ISHS Acta Horticulturae 10: Symposium of Working Group on Plum Genetics and Plum Breeding
PLUM GROWING IN SWEDEN |
| Author: | N. FREDRIK |
| Abstract:
As early as in the Middle Ages some plum trees were grown in Sweden. The monks probably introduced them into their monastery gardens, from where they were spread over the country. Many of the varieties from Central and Southern Europe were not winterhardy enough for the Scandinavian climate, but a few survived and were planted on a large scale. Local varieties were raised from chance seedlings and we still find some local plum varieties although their importance is very small nowadays. At some places we find wild growing types of Prunus insititia besides the wild species of Prunus spinosa. Hybrids of these species are also described. Commercial plum growing is restricted to the southern-most landscapes, but in private gardens plum trees are found up to the 62nd degree north latitude. In fact there are more plum trees in small gardens than in commercial orchards. Altogether we count about 1 mill. plum trees in Sweden, out of which no more than ¼ belong to the commercial orchards. These are mainly found in the province of Skane (55°–56°30'). Another important plum growing district is located to the surroundings of the metropolis Stockholm. Very often plum growing is combined with other kinds of fruits, mainly apples. You very seldom find a pure plum orchard, but in the surroundings of Stockholm there are small units of plum trees on many farms. The total annual plum crop is estimated to about 15 mill. kilogrammes. The plum trees are raised in nurseries and several different rootstocks are used, mainly S:t Julien and Myrobalan. S:t Julien is the most winterhardy and can be used in Central Sweden, while Myrobalan is limited to Skane, where the winters are milder. The trees are commonly planted two years after | |
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