Fruit Trees!!! (weeping cherry, flowers, landscape, grown)

[Dusty Rhodes]

So far so good with the fruit trees, Piedmont, N. Carolina, finally both of the apple trees blossomed and are showing pea sized fruit. The Peach tree blossomed, then it froze, I don't expect much in the way of peaches. My Plum tree overachieved in the blossom department and has a myriad or two of very small plums. My fig tree is coming into leaf, last year was the first I picked more than five figs over the season, am hoping it continues this trend, I do love figs. I have it planted about eight feet east of my veggie garden. Thus far, all my veggies are doing quite well, some I put out as plants, most I started from seed.

[J&Em]

Wow, it sure sounds good!! Haven't had the time or energy to get past putting in the basic landscape and perennial gardens so I envy you your apparent bounty. Hope the rest of the year stays as good for you as spring has been.

[kinkytoes]

NC sounds like a WONDERFUL place to garden!

I have two peach trees and both of them had blossoms this year. I spread the pollen with my fingers a couple of days ago. I had them in containers for a couple of years when I lived in an apartment, and I think the soil may be a little damp for them outside. They’re still alive.

I planted some natives last year. Pawpaw, serviceberry and nannyberry. Those guys just have little leaves on them. The pawpaws haven’t leafed out yet.

My Asian pears are flowering GANGBUSTERS. One is in an area with a little too much shade, but I’m going to try to increase the sun instead of moving it. I moved several badly-planted trees last year, and I’m too tired to do that again.

The apple and cherry trees both have blossoms on them. One of the cherries is in gravelly soil near the road, so I thought it was a GONER. But it turns out cherries like “poor” soil. Maybe I’ll get a cherry this year!

I also have a weeping cherry tree that bears tons of tiny cherries. But those are “for the birds.” LOL

I LOVE figs. I spend a lot of money on fresh figs during the summer. Maybe I’ll steal your idea and plant a fig tree! I would like to plant some native persimmon this year as well. One of our nurseries is having a native plant sale THIS WEEKEND. I can’t wait.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well..... I have two 80' rows of tomato, they are starting to blossom, all those nice little yellow flowers, have a row of squash in bloom also. My first row of corn is up about an inch and a half, will plant a second row this afternoon, when finished I'll have five rows of corn (incredible) by name. My cantalope (hales best), watermelon (sugar baby), and butternut squash are all above ground, as are my okra, sunflowers. The Brussel Sprouts, broccoli, and head cabbage are all over two feet tall, cucumbers are up and running, several variety of peppers, poblano, asian, jalapeno, anaheim, red, chocolate, green and yellow bell peppers,are up and flowering ,also, red lettuce, romaine, and buttercrunch are big enough to start eating on. We have been getting weekly showers with highs in the low 80's, wonderful for small plants.

[BuckeyezRule]

I have small buds on my peach & cherry trees. Nothing on the plum or walnut trees. I don't expect much from the apricot tree. It had leaves last year, but the dog decided to eat it (it was a dwarf one) . Sigh I love my white peaches. =) I hope I get some cherries this year. =)

[davidals]

I'm in a apartment, so the only things in-ground here are mulberries and honey locust.

The mulberries already have flowers and some baby berries. It's a real race against squirrels and birds. This is a truly undomesticated mulberry, so fuit quality is uneven, but they are all really juicy.

The honey locust sets fruit (pods) every other year. I wish they had more edible flesh on them, because the precious little on there is delicious - sugary, kind of a mild flavor like cactus pears or a really mellow melon. I've heard of people making jam with the green pods, so if I get ambitious, maybe I'll try that someday.

@ kinkytoes:

I'd love some pawpaw trees. The backyard where I am has a stream with some semi-shades wet ground next to them, with would be a perfect spot for them. I understand they tend to like shade or filtered light when young, and they like kinda damp environments. However, as it's not my property, I'm not putting anything perennial in the ground back there. Pawpaws can be real slackers when it comes to setting fruit - they will fruit when they feel like it, however much or little. The fruit has a VERY short shelf life, but you can freeze the de-seeded pulp, and use them as a substitute in almost any banana-related recipe, like sweetbreads and such. Pawpaws have some tropical relatives - things like cherimoya and soursop that are some of the most delicious things you will ever eat.

I've kept it simple in-ground this year: turnip greens, mustard greens, beets, chard, basil, dill, fennel, cucumbers.

I have some tropical fruit trees in pots, as potted plants, for two reasons: apartment living, and these things would not live through a North Carolina winter: meyer lemon, eureka lemon, pummelo, two rare japanese citrus (yuzu and sudachi), strawberry guava, apple guava. I mainly just grew those out of curiosity. They have all done good-to-great as container plants. Guavas aren't my favorite fruits in the world, but as tropical fruit trees go, they are sooo easy. They start out extremely slowly from seed, but around 6-9 months, they take off; they are distant relatives of crepe myrtles, and they branch low, and they start branching at about a year old. Mine are about 18 months, so no fruit yet, but I've spoken to gardeners how have gotten guavas to fruit in pots starting around 3 or 4 years old, so we'll see how I manage.

The citrus are tougher to keep happy, but I've managed to do it. Of all the citrus, I have one called a calamondin (a cross between a kumquat and a tangerine), which apart from it's lack of frost hardiness, is otherwise tough as nails. The yuzu and eureka lemon are slightly over 2 years old. Citrus can fruit as container plants from seed, but they are hyper-hybridized, so they don't always grow true to seed, and they can take years, so I mainly grow them for the foliage.

