Five reason to grow a Che:
1. Prolific production of sweet and delicious
half-inch berries in the fall.
Che berries have a long ripening time, the fruit first appears in late spring, but is not ready to harvest until early fall. Ripe fruit have a sweet flavor which is often compared to that of a fig with notes of watermelon. The fruit is eaten fresh or dried. The berries can also be made into
preserves or fermented into wine.
2. Fast growing and precocious
1st year grafted trees in our nursery, note that many of these young trees already have a few berries.
3. Easily trained into either single trunk tree or multi-stemmed shrub
Our 'Norris' che tree was 1' tall when planted in the fall of 2013! It is now 9' tall and loaded with fruit. Ches will grow to 20' tall and 25' wide after 30 years. Once desired form is established, little annual pruning is necessary.
4. Heat and cold tolerant, not picky about soil conditions
Our che trees have survived a low temperature of -14
° F. The tree is hardy to USDA zone 5b, and can ripen in a long summer. The fruit easily ripens in zones 6-9. The only two site requirements are at least 5 hours of sun and well-drained soil. The better the quality of the soil, the better the growth. Amend soil with compost as needed.
5. Pest and disease free
Che's
are not afflicted by any of the fungal diseases which are the bane of many ornamental and fruit bearing trees in humid climates. The lustrous dark green foliage remains immaculate throughout the growing season. The pest population is also on the decline by the time the fruit ripens.
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