Fruit trees in Dallas (Plano, Cedar Hill: house, neighborhood, maintenance)

[dmorrell]

I'm curious about what kind of fruit bearing trees grow well in Dallas. We have a home in Cedar Hill, and our yard is about 1500-2000 square feet (I can't remember the exact footage) and is currently without trees.. which seems.. bare. We'd like to plant some sort of fruit bearing tree .. something we've never had before (we've had pears, apples, crab apples, and plums). I hear the climate in Texas (hot summers, moderately cold winters) is not ideal for fruit trees, but that certain types will grow..

Can anyone make any suggestions?

[Dallaz]

You can plant a Peach and Pecan tree, I have some in my backyard.

This will help you out a lot (press custom tree selector)

Texas Tree Selector

[EDS_]

Call the Texas A&M AG extension office in Plano on Monday and ask them. Tomatoes are your best fruit bet no joke.

[Rakin]

Add value too your home by planting quality trees... Live oak, Red Oaks, Cedar Elms.

Water & Fertilize and they will grow at a fairly good rate. Fruit trees don't live long and add no long term value to your home.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Add value too your home by planting quality trees... Live oak, Red Oaks, Cedar Elms. Fruit trees don't live long and add no long term value to your home.

Fruit trees are messy and prone to disease, and they do not grow well in our soil. You want a tree that will provide shade in our hot climate, and fruit trees are too small for this.

[bluescreen73]

Our last house in DFW had 4 fruit trees that the previous owner planted. 2 plum trees, a pear tree, and a peach tree. They were a huge PITA. Both plum trees were destroyed by plum borer moths, the pear tree almost died from fireblight, and the peach tree produced dozens of inedible, worm-infested peaches every year.

The rotting fruit attracted bees, wasps, flies, and even a couple rats. Conversely, the silver maple in the front yard only required raking and occasional trimming and it was 35 feet tall and shaded half of the western exposure when we sold the house.

[elan]

We have always had a Pecan tree or two, love them.

[dmorrell]

hmm duely noted.. we live on a farm now, so a fruit orchard isn't much of a problem, but fruit could certainly become a PITA if it's all over the place in a suburban yard.. what do you think of a Eve's-Necklace (Texas Sophora)? Live Oaks, Red Oak, and Elm sure sound nice.. but wouldn't they be too big? I've never lived in a burb before, but I suspect there are tree size restrictions?

[elan]

Well living on a farm does change things. I know folks who have done really well with Peach and Fig trees. I don't know what variety to tell you though.

[Macbeth2003]

Eve's Necklace is a nice tree, but if you have dogs it can be toxic. Rare, but possible, especially in small breeds. Just something to be aware of.
If you are looking for a smaller tree that is native and low maintenance consider a Desert Willow or Mexican Plum. Many of them were planted in our neighborhood last year. The Mexican Plums are starting to be covered with beautiful white flowers and the Desert Willow will be blooming soon. Mexican plums produce tiny fruit. You can make jam with it if you really want to, but they are not suitable for eating fresh. usually they are eaten by wildlife.