3 Totally Crazy Easy Fruit Trees For Southern Gardeners

These three easy fruit trees will provide you with fruit for decades!
Check out Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening: amzn.to/3JrK3O5
Pear Varieties for the South: www.thesurvivalgardener.com/p...
Learn more about growing mulberries: www.thesurvivalgardener.com/s...
Learn more about growing persimmons: www.motherearthnews.com/grow-...
Subscribe to the newsletter: thesurvivalgardener.us3.list-...
David's Gardening Books: amzn.to/2pVbyro
Compost Your Enemies t-shirts: www.aardvarktees.com/products...
David's gardening blog: www.thesurvivalgardener.com
I was asked about my recommendation for fruit trees along the Gulf Coast. Zone 8/9 is a great area for some fruit trees, but not for others. In my experience, the top three easy to grow fruit trees in the Deep South are the mulberry, the Japanese persimmon and the sand pear. All three grow quickly and produce an abundance of good fruit with very little care. I also add in a bonus tree - the fig! Figs are also easy to grow if you get the right variety. Another possibility is the loquat, but I do not really recommend it in the colder part of zone 8 because the fruit are often taken off by frost.

[@lovecatspiracy]

Chickens built back better ages ago. They live in pods, eat mealworms, own nothing, and are HAPPY

[@CIB8282]

I enjoyed the hip hop instrumental in the background as you talked about fruit trees. Keep up the great work!

[@rhondaharper654]

Thank you so much David! I was who asked about the fruit trees...and I appreciate your so quick response. How you manage to stay on top of questions like mine with all you are doing in the garden, taping it all and everything that goes along that....and such a beautiful family and the time you spend being an obviously awesome dad and super sweet husband....I know your strength comes from the Lord and I know He will continue to bless you and your family. I am so glad I found your channel....you and Rachel are living breathing witnesses and I am blessed just reading your posts and watching your videos.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you, Rhonda! Glad I could help.

[@Ok-uc5in]

We live close to you

[@user-ic2ug8ys1z]

Yes....yes we sit around and wait for the next video. Good stuff!😀

[@oldbear6813]

I did it, I bought two trees and I'm gonna try the grocery row. I'm nervous but excited at the same time. The Grocery Row Gardening book definitely convinced me that I can do it 😂. We have a mulberry tree in our backyard currently and it's a giant, I'm pretty sure it was planted when our house was built waaaay back in the early 50's sadly it takes up a huge amount of space and has become quite scary looking sooo Free Plants For Everyone got me thinking that I could propagate the giant Mulberry and start a new tree. If I can accomplish the new tree it'll free up quite a bit of room and will allow for more sunlight and if I'm successful I may propagate a few and sell them or give them away 🤷‍♀️ . With the two new trees (apricot and nectarine) and the mulberry I'm on my way and can't wait for next growing season to kick off!

[@allon33]

I have a 100 year old peach tree, from under a leaking rainwater tank. I love this tree.

[@Cameron-ms8bz]

Tips on how u grew it

[@allon33]

@@Cameron-ms8bz Is under a leaking rainwater tank, so always had water.

[@Cameron-ms8bz]

@@allon33 that’s cool

[@gerrylavelle8433]

I just planted two fuyu's and a hachiya persimmon here Florida. I got spoiled buying persimmons by the pound at a Super Hmart in Colorado but then I was paying $1.50 each here in Florida. Now I can just go out in the yard and pick 'em. Also, I brought four figs with me from Colorado that never got a chance to produce much fruit because of early and late freezes. Now here in Florida they are leafless for the winter but I can see how vibrant green the branches are -- and a few leaves are starting to pop.

