Johnson Plum (Starking Delicious)

The Johnson plum was a seedling grown by Ruth Johnson near Oklahoma City in 1931 and introduced by Stark Brothers Nursery in 1951 and patented under the name Starking Delicious Plum. It has red skin that’s slightly tart and a sweet, deep red flesh. The tree shows good disease resistance here in southwest Iowa and the Japanese Beetles mostly leave it alone. It also shows good cold hardiness. The original patent describes the plum as being resistant to bacterial leaf spot and canker.

The growth on this variety can be a bit “twiggy” so it requires thoughtful pruning. 

All-in-all it’s a delicious, care-free plum. It’s one of the few red fleshed plums that do well here in Iowa. Ripens in early to mid-August.