I know that Pomegrantes grow well in places like  TX, parts of 
Arizona, California, and I've even heard of them in Albuquerque, NM.

But are they suited for Santa Fe, NM where the altitude is between 7000
and 7500 ft above sea level, and we have a pretty short growing season?
Are there any particular varieties that are more suited to cooler/higher
environments?

Hello lipsodog,

From the information that I have found regarding your climate, and the
preferences of the Pomegranate tree, it would seem that although the
tree is very hardy and would probably have no difficulty growing,
even thriving, in your area, you would more than likely find that your
trees would carry a crop to full ripeness only in particularily good years
in terms of temperature. As a generality, the tree's length of winter
dormancy is correlated with temperatures below 16ºC - As you will see
from the temperature chart below, this could lead to the trees performing
particularily badly during some seasons - average low temperatures not
exceeding 14 degrees. On the other hand, a particularily good season 
may well provide a sufficiently long growth period in which to set fruit.
Possibly a good choice of variety to try would be 'Granada' (see below), as
although it requires heat, it does bear fruit early in the season, around
August rather than September/October for other varieties. Also, below,
I have identified several other 'early' varieties which may be worth a trial.


I have located a number of seed suppliers in NM at the following URL:
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/homegard/catalog.htm

Statistics concerning the climate in the Santa FE, NM region:
============================================================

       Average Highs Average Lows 

Jan    40°F 4°C      19°F -7°C 
Feb    44°F 7°C      22°F -6°C 
Mar    51°F 11°C     28°F -2°C 
Apr    60°F 16°C     35°F 2°C 
May    69°F 21°C     43°F 6°C 
Jun    79°F 26°C     52°F 11°C 
July   91°F 32°C     57°F 14°C 
Aug    91°F 32°C     56°F 13°C 
Sept   74°F 23°C     49°F 9°C 
Oct    63°F 17°C     38°F 3°C 
Nov    50°F 10°C     27°F -8°C 
Dec    41°F 5°C      20°F -7°C 

Average annual rainfall: 14 inches 36 centimeters

Sunny days per year: 300+

Source:
http://goamericanwest.com/newmexico/santafe/sfclimate.shtml


"...dry climate...lots of sunshine and hot, dry summers..."

Source:
http://www.epa.gov/region6/states/nm.htm




Information concerning the Pomegranate:
======================================

"...The tree is long-lasting and can produce many fruits,
bearing white and red flowers. It takes about a year after
first planting to bear any fruit."

Source:
E. Waldo Ward & Son
Pomegranate Varieties
http://www.waldoward.com/pom.htm

"...The tree is very long lived. It is sensitive to frost in fall
and spring and does not mature well in cool climates. The tree
tolerates wet, heavy soils but performs better in deep, well-drained
loams. Fruits cracks with first fall rains."

Source:
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) 
http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/Pomegranate.shtml

"...[pomegranates bear] their ripened fruit in September and October..."

"...pomegranates prefer a semi-arid climate with cool winters
and hot summers..."

"Pomegranates are very tolerant of most growing conditions, except
for wet soils, Pyzner notes, explaining that the best growing conditions
are sunny locations with a well-drained moist heavy loam soil. Plants
can grow in partial shade, sand or clay soils, drought conditions and a
broad soil pH [acidity/alkalinity] range."

Source:
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/news/September2001/NewsUse/11nws090401.htm


"FAMILY: Punicaceae. The genus Punica only has two species:
P. granatum L. and P. Nana L., the former mainly cultivated for its
fruit and occasionally as an ornamental tree, and the latter only
ornamentally as its fruits are inedible."