[@afj3rd]

I know where a mulberry tree is on the grounds of an old sawmill.My buddy has worked there for over 38 years and the tree was big and mature when he was shown it. What a treasure this old tree is. Come to think of it I need to dig up some saplings!! Lol

[@jettyeddie_m9130]

I planted 2 cherry trees in the food forest because I had future cold weather Changes to my area , people said I didn’t know what I was doing and wouldn’t get any fruit , it’s been below freezing here and it’s not even winter yet so it’s the cherries time to shine 🥶

[@lagoya]

I planted about a dozen red mulberry seedlings 6 years ago... The ones downhill from the ducks' swimming pool grew ~extremely~ fast and were producing fruit by the 3rd year. The mulberries were just ok on all but one tree, and THAT tree had some dang tasty fruit. I called my husband over and we stood there eating the berries til they were gone. We moved the next year but I'll always remember that moment, the first time I planted a tree and got to enjoy the fruit it bore ❤️

[@davidthegood]

That is awesome

[@davidthegood]

These three easy fruit trees will provide you with fruit for decades! Check out Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening: amzn.to/3JrK3O5 Pear Varieties for the South: www.thesurvivalgardener.com/pear-varieties-for-the-south/ Learn more about growing mulberries: www.thesurvivalgardener.com/survival-plant-profile-mulberries/ Learn more about growing persimmons: www.motherearthnews.com/grow-it/deep-south-fruit-trees-persimmon#axzz2LSdPqXnd Subscribe to the newsletter: thesurvivalgardener.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=d1c57e318ab24156698c41249&id=1f74a21dc8 David's Gardening Books: amzn.to/2pVbyro Any of you guys have other favorite trees to add to these three?

[@Mywalkingblog]

Thank you for this! I've been trying to build out my orchard for 2 years now but going about it in the totally wrong way. All that survived so far was my Brown Turkey Fig and Texas Superstar Peach, but now you've given me a wealth of knowledge to go forward.

[@davidthegood]

Thank you

[@johnmartin9090]

Thanks again for sharing! Your information is awesome 😊

[@evidencesuggests1697]

I wonder if it’s synchronization? I literally just planted 5 mulberry trees and 2 persimmons yesterday;) woke up this morning and my favorite gardener says plant these easy fruit trees. Pretty cool! Thanks David, you’ve given me more good advice than you’ll ever know. Happy new year and keep preaching the gospel homie! Thank you sincerely again! Have a wonderful day!!!

[@AM-dc5yz]

Gotta love when those things happen 😌

[@jennabronson4704]

Bartlett pears grow well in the South too. They’re great for fresh eating.

[@trillium7582]

Loquat is my favorite fruit. I'm just about a zone too cold for it, but I'm reading your book Push the Zone, so I have my eye on a south-facing wall.

[@gelwood99]

I just looked and Willis Orchards has a Vista White Loquat that they say grows in zone 7.

[@trillium7582]

@@gelwood99 Thanks, Gail! My sense is that loquat can grow in places where it can't reliably fruit, because it blooms really early (January/February, when there's definitely still risk of frost here). But maybe a rugged loquat will help, thanks for the lead!

[@erikjohnson9223]

@@gelwood99 The tree is hardy to about 10F. The problem is that it blooms in late fall and normally ripens in early spring. Reproductive parts usually freeze off at around 28F, which means you need a freakishly warm winter (the kind that normally makes your deciduous trees hate you and fail to bloom) to get the crop. "Christmas" supposedly ripens extremely early (some by the end of December; z8b frosts usually don't happen until early January) and will therefore give you some crop, though I don't have personal experience yet. Overhead canopy also helps with cold protection but usually hinders productivity (less photosynthesis).

[@ChefCrys01]

I’m in zone 8 and started with the hard stuff 🤪😁. My area of zone 8a gets snow, freezes, and triple digits…crazy. But we have managed to get multiple citrus trees alive and fruiting, figs, peaches, apples, pomegranates, and plums. No year is the same, it takes some work, but there is nothing like going out and gathering your own fruits and vegetables. Thanks for your vids, David, they’re full of the encouragement we need.

[@koicaine1230]

I used to make Pear Wine

[@DavidHardesty]

FIGS!

[@wildwoodwendy4640]

Now you need to develop a strawberry tree for that adorable 4 year old.

[@melissab8500]

So far so good with my peaches, I planted oregano and mint around the base and that seems to have stopped the circulio

[@oneperson5760]

Im reading your new book, Minimalist Gardening. I love it so far!

[@davidthegood]

Thank you

[@SCOTTBULGRIN]

Such awesome advice.

