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I'm in south-central Pennsylvania and I've heard of hardy varieties of pomegranates that will grow in zone 6b/7a. What are some of the hardiest varieties that folks have successfully grown and fruited in a similar climate?

J. Musser
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Tim Clymer
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2 Answers2

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Let me first state, I do not have any varieties I can recommend for your particular requirements. Sorry.

But please allow me to try and point you in a (local) direction where I believe you can acquire the exact information you're after:

Also "Penn State Cooperative Extension" (via their web site) say they are very active on:

Therefore if you use either of those services you might try reaching out to them via one of them.

You may also want to read, "Pomegranate - A Backyard Favorite" from Agricultural Research magazine (Last Modified: 02/18/2005) as it contains some contact information you might be able to use.

Sorry I couldn't have been more helpful (given you a variety or two to look into), but I do hope the above does prove at least somewhat useful in enabling you to get the information you require.

Addition:

Ok! so I asked Penn State Cooperative Extension "@agsciences" on twitter, "Are there any pomegranate varieties you can recommend for the state of PA (Hardiness Zone 6b-7a)?"

@agsciences reply: Horticultural expert says, PA winters are too cold for pomegranate. GA and south if you wish to see success. More info: Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

My follow up question to the above reply, "I'm guessing if you grew in (large) pots & brought in for the winter you might be lucky, have some success?"

@agsciences reply: *might* sounds right. Pomegranate can grow to 18ft (5.5m). Even with root trimming fruit production could be low. Let us know! if you try this and what kind of success or not you achieve.

Mike Perry
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    Upvote for the wealth of links and information. However I can't accept the answer as it didn't list cultivars. Thanks for putting the time into gathering the information, though. – Tim Clymer Jul 21 '11 at 02:09
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According to this blog post, Salavatski is one of the most cold-hardy. I've visited the "Trees of Joy" nursery and have seen the pomegranate growing. The owner stated that the lowest temp had been -8f. The tree is located against a wall so I'm sure that helps protect it somewhat in the winter.

A list of cold-hardy varieties that I found through web searches are:

  • Salavatski
  • Kazakhe (also referred to as Kazake)
  • Entekhabi Saveh (reported the most cold-hardy)

Reference: Zone 6 pomegranates post

Tim Clymer
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