"[The pomegranate] is tolerant of drought, salt, ferric chlorosis and
active calcium carbonate. Indeed, in SE Spain it is capable of adapting
to the worst cultivation conditions alongside fig, prickly pear and date
palm. It is traditionally cultivated in salt marsh areas in a subtropical
Mediterranean climate and frequently irrigated with water with an electrical
conductivity of more than 4 dS/m. Its degree of salt tolerance is only
exceeded by the date palm, Zizyphus vulgari and prickly pear, and is equal
to that of fig. Although pomegranate is capable of growing in a great
variety of climates ranging from the tropical to temperate, in the latter
it does not mature as it should and is better suited as an ornamental,
rather than as a fruit producer. In tropical, humid climates the fruit are
of lower quality than those obtained in subtropical conditions, where high
summer temperatures coincide with the last stages of fruit ripening.
The most suitable areas for growing pomegranate are inland, where the
summers are warm and dry and where the fruit assume their best colour and
taste. Coastal areas and mild summers are limiting areas for commercial
production and in such conditions the trees are usually only used for
ornamental purposes. It can be grown in areas where the winter temperatures
drop to –15ºC and certain acidic and central Asian cultivars can even survive
temperatures of –25ºC or –30ºC. The plant´s needs during winter are small,
and the length of winter dormancy is correlated with temperatures below 16ºC.
The fruits tend to split if rain falls during the harvesting period."

"There are a great number of cultivated varieties which are occasionally
grouped under the same name despite the disparate nature of their
characteristics. The most important varietal group is that denominated Mollar,
which provides fruit of the highest quality. The following group in commercial
importance is Valencianas, which although providing fruit of a lower quality
than Mollar, matures earlier. Many other groups are cultivated on a local
basis. Pomegranate varieties can be classified into sweet, sour-sweet and sour.
The sweet varieties, which are of the greatest commercial interest, constitute
a homogeneous group and can be classified according to their harvesting time
into early, mid and late. The sweet varieties are characterised by their low
acidity and their soluble solid content is slightly higher than that of the
sweet-sour and sour varieties. Their organic acid content is much lower, with
malic acid sometimes being more predominant than citric acid in some varieties,
while the opposite is the case in others. In the sweet-sour and sour varieties,
on the other hand, citric acid is always the dominant acid. The maturity index
at harvesting is normally in the 40-100 range in the sweet varieties, between
15 and 30 in the sweet-sour varieties and between 5 and 10 in the sour varieties.
Among the sweet varieties, one can point to Mollar, Valencianas, Casta del Reino,
Piñón Tierno, and Albar."

"In normal temperatures the fruits normally ripen 5 to 7 months after flowering,
depending on the variety. The best quality fruits are obtained in those areas
where the period of development and maturation coincide with high summer
temperatures. The fruit is non-climacteric and should be picked after it has
reached maturity."

Source:
POMEGRANATE TREE: DESCRIPTION AND USE
http://www.unifi.it/project/ueresgen29/ds2.htm




Varieties of Pomegranate
========================


Mollar
''''''

Valencianas
'''''''''''

Casta del Reino
'''''''''''''''

Piñón Tierno
''''''''''''

Albar
'''''

Wonderful
'''''''''
"This is the most widely planted commercial variety in California.
It has a glossy appearance and is large with a deep red or purple
color. Was discovered about 1896 in Porterville, CA in a quantity
of pomegranate cuttings received from Florida. The fruit matures
in late Spetember and October."
"Large, deep red fruit. Large, juicy, red kernels. Small seeds.
Matures late. Juice is made into grenadine syrup."

Granada
'''''''
"This is a patented, early maturing variety widely grown in Turle
County, California. Introduced in 1966. It matures about mid-August,
is smaller than Wonderful, but commands a premium price on the market."
"Deep crimson fruit color. Matures early, but needs heat."

Ruby Red
''''''''
"Very limited commercial importance. About the same size as Wonderful.
Does not store as well as Wonderful."
"Matures late (with 'Wonderful') but not as sweet or colorful as
'Wonderful'. All fruit matures at once."

Foothill Early
''''''''''''''
"A recent patented introduction planted in central California. The fruit
is similar to Wonderful but matures 1 to 2 weeks earlier."

Spanish Sweet (or Papershell)
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
"No longer commercially grown but is used mostly as a dooryard tree. The
fruit is large and pale pink with a sweet flavor."

Sweet
'''''
"Lighter in color than Wonderful but much sweeter than other varieties.
Excellent in fruit punch. Trees are highly ornamental."