[@KittyMama61]

I'm lucky to have a huge pear tree in my yard, along with a fig tree. Can wait to add Mulberry! On a side note we also have a huge magnolia tree. I know citris grows well here, and I'm going to get some kumkuat cuttings to start. We live on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

[@jantellfowler5883]

I live in The Bahamas 🇧🇸 i have a black mullberry tree and it produces fruit atleast 3 times a year and for 2 or 3 months each time it's awesome

[@qualqui]

Hmm....Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening, that may prove very helpful for me here in central Mexico, I'm figuring we're about at the same latitude. As for Sand Pears, hard fruit,great for processing not so much for eating fresh.....this sounds like "Peras de agua", very hard, crunchy fruit, not much around here, probably because people here prefer the imported D'Anjous and Bartletts from Washington State. And the loquats, easy to care for, nice evergreens and yeah the common loquat, the fruit is small and in some the pit is so big, its more pit than fruit! 😂But the seeds do germinate very easily, I've just transplanted 2 to pots(from the ziploc plastic bag they were in), this is my 2nd time, the first time they grew to about 10 inches tall and then died. Loquats here are called Nísperos.Thanks for sharing DTG, and so enjoying Sugar 🥧!

[@legauxmc]

Just ordered your book Thank you

[@kchedville]

Japanese Plum (Loquat) trees grow very well in the South also (Louisiana & Mississippi) and also the hardy Ruby Supreme Guava Tree....:) Also the Pakistan, Valdosta, Jans Best Mulberry Trees do very well and are pretty cold hardy.

[@FloridaGirl-]

Wow. This is so timely! I keep going back and forth about a Persimmons. I’m going to go check out the Fuyu. Kept reading the astringent is best for south Fl. But, I really wanted a non astringent to be honest. 🤔 Going to research the Fuyu! Thanks so much. Zone 9b here ! 👍

[@baddriversofcolga]

I would personally recommend against planting White Mulberries (Morus alba) as they're invasive in the southeast. But another good easy fruit tree for me is the Kumquat. Especially if you can put it up against a south facing wall. Satsumas as well. And for soft eating pears I have Moonglow and Ayers, which are both supposed to be fire blight resistant and pretty tasty, but they haven't fruited yet so we'll see...

[@reginaweiner3817]

Consider growing your white mulberries in containers and being on the lookout for stray seedlings.

[@baddriversofcolga]

@@reginaweiner3817 Unfortunately birds will spread the seeds far and wide.

[@reginaweiner3817]

@@baddriversofcolga I have acquired a wonderful wild mulberry thanks to a visitor to my front yard. We live right under a flyway from Texas northward. That and some other valued vegetation. Our pests are Bradford Pear and privet, so we are aware of the problem. Too bad. Nothing better than a ripe mulberry.

[@baddriversofcolga]

@@reginaweiner3817 Well, it could be a native Red Mulberry (Morus rubra). I don't know if you've already confirmed the ID, but Red Mulberries have duller, hairier leaves while White Mulberry leaves are typically shiny and smooth.

[@GardensGuitars]

I’m looking forward to trying to find sand pears! Where to find them? My top 3 easiest most productive are loquat, tangerine, and fig. Great video David, enjoyed the music too!

[@anitamurphy2454]

Hey I'm zone 8, too. Thought you were much warmer. Good to know

[@davidthegood]

I used to be!

[@moniquegebeline4350]

Rhonda! You’re literally my neighbor I’m right above I 10 On MS gulf coast! 😂

[@stevenonnal2744]

Hello Monique, I'm in northest Escatawpa. Just saying hello.😊Steve

[@SR-pt5lo]

I have all of these. Zone 9a 9b. Jax Fl. I have actually found white fruiting mulberry wild in the woods and had success with propagation.

[@davidthegood]

That is awesome.

[@HumbleGolds]

I love your videos. I'm closing a 2.5 acre around Okeechobee, FL and wanted to start my sustain garden + fruit trees! Amateur here still learning...

[@davidthegood]

Glad you're here. That is a great place to garden. Did you get the nice muck soil at your place?

[@erikjohnson9223]

Self fertile muscadine grapes (but do need aggressive pruning because they are too happy). Jelly palms (process only--very fibrous). Possibly kumquats, yuzu, Satsuma mandarins, and calamondins if hualongbing/greening and other citrus pests aren't in your area.

