Select the right fruit tree for your climate

By Audrey Post
MS. GROW-IT-ALL

Q: I would like to add fruit trees – apples, pears, etc. -- in my yard, and I was told back in the spring that I should wait until fall to plant them. Now that it’s fall, what varieties should I plant?

A: Fall is indeed the best time to plant trees here in North Florida. With our mild winters and the growing list of hybrids developed for our climate, it’s possible to grow fruit trees historically limited to more northern climes.

Although fruit trees require a lot of maintenance to keep them producing – mainly annual pruning and vigilance in checking for pests and diseases – they do make lovely additions to the home landscape. But don’t expect to grow fruit that looks or tastes like the specimens in the grocery store. Homegrown fruits here tend to be smaller but have a better flavor.

The key is to plant the right low-chill variety for the climate. A certain number of hours below 45 degrees – chilling hours – are needed to produce fruit. The varieties that produce in North Florida have been bred to produce on fewer chilling hours than varieties that grow up north. Most of North Florida gets between 540 and 700 chilling hours, with the western Panhandle tending to get more hours than the Big Bend.

The two most common apples grown here are Anna and Ein Shemer, both Israeli hybrids introduced into the Florida market in the late 1960s.Anna, a red blush, is more tart than Ein Shemer, which is yellow and sweet. Dorsett Golden, which legend says is the result of a Mrs. Dorsett tossing away the seeds of a Golden Delicious apple at her home in the Bahamas, and the seeds taking root and producing a fruiting tree, also is popular here. TropicSweet, a hybrid bred from Anna, is a newer release that offers blush fruit that is sweet.

All four produce tasty fruit that are smaller than the apples you find in the grocery store, most of which have been commercially grown up north. Most apple trees don’t self-pollinate, so plant two varieties that bloom at the same time. Traditionally, gardeners have planted Anna with Dorsett Golden because they bloom at the same time. Dorsett Golden will also pollinate TropicSweet.

If you want to plant pears, Flordahome and Florida Bosc produce soft pears suitable for eating fresh. The variety called Pineapple produces hard pears, the kind more suitable for preserves and chutneys.

Most local nurseries have knowledgeable employees who will help you choose the right tree for your yard. Use caution when buying fruit trees at big-box stores, which often buy in bulk and sell the same tree in Tallahassee that they sell in Toledo. If that tree does survive here, it won’t bear fruit. Know your cultivars before you shop.

Make sure your newly planted trees get enough water the first year, at least 3 or 4 inches per week, and fertilize in January and again in June.