Basic ideas for zone 8a, MS

[BethP]

HI,

As the title suggests I live in zone 8a. We get about 600 chilling hours every winter sometimes as many as 700. We have hot and humid summers. Last frost usually sometime around first of April, first frost can be as early as late October (last year) or as late as mid December.

I have checked the local ag documents on fruits and nuts they suggest and it's rather abysmal. Depressing in fact LOL. Essentially just apples, pears, plums and the occasional pecan. Blueberries and blackberries round out the berry suggestions. I'm guessing their ideas relate more to what would easily be cropped from a sale standpoint and have little to do with what someone could grow in their backyard. Also, the document in question was written 10+ years ago. The 'issues' they had with other fruits were mainly the chill hours needed. And the basic issues with all the 'varmints' and bugs/virii/bacteria/fungii/etc indigenous to a hot and humid climate. Anything needed to be grafted to rootstocks tolerant of wet soil and nematodes.

I'd love some apricot and nectarine suggestions. I see that some of the newer varieties need approximately the same chill hours we actually get. Ditto a couple cherry varieties. Would those be my only considerations. Also would need to have something that was late blooming, we get 'killer' frosts due to the wide swings in temperature so close to the Gulf of Mexico in the spring and fall.

Would love to see ideas for the southeast, those of us living north of Florida

Thanks!

[Sunny]

We call eastern NC home, but live in NY most of the time because that's where our jobs are. Swan Quarter NC will be our retirement home if we ever retire. Anyway, I found this website that might help you, and me. I've lived in the heat before, but this is the first time I've ever had too much water.

http://www.urbanharvest.org/advice/fruitgardening.html

[Ed Laivo]

Thank you Sunny for that great site. Southern Texas has it's fruit growing challenges, this site helps. There are other areas with similar concerns.

[BethP]

Thanks for the website. Houston is a bit warmer than we are and (I couldn't imagine it possible until I visited!) actually a little more humid. If nectarines are doable there I'll give them a try here. That's a great website. Never thought about growing my own allspice. I always thought it grew in little red and white rectangular cans on the shelf at Krogers. Who knew?

I may try the 2 low chill cherries too & just keep them pruned small enough to deal with and put little cherry tree overcoats on them when we get the inevitable killing spring frosts. I understand from other reading that I will probably have to take out a second mortgage on my house to afford all the sprays I'll need to keep them disease free though.

The local extension guy just laughed at me when I asked about nectarines. Kind of hurt my feelings LOL. Their big things are blueberries and muscadines. Blueberries are so low maintenance around here it isn't funny. Bought 8 small plants for $5 each 3 years ago when we moved in. They were about 12" tall. They're 4'-5' tall now and covered with berries. I'll have to get some nets or the birds will get them all. We haven't done anything to them but mulch them with pinestraw. And de-ant one that had a fireant infestation. Oh, I watered them during dry spells the first year out too. We bought 12 more this year and will use them for a privacy hedge between our house and a road. My grandmother planted some in the mid 1970's that are 10ft tall now, minimum. Huge things. Still bear gallons of berries every year. No maintenance either other than mowing and weedeating around them.

Wish all fruits were that simple!