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Daaaavid, this was a great video. We just moved to Houston and I’ve been wondering if your books will still apply stretched down here in the gulf coast. We are zone 8b-9b depending on what you look at and what the weather is doing. I have an empty spot in my new yard for some loquats, figs, and mulberry ! I’ll throw in some Mexican sunflower and ground cover and that should be sweet

[@OfftoShambala]

Pear salsa, I love that idea!

[@gardenweedsgrower]

Wow. 3 days after you posted this video I ate a store bought Fuyu persimmon and found one single seed… I wonder can i grow it from seed in my zone 10 B south Florida. Thanks for letting me know with this right on time broadcast it might actually thrive 🤞🏾

[@FreeAmerican]

3 Ps - Peach, Plum and Pecan

[@allmantree]

Loquats.!!

[@LibertyNotLicense]

More Great advice from DtG! My suggestions for 1st few for zones 9/10: Moringa, Carambola, JuJube, Soursop, banana. They're also very easy and prolific! Now, how does one be fruitful himself and multiply without picking up every bug that comes through?!

[@evancleland1775]

Here above 10 also.. pearl river county

[@anolisa1939]

You forgot pineapple guava (feijoa). It’s a beautiful evergreen shrub, has pretty edible flowers, is extremely easy to grow (zone 8-9 Cali-Florida) and the improved varieties have large tasty fruit (well…I think they’re tasty!). As long as the soil is well draining, and you hand pollinate the flowers (need at least two varieties), you’ll have an abundant crop with zero care.

[@davidthegood]

I didn't forget it. I planted it and waited for years to get fruit. Very slow, and not particularly productive. I was not impressed.

[@anolisa1939]

@@davidthegood Were they seedlings? My seedling shrubs are huge, but took over 10 yrs to produce just a mediocre crop. The improved varieties, however, produced heavily by their 5th year in ground, and the size and flavor of the fruit was much better. I grow all of the plants you mentioned, and agree with your top picks…but I think the pineapple guava & pindo palm are also tough as nails, and can be highly productive.

[@jasonrahm222]

also just ordered my mulberries for a farm in Florida. everbearing and Pakistan.

[@williamvillar7134]

Great trees to grow here. Borers are annoying, I've had them set back and even kill some peach trees to the ground.

[@DeepSouthHomestead]

Good advice

[@davidthegood]

Thanks.

[@oneperson5760]

Chestnut trees from burnt ridge nursery. Japanese varieties Tanzawa and Tsukuba were recommended by them for my central Louisiana 8b/9a location. I ordered a pound of seed/nuts of each variety from them last fall, chilled the nuts (so yummy! Couldnt resist eating a few!) and now ive got about 75 chestnut seedlings coming up and leafing out in an old bathtub. I dont know what to do with them all!!

[@stevecameron5371]

We had insane success with a Texas Yellow fig tree for years 1 hour south of the AL/TN line, including giving cuttings away, with success, over those years. As peaches go, you're familiar with Chilton County yet?

[@davidthegood]

No, I don't know that one.

[@reneebrown2968]

Sand pears make an awesome pies you have ever ate

[@ShaggyDogg0128]

My top three for my area 9b Mango Dragon fruit Mulberry Bonus Figs( my area since it's one of the driest in Florida) Meyer lemon jaboticaba

[@lucycats6282]

You probably don’t know dry till you come to my property in Marion county Your obviously further south since your growing mango

[@lucycats6282]

Music is beyond irritating

[@ShaggyDogg0128]

Yeah I'm in southern Brevard. So further south than the Ocala area. I'm from southern FL and used to 60+ inches of rain. It's been a dry 2024 this year. But that's the whole state. There are people on FB mango group that live in your county that have mangos. Just need to protect them.

[@blajing]

1:57 Native Red Mulberries actually taste great and are a whole 1" long. But unfortunately getting endangered due to hybridization with the invasive White Mulberries... So, ecologically, Morus rubra is actually a best choice! 2:44 Similarly, American and Texas Persimmons are the native varieties of Persimmons, and both taste fantastic! In fact, a ripe American Persimmon may be the sweetest type out there! 0:46 I would agree with Sand Pears (but even eaten raw) and also Figs too, though...

