For Rusty Smith, growing pears has been a lifelong endeavor -- 60 years and counting. The 82-year-old tree fruit grower is a legend in Ontario. Part of his legacy will be the Happi pear (HW624).
In spring 2024, he planted three acres of the HW624 pear at Blenheim, Ontario’s Manitree Fruit Farms. This was the fifth year of planting the new cultivar which matures 10 days later than a Bartlett, but with the familiar red-blushed skin.
“I first heard about this pear through Gene Penner at the Canadian Fruit Tree Nursery and Matt Ecker, vice-president of sales at Vineland Growers’ Cooperative,” recalls Smith. “We have some open ground to plant new pears, but the first question was whether there is a market for them. There’s no point in growing them without a market.”
With assurances from Vineland Growers’ Cooperative, Smith proceeded with planting in rows 12 feet apart and five feet between trees on wire support so that lateral limbs can grow at the proper angle. The clay loam soil has proven to grow pears well.
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