Fruits
Strawberry
Fragaria cv. Growing your own Strawberries means that you can have the makings for a tasty treat, especially with short cake and ice cream, on a hot summer evening. • More detailed information can be found in The Georgia Fruit...
Peach
Prunus persicaPeach trees are challenging to grow in the Southeast, even though Georgia is known as the Peach State and the Carolina’s produce huge numbers of the fruits each year. They are susceptible to several damaging disease and insect pests....
Plum
Prunus cv. Plums can be grown throughout the Southeast and are an excellent addition to the backyard grower’s orchard. The three major classifications of Plums are European, Oriental and Native American. • More detailed information can be found in The...
Raspberry
Rubus cv. Fresh Raspberries are nearly impossible to find in grocery stores because they deteriorate quickly after picking and do not ship well. Growing a few in your backyard is the best way to enjoy these delicious fruits. • More...
Banana
Musa spp. Even though it is considered a tropical plant, you too can grow a Banana tree. Harvesting fruit, though, is possible only in coastal areas. The trunk is not a true stem but only a cluster of leaf stalk...
Kiwifruit
Actinidia spp.What a difference a name makes! Chinese Gooseberry is not a fruit name that invites tasting but when American importers renamed it “Kiwifruit”in the 1960′s the brown, fuzzy fruit gradually became known in grocery stores across the South. •...
Mulberry
Morus albaMulberries are large, fast-growing trees that are good fruit producers for humans and wildlife. The fruit resembles a slender Blackberry and wild Mulberries have a mild (some would say insipid) flavor. • Much more information can be found in...
Mayhaw
Crataegus spp. Mayhaws are closely related to Apple and Pear and have been used as dwarfing rootstocks for both. Mayhaw is native to the swamps and lowlands of the Southeast. • Much more information can be found in The Georgia...
Muscadine – Sources
Possums, yellow jackets and adolescents are aficionados of a true Southern delicacy: muscadine grapes! The juicy fruits are available in grocery stores but they are best enjoyed picked right off the vine on a hot autumn afternoon. The muscadine grape...
Blackberry
Rubus cv. Blackberries and raspberries are very similar. They are both brambles that grow on biennial canes emanating from perennial roots. The canes grow vigorously the first year, fruit the second year and then die. • More detailed information can...
Grape, Bunch
Vitis cv. American and French hybrid bunch Grapes can be grown in most areas of the Southeast as long as varieties adapted to your area are chosen. They can be grown in the garden as ornamentals or just for the...
Pawpaw
Asimina trilobaThe Pawpaw is a native American fruit found in Zones 6a to 8a. It grows as a small tree with a short trunk and spreading branches, forming a rounded crown. • More detailed information can be found in The...
Meyer Lemon – History
Meyers Lemon By Sophia Markoulakis, San Francisco Chronicle Saturday, March 12, 2005 Growing up, I never knew the difference between a sweet Meyer lemon and an acidic Lisbon. Or a Eureka lemon. All I knew was that on weekends, I...
Easy Apples
One of my favorite fall memories is hiding in the top of a big apple tree on my family’s farm and eating all I could pick. Up there I could spy on my brothers and avoid my father’s list of...
Fig
Ficus carica Figs suffer from winter damage in some parts of the Southeast but their soft, luscious fruit is prized for preserves and fresh eating. With protection, Figs can be grown as far north as Zone 7a. Zones 8a and...
Raspberry – Growing
I hate to brag …. but I did something last spring that has given me more pleasure this summer than just about anything else in my garden. I decided back then to grow raspberries … and to do it right....
Pruning Fruits and Fruit Trees
I really like the concept of synthesis – - bringing several things together to make a product that’s more useful than its parts. Stephen Pettis, Extension Service agent in Gwinnett County, has done a good job. He synthesized the fruit...
Fruits – Freeze Protection
When cold temepratures are predicted after a week of warm winter weather, peach and blueberry owners begin to worry about how to protect their fruit flowers and buds. Principles of Freeze Protection for Fruit Crops gives lots of advice…but it...