[@davidthegood]

I have had some great reds for sure.

[@abou8963]

Kumquat too!

[@chesterricherson3565]

Which fruit trees and berry bushes should I have to have a year round harvest of fruits and berries? I live near Mobile Alabama...

[@theresasuttle711]

What do you know about plums? My grandfather (the watermelon farmer, among other things) had a plum orchard that was crazy good and prolific when I was a child. I’d love to have a few plum trees eventually.

[@a4000t]

Go for it! Don't let anyone tell you it wont work. I grow some methley and santa ana plums here in TX. If you can find out what kind granddad grew it might be ideal in your area.

[@erikjohnson9223]

I've heard hybrids between Asian plums & the native Chickasaw plum are well adapted to the Deep South. "Deep South Homestead" also recommended a rootstock plum (Marianna?) as having the richest, most European-like flavor. You probably need two Marrianna seedlings (or he used 1 Marianna and one "hog plum" I think, but "hog plum" can refer to different species so I am not sure which) for pollination. Chickasaw itself is extremely adapted (but not long lived), though small and probably only good for processing. You need 2+ genetically distinct plants (or possibly an Asian with the same bloom season + 1 Chickasaw), or you just get lovely honey-scented flowers but no plums.

[@theresasuttle711]

@@erikjohnson9223 Thank you! Just beginning our homestead journey! Plums are on the top of my orchard/garden list!

[@conniedavidson1807]

Zone 7a. I'm growing 2 loquat trees. This is their first winter and I hope they make it okay. They are still very small.

[@abwolf1]

I'm in 7a-7b. Think I brought seeds from NOLA. Think I'm going to try to sprout. Curious how yours are doing?

[@conniedavidson1807]

@@abwolf1Mine are doing great. They are starting on the second year and have survived the cold. I have covered them both when it got into the twenties.

[@jasonrahm222]

What about pineapple guava? I just planted one as a shrub.

[@jeffgegos7333]

All they’s can grow in cold climates to.

[@Austinandpup]

Whenever I get some annoying ear worm song in my head to get it out I watch one of your videos to get a better ear worm. ;)

[@gardengatesopen]

I've never grown a fig tree. But I expect it to enter the realm of possibilities in the near future. I once heard that you MUST live in an area that has a certain moth to pollinate the flowers. In other words, certain areas of the country need to match up to certain varieties of fig, so there will be THAT Moth in the area to pollinate the flowers, or there won't be any figs. And maybe it was even a nighttime event for the moth? This may not be the case, I'm asking, is it true? Are all those fig trees that grow wild in the South just matched up correctly? Or is that just a dumb rumor I heard? And then there's the whole wasp scenerio... David - you should talk about THAT part of it too. Bcuz really, I have never grown a fig, and I'm starting to care. Does anybody give a fig? Or is it just me?

[@klincecum]

The pollinator wasps don’t live in the US except in some areas of California where they were introduced. You do not need a pollinator to get figs. There’s a lot more to it than that, but for the common man wanting to grow figs that’s enough.

[@erikjohnson9223]

Stick to locally adapted varieties, which don't need caprification with fig wasps. As David said, "Celeste," "Brown Turkey," and anything bred by LSU are great choices. A KZbinr, Ross Raddi, (north of the fig belt but still eastern and waspless) specializes in "zone pushing" a diversity of fig cultivars and his channel and his links are good resources for learning about varieties with more exotic (usually berry accented) flavors and about winter protection if you are also in an area where that is necessary. In sandy soils, nematodes are likely to be a problem in the South. For some reason, planting near a building foundation helps. So would the addition of organic matter (esp. chitinous wastes like shrimp shells, or spent oyster mushroom composts [poplar/common at least oyster mycelia trap nematodes to use as a nitrogen source]) to encourage the proliferation of fungal and other predators of nematodes. "LSU Purple" (not the hardiest fig, but fine in Z8) is supposed to be immune to several nematode species, and would therefore be an excellent choice both as a crop tree and as a rootstock for other varieties whose flavors you may fancy.

