IN THE GARDEN: Choosing a fruit tree

Before selecting a fruit tree, take a moment to reflect on your preferences and needs. Ask yourself: Are you drawn to the beauty of apple blossoms or the taste of homemade apple pie? Do you prefer the sweetness of figs or the tanginess of citrus? Or, perhaps you’d like a fruit that spreads, like blackberries or blueberries, to create a natural windbreak for your garden?

Consider exploring popular fruit tree options, including apple, apricot, blackberry, blueberry, citrus (such as satsuma), fig, peach, pear, persimmon, and plum. With numerous varieties of each type, it’s essential to think about the space you have available and the pollination requirements of your chosen tree. Specifically, is the variety self-pollinating (also known as self-fruitful or no-pollinator required)? If not, you’ll need to plant two trees to ensure proper pollination.

Finally, consider the chilling hours requirement for your region. Different fruit trees have specific chilling hour needs, so it’s crucial to choose a tree that meets these requirements to ensure successful growth and fruit production. By answering these questions, you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect fruit tree to suit your taste, space, and climate.

Chilling hours    

First, a definition is in order: “Chilling hours” is defined as the amount of time that the temperature is between 32 degrees and 45 degrees in order to break dormancy and induce normal bloom and vegetative growth. There are exceptions, and the years vary, but in a normal year (if there is such a thing), most of the fruit trees are going to experience 600-800 chilling hours in our area.

Fruit trees have a chilling requirement to produce the optimum harvest for a given fruit. All fruits don’t have the same requirements for chilling hours. Some are as low as 200-400 hours; others are as high as 1,000 hours. When selecting your fruit trees or cane berries (blackberry, blueberry), look at the chilling hour requirements for each tree and realize that if they have a lower number of chilling hour requirements, you might be running the risk of blooming too early and being subject to a late freeze. They may not do well if the requirements are too high due to our “usually” mild winters. The best advice is to stay within the designated hours that are normal for the Texas Hill Country (as stated above).

These chilling hours will vary depending on the variety of fruit you choose: Apple, 200-600; apricot, 300-1,000; blackberry/blueberry, 300-1,000; citrus (satsuma), 300-400; fig, 150 (but these are hardy trees, worth the gamble if planted close to a structure or receive passive protection); peach, 400-1,000; pear, 200-800; persimmon, 200-400; and plum, 250-600.

Choosing peach trees

Let’s choose peaches, for instance. How in the world do we choose from so many? Here are a few pointers. We will match the chilling hour requirements with the number of chilling hours available and maybe even gamble a little bit—choosing from both high and low-requirement peach trees.

The next decision is whether you want “cling” or “free” peaches. The names state the relationship of the peach seed (stone) with the fruit. When the meat sticks to the seed (stone), it is considered a Cling peach. Inversely, when the meat pulls freely away from the stone, it is called freestone or free. It is just a matter of personal preference.

Till next time. Keep your souls and soles in your garden!

Remember the True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1

Contact Martelle Luedecke (512) 769-3179 at luedeckephotography@gmail.com or Bill at email bill@texasland.net.