Growing Temperate Fruit in Florida

March 27, 2012   Yes, you really can grow peaches, plums and apples here in central Florida.  University of Florida and others have developed cultivars that will fruit with minimum chill hours.  Chill hours are the amount of hours at or below a certain temperature, usually 42-45 degrees needed  to set fruit.  Highlands County has between 100 to 200 chill hours per year.  To the right is my just planted fruit orchard with a peach, plum and weeping mulberry.  The plum tree has two plums, and I'm hoping the squirrels don't find them.

Once you've established the kinds of stone fruits and temperate fruits you can (remember the chill hours), and want to grow, here is a good website that has lots of information about how to plant them and take care of them:  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_home_temperate_fruit 

Even though they are temperate fruit, care must be taken to protect them from frost and freezes.  Frost is most problematic if the trees break dormancy and begin flowering.  There are several methods to protect against freezes including outdoor lighting and covers or both together.  Covers should go all the way to the ground on all sides. Passive methods of freeze protection include irrigating the soil a day before the freeze and removing vegetation and mulch from around the trees.  The ground temperatures will be warmer than the ambient air temperature, so use this to the tree's advantage.  Overhead irrigation is also used to protect trees.  Care must be taken to develop the ice shield early enough to protect the tree and to limit the amount to avoid breaking the tree.  This is usually used by commercial growers and as a last resort by homeowners.

Blueberries are becoming very popular as dooryard fruit. Two varieties will grow here, Rabbiteye and Southern High Bush.  The Rabbiteye is probably best as it's more vigorous and easier to grow although some believe the fruit quality is best on the Southern High bush. Blueberries require acid soil to thrive, so be sure to test your soil and amend as necessary.  Peat and pine bark are good soil amendments for blueberries.  Some commercial growers are using milled pine bark as a growing medium.  Here is a link: Blueberries in pine bark  For best fruit production plant two or more varieties that fruit near the same time for cross pollination.

Figs and bunch grapes are two other possibilities for your dooryard fruit garden.  If growing bunch grapes chose only varieties that are resistant to Pierce's disease.  Currently there are nine varieties that can be grown successfully.  Here is a information on those varieties and how to grow them:  Bunch grapes

Our class was recently at Echo Farms in Ft. Myers.  Vic Estoye, the Master Gardener who took us on tour told us that the best way to grow figs trees is in large pots for the first few years.  They are very susceptible to root knot nematode when they are young.  He keeps his in the pot and when it gets too big, dumps it out and trims the roots and top and replants it.  Bonsai fig!