Plants for the Ribes and stone fruit evaluation were provided by numerous sources. Mis-labeling of plant material can be and has been a problem. In some cases, Carandale Farm ordered the same cultivars from different sources for comparison. In one case, two different plum cultivars turned out to be identical. In another instance, an apricot was ordered and it turned out to be a plum. Plant quality was also a problem.

There are few nurseries that propagate little known fruit crops (such as sea berry, honey berry, goumi, etc.). The few that do are often the source of unusual fruit plants that other retail nurseries provide. Northwood’s Nursery is a major wholesale supplier and the source of most uncommon fruits being evaluated. Their retail outlet (One Green World) and Raintree Nursery also supplied plants. Other retail sources have very limited cultivar and size selections. Carandale preferred to order dormant plants because they have less transplant shock and are less likely to host disease and insect pests (see discussion about Cornelian Cherry).

Plant sources and year of planting are specified in each fruit entry.

Plant sources for Carandale Farm
• Northwoods Nursery (see One Green World), Molalla, Oregon
• One Green World, Molalla, Oregon
• Raintree Nursery, Morton, Washington
• Nourse Farms, South Deerfield, Massachusetts
• Indiana Berry & Plant Company, Plymouth, Indiana
• St. Lawrence Nurseries, Potsdam, New York
• Fedco Seeds, Waterville, Maine
• Hidden Springs Nursery, Cookeville, Tennessee
• Miller Nurseries, Canadaiqua, New York
• Dr. Brian Smith, UW-River Falls, provided plum varieties from his breeding program