tel: 512 280-1192 Friday, Feb 7 2014
Nursery Notes: because of the frosty weather our delivery of
fruit trees has been delayed and will be arriving the week of Feb.
15. Lots of veggies in stock: Sequoia strawberries $1.50 for 4"
pots. Lots of organic potatoes: reds, whites, yukons 95 cents/lb.
It's the perfect time to apply corn gluten to your lawns to stop
summer weeds: 40 lb bag reg. $49.99 - on sale for $44.99.
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Two important dates for Austin gardeners: Nov 27 first average
frost; Feb 26 last average frost (as recorded at Camp Mabry). For
in-detail advice on dates for your plants, we have the Travis Co.
Master Gardeners to thank for their Vegetable Calendar.
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'Plants with Benefits' In her new book Helen Yoest explores the
various aphrodisiacs of the plant kingdom, including asparagus,
almonds, licorice, garlic, arugula and avocado. An interview with
the author in the Jan. 29 edition of the New York TimesCentral Texas Gardener KLRU TV Take a new look at lawns
with native Habiturf, developed by Mark Simmons at the Wild-
flower center. On tour, see how the Commons Ford Prairie Restor-
ation Organization is bringing back the birds, bees, and butterflies
to this popular park. . noon, 4 p.m. or Sun., 9 a.m. www.klru
Moonglow pears (Pyrus communis) bloom with fragrant white flowers.
Edible Landscapes: Fruit Trees
by Amanda Moon
Edible landscaping is a trend involving the inter-planting into the
landscape of trees and plants that are not only beautiful, but also
have a food value. Rosemary is a perfect example of a great land-
scape shrub that is also a staple herb around the world.
One of the larger and more prominent additions to an edible land-
scape plan is the addition of fruit trees. These can add shade and
beauty to a yard, and at the same time offer a wonderful bounty of
fresh fruit in exchange for a little water and care.
Some of the more traditionally grown fruit trees in central Texas
include peaches, plums, pears, pecans and apples. Look for varie-
ties that will thrive in this area.
These fruits need deeper soil – especially for pecans – so if your
yard has a solid layer of caliche it may be necessary to build up a
raised area for the roots to grow through. If you need to raise a bed,
choose dwarf varieties for best results.
Make sure you irrigate your trees regularly every year, as fruit pro-
duction can be affected by dry conditions the preceding fall.
Peach trees are probably the best starter fruit tree. They are super
tasty, better fresh (ever compared Fredericksburg and grocery store
peaches?), stay compact and bloom beautiful pink flowers in late
winter.
The trick with peaches is that they need a certain number of chilling
hours each year in order to set fruit. Chilling hours are the number
of hours the temperature is between 32°F and 45°F. We average 650-
850 in most years.
Too few and the tree blooms early and flowers are lost to frost; too
many and you may lose out on blooms altogether. Each variety of
peach has a different chilling hour requirement, so always double
check if the tag doesn’t say.
Plums are another easy addition to the landscape. Methley and
Santa Rosa are two varieties commonly grown here. Both are self-
pollinating and have a lower chilling hour requirement (under 800)
and should produce lots of plums each year. Just make sure to thin
to 4” apart or you will end up with smaller, less attractive fruit.
Pears and apples also do well here, but both require two different
varieties to fruit well. They can also be larger trees, so make sure
you have enough room before planting. Some good apple varieties:
Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith. Pear varieties include Moonglow
and Orient. Both are fire-blight resistant – a problem which affects
many ornamental pear varieties in the area.
Pecan, the state tree, is native to Texas. Though the native pecans
are certainly edible, the improved varieties will produce those large
meaty pecans we are all used to. Pecans’ native habitat is along
river banks, and they require deeper soil.
They are very large, long-lived shade trees that can be found grow-
ing on many old homesteads around the area. For this reason site
selection and variety choice are very important. Some great old
stand-bys include Choctaw, Caddo, Desirable and Pawnee.
Persimmons (native and Japanese), figs, pomegranates and loquats
have also been grown here in Travis and Hays Counties with ease
for generations.
Native persimmons are small and seedy, but have a great flavor
useful in preserves. Japanese persimmons are available in both a
stringent (eaten soft with a spoon) and non-astringent (eaten like
an apple) varieties.
Figs are amazing fruit trees . . . large but amazing. If you’ve ever
eaten a fig straight off the tree, then you know what I’m talking
about. The grocery store figs can’t touch them for freshness and
flavor. Figs are super easy, non-picky and ornamental small tree/
shrubs to grow, but they require a lot of space.
Brown Turkey can grow up to 20 feet wide given the opportunity.
Some stay smaller so be sure to check the tags for space require-
ments. Great options include Brown Turkey/Texas Everbearing
(considered the same in some circles), Alma, Celeste and Black
Italian (from Louisiana). Look for varieties with what is called a
‘closed eye’ (keeps pests out) for best production.
If you’re considering a new tree this winter, think about a fruiting
one. They are beautiful and functional at the same time . . . some-
thing that in this day and age of questionable water resources is a
good thing to be. Happy Gardening Everyone!
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Coming soon: Everything you need to know about tomatoes.
Kevin Callaway returns to the nursery to give a seminar on Sunday
Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. (Rumor has it that he may be giving away some
seeds of a drought tolerant groundcover tomato with currant-size
fruit that he collected in Ecuador.)
Visit the website: www.itsaboutthyme.com Visit the nursery:11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, 78748 Like us
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