[@melissab8500]

:D not all figs require the wasp (thankfully) super easy to grow cuttings too. Just do it 🤷‍♀️

[@gardengatesopen]

Dang! Such GREAT info y'all!! THANK YOU!!! I won't have any problem with nematodes, and there isn't any sand in my soil either! (At least not obvious sand) I'm in Central Texas, lots of clay, and rocks. I won't have any problem finding a boulder or two to plant my fig next to! So all those wild figs I see growing around the old farmer's fence lines, it's as I figured, no special pollinators needed. Excellent!! Hints of berry flavored figs sounds super interesting too!! Thanks for all the GREAT INFO!

[@muffininorbit]

The answer to this is complicated and so it leads to a lot of misinformation. But the short answer is no, you do not need to worry about the fig wasp. The longer answer: technically you do need the fig wasp to grow a pollinated fig. A pollinated fig is bigger and has more flavor. You’ve likely never eaten a pollinated fig before because they don’t ship very well being super soft like they are. The thing to understand is that a fig is not technically a fruit, it’s an inside out flower. Plants flower to entice pollinators, they don’t need the pollinator to flower in the first place. Your unpollinated fig won’t produce viable seed, but that doesn’t really matter when you’re eating them. If you want to go to the trouble to pollinate manually, it can be done. There’s a guy somewhere on KZbin that shows you how to do it with a syringe.

[@heathermartin2878]

16 minutes ago and 50 people already watched you what do just sit around and wait for the next video lol

[@LibertyNotLicense]

Of course! Don't you?!

[@HealthyDisrespectforAuthority]

Have you ever grown jicima? I'm also in zone 8.. right on the A/B line.. with a sandy clay dirt.. can't call it soil - yet.

[@mjk9388]

@ David the Good - If mulberries are produced off of first year growth, then is it advisable to espalier them against a fence? Seems like it wouldn't be possible since you'd have to cut back the stems you just trained every year?

[@austinj3881]

Taking a chance this year and will see if a Barbados Cherry will survive here. I have a feeling the winter will kill it because we get just under its advertised tolerance of 28 degrees. Twice we got down into the low 20’s this winter and last winter we got down to 19 which was the coldest temperature I have seen here since moving here 13 years ago. If I lived in my old hometown it wouldn’t be an issue since I lived about 4 hours further south from here.

[@davidthegood]

Yeah, it's not cold-hardy.

[@Shane_O.5158]

and in mulberrys you got red shatoot and white shatoot, as well as the common black mulberry.

[@Turtlegirl86]

I was curious about your recommendation on plants to grow below fruit trees as well. I've started my trees here in the literal edge of zone 8b and 9a (on the USDA zone map my county in Texas is the line). I've seen a lot of videos recommending against growing ANYTHING under fruit trees as it competes, but this is not the case in your grocery row. What do you put just under your fruit trees? Raspberries? Black berries?

[@mjk9388]

Hi Sarah, I think you and I must be in the same area. I grow Natchez Thornless Blackberries under some of my fruit trees, but they will spread. That's not really a problem as you can just pull the "spreaders" out of the ground with your hand and replant them anywhere you want. There are "Prime-Ark" varities (sold at Stark Brothers Nursury online) now that produce blackberries on both the first and second year growth and those would probably produce more abundantly than the Natchez Variety. Raspberries and Blueberries both require acidic soil, which you may or may not have. I live in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio. Goji Berries and Dewberries will also grow here too.

[@Turtlegirl86]

@@mjk9388 Thanks! I have some Kiowa black berries in pots and my soil is very acidic. Im in a 20 acre pine forest and my "soil" can rival David's for worst possible there is. Its pure, empty sugar sand away from the trees. I've been working hard building soil through resource scavenging on the property. All my fruit trees have 8 ft cage of deer netting over them till they get bigger ( after 2 rounds of defoliation by deer)... and the leaf cutter ants recently chewed all the leaves off the potted Kiowa. The food garden is behind a tall fence. I wanted to grow Goji, im glad to know it'll grow here. I'm in Grimes County.

[@thisguy4614]

I would recommend Paw Paw Trees for something different if you don't have any. I like the Brown Turkey Fig, Yaupon, and Mayhaws. Loquats are popular, I am interested in Hazelnut, Black Sapote, and Carob just to see if I could make some kind of funky chocolate stuff. Thanks for this David! Also black currant and that funky vanilla type that are outlawed for whatever reason sound interesting but "I would never grow something my government said was a no no! No matter how interesting or amazing."

