Growing Fruit Trees and Berries in DFW

[bigbear63]

I grew blackberries and peaches. Both thrived but here are a few of things I ran into:
Blackberries - During a good summer here they did great but in a hot/dry summer a lot died out. So think about irrigating.
Also the birds will clean out a good crop quickly so be prepared to net the berries. A fence on one side helps.

Peaches. Did great for years until the moths found the tree. Then it was about impossible to spray enough to kill the pests. They would get about 80% of the fruit once they invaded. Also I learned that I should have pruned the tree back hard and trained it to spread out. In a Dallas backyard it ends up taking up a lot of good space. But, the up side is that a home grown peach is way more awesome than any hard crunchy peach they sell in the store.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Grapes grow very well, but you’ll have to have some irrigation on them.

Don’t even attempt citrus trees here unless you plan to have a dolly on the pot to bring it indoors during the winter freezes.

I agree to contact your County Extension Agent for more specific advice.

Two citrus trees that I can recommend are Satsuma Mandarin and Meyer Lemon. Grew them in the ground in my backyard at my former home (Dallas) and they produced a ton of fruit. I did plant them against a tall fence that protected them from strong freezing winds. I can't say I was terribly fond of the Satsuma fruit. It was neat to grow, easy to peel, but wasn't my favorite. The Meyer Lemon, oh my goodness, just the scent of the blossoms was delightful and the fruit made delicious lemonade.

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by bigbear63

I grew blackberries and peaches. Both thrived but here are a few of things I ran into:
Blackberries - During a good summer here they did great but in a hot/dry summer a lot died out. So think about irrigating.
Also the birds will clean out a good crop quickly so be prepared to net the berries. A fence on one side helps.

Peaches. Did great for years until the moths found the tree. Then it was about impossible to spray enough to kill the pests. They would get about 80% of the fruit once they invaded. Also I learned that I should have pruned the tree back hard and trained it to spread out. In a Dallas backyard it ends up taking up a lot of good space. But, the up side is that a home grown peach is way more awesome than any hard crunchy peach they sell in the store.

Did so well with blackberries. Fight between us and the squirrels for the fruit every year. Squirrels won!

[elan]

I've had good luck with Peach and Fig trees. I had rotten luck with my Pear tree, the fruit was always hard.