how long to bearing for Chinese quince seedling?

[jocelyn]

Anybody know how long it takes for Chinese quince/chenomels sinensis to bear its first crop?
I got seeds in the mail and they are coming up now on the kitchen table.  Tiny little green sprouts, reminders that spring will be here soon.

The fruits they came out of are really yummy, those fragrant deep yellow ones with the brown freckles.
Can hardly wait, grin.

[taihaku]

Hi Jocelyn
I'm assuming you're meaning what is now often known as Psuedocydonia sinensis (the big tree Chinese quince) and not any of the smaller varieties of Chaenomeles. If so awesome choice - an absolutely beautiful tree. I can't tell you how quick it is to fruit as neither mine nor my dad's have flowered yet. What I can tell you is I got one for me and one for him and:
a. they grow pretty fast as small plants (like not willow fast but better than a lot of other fruit); and
b. they are hardy and tough (mine got utterly neglected unfortunately and kind of simply outgrew it's neglect by throwing up a leader and beating out the weeds).

Here they are essentially evergreen albeit the leaves are often red, pink or blushed. This variety is on my list of recommended ornamentals with fruit a bonus.

[jocelyn]

Yes, that sounds like it. I Googled it, and the pictures of the fruit look right. My buddy who sent me the fruits tells me no thorns, so that makes pseudocydonia likely. The fruits are really yummy after a frost.
They will probably not be evergreen here, as my buddy is just south of me and they are deciduous there. This will be fun.
Thanks for the reply:)

[mskrieger]

Ah. So the fruits are big, round and fragrant?
The only Chaenomeles I've seen around here are grown as shrubs for their early season flowers (they're about to flower right now, the only other thing doing that around here is witch hazel.) They fruit prolifically and within 2 or 3 years of transplanting. So maybe age 3 years? This doesn't sound like what you've got, though...the Chaenomeles fruits from these shrubs are definitely quince, but small apple-sized and only subtly fragrant. I mostly cook them and add to apple or pear butter to add depth of flavor. Keep us updated on what yours do!