If I owned a house I'd love to try a pomegranate. They are not easy to grown in NC, but I saw some locally grown fruit at one of the Triangle farmers' markets last year. They can handle cold (about the same as peaches - late freezes can do a number on them), but the pollen can spoil in humidity (they are adapted better to arid climates), so I think you need to hand pollinate and do it quickly, but if you do some serious shopping around, I think there are breeds that can handle humidity better than others. They are yet another crepe myrtle relative, similar stature, and their flowers are unbelievable.

There's a law office near my apartment that uses rosemary bushes and artichokes, with some other things, as landscape plants. Seems like a bit of waste with the artichokes, they don't harvest the 'choke' and let the edible choke (a giant flower bud) bloom - the blooms will stop traffic. The look like a huge cross between a sunflower and a dandelion, with these big 7-foot-stalks, with the 'chokes' up at the top. NC is as far north as they can be grown on the east coast, and you have to cut the above ground foliage back during the winter, and mulch the roots very heavily, but the roots will come back year after year. Artichokes are *huge* relatives of dandelion, sunflower, milk thistle, lettuce, tarragon, daisies, etc., and they have the same kind of deep, clay-busting tap root.

[davidals]

Two great seed sources, for heirloom varietals:

Baker Creek Seed Co.: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - 1400 heirloom garden seeds!

Tradewinds Fruit, which should come up wit a simple google search

I've ordered lots from them in the past, and both are very quick, and the quality has always been high. Between the two there are hundreds of heirloom and rare varietals tomato, pepper, eggplant, okra, melon, squash, just to hit the tip of the iceberg. They both have some more exotic stuff, like kohlrabi, naranjilla, cape gooseberries, purple tomatillo, and amaranth as well.

[kinkytoes]

Originally Posted by davidals

I'm in a apartment, so the only things in-ground here are mulberries and honey locust.

OOh another container-gardening apartment dweller. I was the same way when I lived in an apt. I had my peaches in pots for a couple of years. I actually resorted to fiberglass pots...terracotta was just too heavy.

Originally Posted by davidals

...The honey locust sets fruit (pods) every other year...

I didn't know you could eat those!

Originally Posted by davidals

I'd love some pawpaw trees. .... Pawpaws have some tropical relatives - things like cherimoya and soursop that are some of the most delicious things you will ever eat.

You have HIT the nail on the head about Pawpaws, and that's exactly why I have them. I'm from the Caribbean and I MISS sugar apple (cherimoya) and soursop so much! One of my old beaus introduced me to pawpaw several years ago, but I couldn't grow them until I bought a house. I have about 5, and I want MORE! I am so HAPPY they're native to the US!

Originally Posted by davidals

I've kept it simple in-ground this year: turnip greens, mustard greens, beets, chard, basil, dill, fennel, cucumbers.

I have some tropical fruit trees in pots, as potted plants, for two reasons: apartment living, and these things would not live through a North Carolina winter..Guavas aren't my favorite fruits in the world, but as tropical fruit trees go, they are sooo easy. ...

The citrus are tougher to keep happy, but I've managed to do it. Of all the citrus, I have one called a calamondin (a cross between a kumquat and a tangerine), ...
If I owned a house I'd love to try a pomegranate....
There's a law office near my apartment that uses rosemary bushes and artichokes, with some other things, as landscape plants.... the roots will come back year after year. Artichokes are *huge* relatives of dandelion, sunflower, milk thistle, lettuce, tarragon, daisies, etc....

The more I hear, the MORE I want to have a vacation house in NC instead of Florida! It sounds like I can grow all of the plants I want... I would go BUCK wild if I had a mild climate...

Are you crazy! Guava is one of my FAVORITE fruits. I love the smell, and I love Guava Jelly! You're really making me crazy. I too have a calamondin that I've kept indoors up here in the FREEZING north for about 10 years. It normally flowers and fruits every year. I make drinks with the fruit.

Since I bought a house, I decided to make it as lush and edible as I can get in my climate...so I found out that there's a persimmon native to the east coast. I bought TWO this weekend!

I SWEAR these are the last fruit trees this year.

I'm having a little remorse about not buying more pawpaw's though. IMO you can't have enough of them. The fruit's great, and I also ADORE the big tropical-looking leaves.

[Fields of Green]

I'd like to ask how many years your trees took to fruit for the first time? I have a new home and just planted a semi-dwarf 3-way apple, an asian pear and a Bartlett pear. A family member told me to plan to wait 3-6 years... waaaah... no instant gratification with fruit tress! I guess I gotta go plant some radishes for the nearly instant reward. ;-)

[kinkytoes]

Originally Posted by Fields of Green

I'd like to ask how many years your trees took to fruit for the first time? I have a new home and just planted a semi-dwarf 3-way apple, an asian pear and a Bartlett pear. A family member told me to plan to wait 3-6 years... waaaah... no instant gratification with fruit tress! I guess I gotta go plant some radishes for the nearly instant reward. ;-)

I am into instant gratification, too! I bought my fruit trees in the Spring from Home Depot and some from a local nursery. They all had blossoms on them. And you know...blossoms = fruit.

All I did is make sure my new trees had buds before I bought them and then I hand-pollinated them. I always buy two of each tree. Soo... I wiggle my finger in the blossoms on one tree. Then I wiggle the same finger in the blossoms on the other tree. Then I do it again.

Then the blossoms get "pregnant" and in a bit, I have some fruit. The only trees I have to wait for are the native trees. I bought them young, so they're not old enough to make blossoms yet.

If you got your trees from a chain, they're probably already old enough to produce fruit. It sounds like you got one of each, so my advice would be to get pollinators.