Utah Sweet 
''''''''''
"very sweet, good quality fruit. Pink skin and pulp with seeds that
are much softer than those of Wonderful."

Fleshman
''''''''
"Originated in Fallbrook, California. Large roundish fruit, pink outside
and inside. Very sweet flavor, seeds relatively soft and the quality
is very good."

Early Wonderful
'''''''''''''''
"Large, deep-red, thin-skinned delicious fruit. Ripens about 2 weeks
ahead of Wonderful. Very productive trees"

Ambrosia
''''''''
"Huge fruit, pale pink skin, similar to Wonderful"

Eversweet
'''''''''
"Very sweet almost seedless fruit. Red skin, clear juice. Good for
coastal areas."


Sources:
PDF document
http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/plant_pomegranate.pdf
E. Waldo Ward & Son
Pomegranate Varieties
http://www.waldoward.com/pom.htm


Search Strategy:
Searchterms used:

st farming in santa fe mn
st pomegranate varieties
fruit tree supplier NM


I hope this information helps.
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
request further answer clarification before rating.

Best regards

gan

---

Clarification of Answer by gan-ga on 06 Nov 2002 16:43 PST

Hello lipsodog,

Glad the information I could come up with was helpful.

Thanks for the tip - very much appreciated.

Good luck!

gan

Excellent!  You provide a nice summary and then a lot of detail links
that I can chew on.  If I can get a plant that produces fruit
occasionally,
then I may not be discouraged -- ornamental plus a 'bonus' of fruit
every
now and then might work just fine.... Seems like the popular
"wonderful" variety may not work well here -- which is exactly what I
was wondering,
but I can look into the various others.  Thanks again.

Researcher gan-ga is absolutely correct that you might get a
pomegranate to grow in a Santa Fe garden, but it is unlikely to set
fruit.

The most useful rule-of-thumb that gardeners use in selecting plants
suitable to their areas is a climatic zone map.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones  
http://www.growit.com/ZONES/

http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/climate/nm.html
" Temperature - USDA Zone 5b-6a (Santa Fe largely 6a, temps ranging at
furthest extremes from -10&degF to +100&degF, mostly clustering around
+20-80. "

As we see,  Santa Fe is in the range of  USDA Zone 5b-6a  -- while
pomegranates are generally rated at Zone 7 and up (warmer, kinder
climates)
That said,  do bear in mind that zones are not absolute, rather should
be taken as guidelines. If you have a garden, you know that there are
sheltered places where the sun hits most of the day and those
"micro-climates" can be considerably less harsh than the rest of the
general area.  Also, wrapping shrubs with burlap can cut wind and make
quite a difference to winter survival.

http://www.greenbeam.com/features/plant041299.stm
[scroll down past flower pictures to text]
"Pomegranates grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 7-10 but bear heavy crops
of fruit only in hot, dry areas. They do best in at least four hours
of direct sunlight a day, night temperatures of 55F-60F and day
temperatures of 68F-72F."

http://www.eat-it.com/CareGuides/pomegran.htm
"Usually plants flower in zone 7 but will mature their fruit in zone
8."

Here's the Good News:
You can grow pomegranates successfully in containers!   

The http://www.eat-it.com/CareGuides/pomegran.htm site mentioned above
says:
"Plants will fruit in pots especially the dwarf varieties. I have seen
beautiful specimens at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. These
are grown outside in summer and over-wintered in the greenhouse. "

Hardy Pomegranates:
http://www.tytyga.com/minorfruits/pomegranate.html

Eversweet Pomegranate 
http://www.raintreenursery.com/101_specials_Detail.cfm?CategoryCode=New%20Items&startrow=1
[about 1/3 of the way down the page]
   ... "Eversweet" ripens early (more than a month before
   "Wonderful"), which allows more gardeners to enjoy the
   novel fruit. If you live in a cooler climate, "Eversweet" can
   be grown in a pot and brought inside in the fall to ripen.
   Overwinter the pot in a protected area. Even if frozen to
   the ground, "Eversweet" will re-sprout from the roots like a
   fig. Requires only 150 chilling hours and prefers
   well-drained soil. "