Food Gardening
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...
Figs – Identifying
Identifying flowers is easy compared to identifying figs. There are hundreds of varieties grown around the world. Some are only capable of being grown in a certain part of the world. Ray Givan is a Georgia fig expert who has...
Cherry
Prunus avium (Sweet Cherry); Prunus cerasus (Pie Cherry) Sweet Cherry is very difficult to grow in the Southeast. High summer humidity and temperature fluctuations in winter prevent fruiting in most years. • Much more information can be found in The...
Quince
Cydonia oblongaSeveral types of Quinces are grown in the South. Before there were super-sour candies, schoolchildren dared each other to eat a slice of quince fruit. The Common Quince discussed here (Cydonia oblonga) forms a small tree. • More detailed...
Persimmon
Diospyros spp.Persimmons can be grown throughout the Southeast. Opossums and humans enjoy the fruit each October. Fruit of the native Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) is about the size of a plum. Oriental Persimmons (Diospyros kaki) are larger and have less astringency...
Pomegranate
Punica granatum Pomegranates grow as dense, bushy shrubs 6 to 12 feet tall with thorny, slender branches. Where winters are mild they may be trained into small, multi-trunked trees. • More detailed information can be found in The Georgia Fruit...
Muscadine Grape
Vitis rotundifolia Muscadines are truly a fruit that puts the South in your mouth. They were discovered here by the early settlers and have been a favorite fruit of Southerners since. • More detailed information can be found in The...
Fruit – Pollination Requirements
In order for a plant to produce fruit, the flowers must be pollinated. In general, insects and wind will take care of the mechanics of this for you. However, you must have flowers that provide the pollen in order for...
Muskmelon
Cucumis melo var. reticulates Muskmelons are vine crops, closely related to cucumbers, squashes, and pumpkins. These hot-weather plants with sweet, juicy fruit are commonly called cantaloupes, especially the small, smooth, and round ones shipped from the South and available in...
Pear
Pyrus cv. Pears would be as plentiful as Apples were it not for the bacterial disease called fire blight. Most European and Oriental Pears are extremely susceptible to the disease and commercial production is limited to areas remote from any...
