If you've planted some fruit trees on your zone 8 property that have brought forth delicious fruit would you please share the name and where you bought it from? Thank-you!
Best Fruit Tree variety for zone 8?
The number of chill hours necessary to bring a fruit tree out of dormancy and set fruit varies quite a bit within zone 8. Are you in 8a or 8b? Where? By the coast or inland? How far inland? Here's a map showing approximate number of chill hours for the state.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/peach/fig1.html These are approximations and could vary greatly within each designation. It is best to check with your local Cooperative Extension agent for the number of chill hours in your area. Also the number can vary from year to year. Example:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/stonefruit/
Scroll down toward the bottom to view.
If you want to have fruit every year, err on the safe side and buy trees that require 100 to 150 chill hours fewer than what you typically get. If it doesn't matter too much, then you can push the envelop. If you purchase trees that need more chill hours than what your area provides, the tree will not come out of dormancy properly. The flowers may be malformed and not produce fruit. Eventually the tree will weaken, fall prey to diseases and pests and die.
Not knowing how much room you have in your yard, I would say first go with the kind of fruit you and your family like to eat. I would recommend buying dwarf or semi-dwarf trees. They are more expensive but well worth the expense as they are easier to maintain and to harvest the fruit.
TAMU has excellent fruit tree resources on line and at the county offices. You used to have San Antonio listed so you must have moved. Zone 8 covers a lot of Texas. You need to provide more information or any advise given could be useless.
Betty, thanks for the detailed reply! Zone 8b I think, Houston. I'll have to check out TAMU's resources. :)
I have pears, apples, plums, and peaches... but I called my local TAMU and got the ones that do good in my county.
mitch, very smart you are! so of the ones that do well in your area, how do the fruits fair?
Great - most years so far. The plums give out like mad. The peaches do great. The Pears are too young but I am told that is normal and you plant them for your kids, the apples i jsut got ot add this year and I am more then sure they will do great like the best.
wow, apples in texas! didn't think it was possible. :)
plant them for your kids...that's a cute phrase!
Yep they gave me three choices of apples - all three they said did great here.
Just give them a call and see what they say.
Thank-you mitch!
For Houston TAMU:
http://agdirectory.tamu.edu/dept_detail.cfm?id=212&table_id=4.0
Their Email:
Harris-TX@tamu.edu
Homesite for TAMU, Harris County:
http://harris-tx.tamu.edu/
There you go - give them a call and they will know 100% for sure!
For apples to bear fruit you will need a male and a female. It's unlikely anyone else near you is growing one. Just a thought to keep in mind.
An absolutely for sure producer in your area is loquats. They make a lovely trree and fruit in the spring. Sweet like an appricot but with seeds. Fairly disease resistant. You'd probably have luck with citrus also. I'm still questioning your zone......I think you're 9B or at least on the cusp. That gives you a lot more wiggle room to plant other things.
Peaches (with a lot of effort), papaya, pomegranates, pears, plums, dwarf barbados cherries, avacado, figs, pecans, various citrus (meyer lemon, satsuma oranges, limes, etc.)....you have a lot of options available to you. That makes you a lucky bee. Really, if you go to your most local nursery (not a Houston Garden Center but more of a mom and pop shop, take a look around and see what they're growing to sell....they won't be growing anything there that can't make it....it's harder for them to sell....you'll get a better idea of what your area can tolerate). While you're there, you should ask them what zone you are in...to be sure.
This message was edited Aug 14, 2007 11:38 AM
Thank-you!
Flowers are complete on apple trees, but the pollen in the flower will not pollinate the stigma of the same flower because they mature at different times. Anna and Dorsett and maybe one other variety are the ones recommended for such warm climates. They will cross pollinate each other.
Plant hardiness zone map for Texas with the counties outlined:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cemap/hardiness.html
Good sources of information:
http://www.urbanharvest.org/advice/fruitgardening.html
http://www.southeasttexasgardening.info/treercmd.htm
Here is a list specifically for houston area:
http://www.urbanharvest.org/advice/fruitgardening.html