts of Maine include Harrow Delight, Moonglow, Flomish Beauty, Clapps Favorite and Harvest Queen. When selecting a pear tree, buy the best nursery stock available. Purchase from a local nursery rather than a nonlocal mail-order catalog if possible; this way you’ll see the material firsthand. In addition, you’ll have a local reference if you have questions about your tree’s health in the future.

Buy 1- or 2-year-old stock. Older stock is tempting because we think it will bear sooner, but experienced gardners have found that younger trees are more adaptable, easier to transplant, and more vigorous than oversized trees. Additionally, since younger trees have been handled less by the nursery people, they are usually less expensive.

Plant the bare-root or potted pear trees from late April to mid-May. When planting, the trees should be dormant (leafless) and the planting ground should be thawed with a high moisture content. Dig the planting hole as deep and wide as the root mass. Prune only broken or damaged roots. If the tree is potted, be sure not to cover the trunk of the tree any deeper than the original soil level. If it is bare-root stock, make sure the bulb-shaped scar (the site of the graft between the upper portion of the tree — the scion — and the rootstock) is just above the soil level. Spread out the bare roots, extending them to the outer edges of the hole as you fill it in.

Mulch your new trees with straw, pine needles, stone or shredded leaf litter. No fertilizer is needed at planting time. This will give you time to contact your local Cooperative Extension office to obtain information on soil testing. Yearly soil test results will tell you exactly what nutrients to add, and when.

Q: A few years ago I bought a Jerusalem artichoke plant because I just loved the yellow flowers. Now, the plant has grown so well it’s all over my garden. I rip plants out here and there, but want to keep a few thick clumps. Someone told me that the roots are edible. Is this true? How and when do you harvest them? M.T., Bangor.

A: It’s a shame these plants aren’t a little more fussy — perhaps then they wouldn’t be so successful in the garden! If you leave them alone they thrive — even in the poorest soils they never need fertilizing and rarely need to be watered. They only seem to laugh at encroaching weeds. But their beautiful and proflific yellow flowers make us forgive them for their shortcomings.

To harvest the starchy vegetable, dig the tubers in autumn after the top growth has died. Store the misshapen roots in plastic bags in the refrigerator. If the taste of Jerusalem artichokes really tangles your tastebuds, maybe you’ll want to save some for harvest throughout the fall and into the winter. To do so, heavily mulch the ground to keep it (and the tubers) from freezing. As you harvest, replace the soil and the mulch to protect those still in the ground.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, 1243 State St., #2, Veazie 04401. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.