[@mkroyle]

What zone are you in? I'd like to grow mayhaws I'm in 7 B. Have any advice about growing mayhaws?

[@erikjohnson9223]

I'd be surprised if blackcurrant can take southern heat / lack of long winters. The southern pines are "yellow" (5 needle / turpentine), not "white," and therefore don't get white pine blister rust. South of the Carolinas, Ribes are probably perfectly legal, just mostly impossible to grow.

[@erikjohnson9223]

@@mkroyle #1. Kill off eastern redcedar and other junipers if you can (alternate host for cedar-hawthorn [Gymnosporangium] rusts, which can ruin pome crops).

[@thisguy4614]

@@erikjohnson9223 are you an arborist or county extension agent by chance?

[@erikjohnson9223]

@@thisguy4614 No. Just a guy who likes plants and grew up in the FL Panhandle. (I am now in the Midwest and work in a lab [mostly doing chemistry, not botany/agriculture].)

[@tennesseeterri]

David where can I get some mulberry trees? Do you have any for sale I would love to get some. Thank you in advance.

[@marycampbell4160]

Wow !! Great information I live in zone 8a Alabama what is your city?

[@theresasuttle711]

What is your city Mary?

[@StatmanRN]

What are the chill hours for sand pears? Im near Brockville FL so I may not get enough

[@davidthegood]

They run from about 250-600. But you can sometimes trick them into blooming by hand-stripping the leaves.

[@lynnjasmine3216]

Suggestions on how to actually harvest mulberries??? My birds get almost ALL of them....i am going with quantity. Just planted 2 morein hope I can get some

[@Chris-bx4vk]

No artic frost satsuma? So easy. Loquats do fine in zone 7 at my parents also.

[@davidthegood]

No, because greening is tearing up citrus now, unfortunately.

[@mikeyfoofoo]

Are Fuyu Persimmons grafted or can I air propagate them? It might be the sweetest and easiest fruit I have ever grown myself.

[@a4000t]

An old timer told me that sprinkling wood ash at the base of peach trees is supposed to keep the borers out,but i dont know if its true,just started doing it to mine. so i disagree they are hard to grow,in zone 8 peach trees seem to grow easy,just keep the deer off them when young. the trees here are 10+ yrs old,and started from seeds. we have 100F temps for 3 months usually,i never water them and rarely prune them,and they do look scraggly but what a bumper crop of peaches last year. i got some before the squirrels! like anything your mileage may vary.

[@erikjohnson9223]

Squirrels love peach pits. Watch out.

[@a4000t]

@@erikjohnson9223 dont i know it,every spring i get a 100 or so baby peach trees popping up where i dont want them!

[@beccal7950]

Soeaking of grafting experiments…I heard that fig and mulberry are closely related enough that it is possible to graft fig onto mulberry and vice versa. Would you be down to try making a frankentree?

[@davidthegood]

I tried with no luck. It may be possible, but it never worked for me.

[@krishnamurthyaiyer3022]

I planted a Fuyu Persimmon in New York backyard, and and after a couple of years the tree produced fruits, I could not give them away. First it was around 400 fruits, big sized fuyu, and then next year 300, then 200, and then they stopped completely. I checked up with the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and they told me that I should water, plenty of water. But nothing worked. The tree is still standing , without any fruits. It is irritating my wife, who wants me to cut it. But I hate cutting trees. Do you have any solutions?

[@davidthegood]

Sounds like it may be a pollination issue. Or a lack of micronutrients. I would try giving it micros this year and see what happens.

[@TheRainHarvester]

Does mulberry grow true from seeds?

[@gershhayes796]

I can't figure this out,I am zone 10a, I have jaboticaba, lychee, longan, mango, avocado, banana (3 varieties) passion fruit, jackfruit and canastile, all doing great,,,but I have started 3 persimmon, over the past 4 years, all of them died..the weird thing is I can grow almost anything with no problemo but I can't get a persimmon to survive...I even have an etrog tree, even a pummelo all doing great...

