fresh blueberry muffins with a sparkling glass of pomegranate juice.....
figs wrapped in pancetta on the grill and a cool glass of muscadine wine....
warm pecan pie with a cold mug of persimmon beer....
hot, crunchy apple crisp and a tall glass of lemonade....
pear tart....blackberry cobbler....peach pie....apricot bread....
Now imagine that it all came from your home orchard!!!
Charlie Graham, Associate Professor with the LSU AgCenter, spoke to our Master Gardener class about fruit and nut production. Here are some of my notes:
1. Most fruit trees like a soil pH of around 6.3. Blueberries like very acid soil with a pH between 4.9 and 5.3.
2. Fruit crops perform best in full sun.
3. Good drainage is a must.
4. Most fruit plants have a chilling requirement. This is the number of hours when the temperature is between 32 degrees and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. You must know the average chilling hours for your area and the crop you plan on growing. (see website at bottom of post)
5. Consider pollination! Some fruit crops are self-fruitful. This means you can plant just one of them. Examples include figs, peaches, blackberries, strawberries, bunch grapes, persimmon, pomegranate, and citrus. But some fruit require pollination from another plant, so you must have two or more varieties. Examples include blueberries, apples, pecans, female muscadine grapes, plums, black walnut, and pears.
6. Don't buy fruit trees from Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot. Many trees are incorrectly labeled and aren't the best variety for our location. Buy from local nurseries or order from reputable catalogs. (When ordering from catalogs, be specific about the size of the tree you want. Also order early in the fall before they run out of the popular varieties.)
7. Lemons and limes are the most cold sensitive citrus fruits. Satsumas and kumquats are the least cold sensitive. Here in north Louisiana, all citrus must be grown in pots that can be taken inside during hard freezes. **As a rule of thumb, an unheated garage is about five degrees warmer than outside.
8. Blackberries make a great hedge.
9. How long until the first harvest?? apples..................... 3-5 years
fig...........................2 years
blackberries............1-2 years
blueberries..............2 years
muscadine grapes....2 years
pear..........................5 years
peach.......................3 years
pecan.......................5-6 years
persimmon...............3 years
pomegranate.............3 years
black walnut.............8 years
10. When buying apple trees, make sure they have been grafted onto root stock that is fire blight resistant such as Geneva 16, M.4, Bud.490, or MM11.
For everything you could ever want to know about the home orchard go to
Happy Growing,
Shelli
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