Plums are divided into seven types, which in turn are made up of many different varieties. The plums, mirabelle plums and Renekloden, some of which are very old and have been grown for generations, are particularly popular in Germany.
plums
Plums are oval in shape and blue-purple in color. With this type of plum, the house plum, a very old variety, is particularly popular and can therefore be found in many home gardens. The house plum ripens quite late, so that harvesting cannot begin until mid-September. It is one of the self-pollinators whose flowers pollinate each other, so a second tree nearby is not required. Still leaves
The fruits of the Bühler early plum ripen a little earlier than the house plum. Harvesting can begin as early as mid-August. The Bühler early plum is quite resistant to the Scharka disease, which affects many plum and plum trees and is often responsible for large crop failures. This is a virus that is often brought into the trees by aphids. When infected with this virus, the fruits fall from the tree before they are ripe.
Mirabelle plums
Mirabelle plums are spherical, yellow and particularly cute. In order to grow this type of plum in your own garden, a protected place is essential for the tree because the flower forms quite early in the year and is endangered by late frost in Germany. A house wall or a wall can then possibly offer the necessary protection. Mirabelle plums thrive best in areas where the climate is rather mild, which is why they are mainly grown commercially on the Middle Rhine and in the Palatinate.
Mirabelle trees usually do not get very big because they are grafted on a slowly growing base. Often they reach a height of only two to three meters, so that the fruits can be easily harvested, but some varieties can reach heights of five to six meters.
A popular variety of mirabelle plums is Nancy's mirabelle plum, the fruits of which are often slightly red in color on the side where the sun shines on them. They can be eaten fresh, but can also be used for cakes, jams and schnapps. They can also be boiled down as a reserve for the winter. Nancy's mirabelle plum blooms in early April, so it can be harvested from mid-August. This variety is usually self-pollinating, so a second tree is not needed for pollination.
Renekloden
the Renekloden belong to the noble plums and form slightly greenish fruits. An old variety of this genus is the Große Grüne Reneklode, which used to be found in many German gardens because it is particularly easy to preserve and is just as suitable for jam. In addition, this variety is considered by many to be the tastiest of all Renekloden. The fruits ripen in the period from mid-August to mid-September and are a bit faded or speckled on the sunny side. The Große Grüne Reneklode needs a second tree as a pollinator, for example the Mirabelle from Nancy or the Bühler early plum are suitable.