[@erikjohnson9223]

Might need chilling hours. Tried a tropical persimmon like black sapote?

[@gershhayes796]

I have a mamey sapote. It's doing great.

[@erikjohnson9223]

@@gershhayes796 Confusingly, "sapote" comes from a Nahuatl (Aztec) word for any fruit that matches certain characteristics (pudding-soft, sweet, largish?), most of which aren't related. Mamey sapote (Mammea americana?) is in a different plant family (Sapotaceae) than black sapote (Diospyros dignaya, I think, and the smaller, unfortunately rarely sold, more drought tolerant Texas persimmon, Diospyros texana, is very similar except for size) and persimmons (Diospyros kaki and D. virginiana, from warm temperate East Asia and temperate eastern North America respectively, which is why I think they may need at least a little winter chilling), which are in the ebony family. Another common name for black sapote is "chocolate pudding fruit." Hope that helps.

[@wellspring2life-]

Hi David, do you grow hawthorn berries?

[@davidthegood]

No, I don't have any right now.

[@workwillfreeyou]

Fuyu, do you spray them?

[@davidthegood]

No, I don't.

[@uaus3321]

David, I remember you planted apricot trees and gooseberries last year, did you have any success with them in our deep south heat? Also I know lots of people say fig trees are easy, but I have one for almost 3 years and it still has no fruit even though it grew very thick trunk and got very big overall, have no idea what is wrong with it. I see here on KZbin or at local stores just tiny sticks with fruit and mine has still nothing!

[@davidthegood]

The apricot is doing great, but the gooseberries look dead.

[@caveman7608]

Concerning your fig. What kind of fig? Did you plant it in full sun or mostly sunny area? If you are fertilizing it what NPK ratio are you using?

[@vickiesorenson2383]

What varieties are you suggesting?

[@mweber5459]

Do you recommend the Pakistani Mulberry?

[@davidthegood]

I have had mixed results with them.

[@abwolf1]

Have you ever grown pineapple guava?

[@davidthegood]

I have, but it was not productive for me.

[@willmolloy1526]

What is that song?

[@ceruleanraccoon7058]

I'm looking to buy a sand pear. Is it the same as an Asian pear? Like if I buy an asian pear from my favorite fruit tree website then is that the same as a sand pear?

[@davidthegood]

The term "sand pears" is generally used to refer to hard pear varieties that thrive in the Deep South. Asian pears are different, though some of them also grow in the south.

[@ceruleanraccoon7058]

@@davidthegood so where can I buy them?

[@davidthegood]

Try your local nurseries

[@anonperson4597]

Peach borers got my peach tree :(

[@aworldapartfilms4972]

Have you grown pomegranates?

[@davidthegood]

Yes, I have. Two died to the ground in my Florida garden. Some fungal issue.

[@c.j.rogers2422]

...and they all make respectable brandy! Drip... Drip... Drip...

[@tomscott3]

Except that the birds sing "Hammer Time" when mulberries ripen..... Looking for an alternative that's bird/insect/disease/varmint proof, or as close to it as possible. Thanks Kindly and Very Best Regards, Tom Scott Author of Stack the Legal Odds in Your Favor ● Speaker ● World's Leading Expert on the Corrupt U.S. Legal System

[@yeshuaisthewaythetruthandt515]

Thanku God bless you Help us Lord Yeshua Ha’mashiach please come take us home to be with Thee forever amen

[@chesterricherson3565]

AMEN

[@PopeyeSailor-wz7ew]

Yeah but I buy fruit to eat it. So that year is out. All the options u propose are typical for excess fruit. Pear pie? 🤔

[@davidthegood]

Excess fruit can be given away. Or fed to pigs.

[@KittyMama61]

Squirrels. Did mention squirrels?

[@davidthegood]

Pow pow

[@paulap7201]

Brown Turkey fig.....The only effort is beating the birds to the figs.

[@abculattera4446]

Please don't play music while you're talking. It just doesn't work. If you really must, turn it down a lot. It's easy to overpower your own voice, which is why playing music is generally not a good idea.

[@davidthegood]

It was an experiment. Maybe I will take a poll.

[@legauxmc]

Ew to the crew

[@legauxmc]

New to the crew