I was a Zone 7A (No. Ga.) Master Gardener. Got transplanted to Zone 5 (Indy).. Ick. Now living near Houston (9A). Today is just about perfect here...not too hot or humid (windows open and a/c off, amazing for this time of year), and I just marched out back and plucked a couple of blueberries. I thought vine-ripe tomatoes and fresh-dug potatoes were amazing, but HOLY COW!
I just out right LOVE Texas!!!
Y'all think I can grow citrus here?
OOH YUMMMMM Blueberries!
I am happy for you! Of course you can grow citrus! Your local Agrilife office should be able to advise you about what kinds.
http://texasextension.tamu.edu/county/
Maybe you can transfer into your local Master Gardener program.....
You are very fortunate to live near a great nursery - Maas. Have fun there!
Annette
Yes, you can grow some citrus. Go out and see if you can find the most recent Texas Gardener magazine (try a local nursery). It has a great article about growing citrus in Texas.
Thanks! You guys rock. I'll get the magazine. Plan to take the MG course down here in the Fall. Maas is All That and a side of fries, love it. Jim Maas is the most helpful nurseryman I've ever met! I stumbled onto this website when checking out Gardener's Choice (ewwww but they did finally refund my money) and I just love the newsletters - the Texas forum is just the best.
Proud to be a politically incorrect Texan (and I have the hat to prove it!),
~Kate
litlbitmorluv, I am in Indy now!!!!!
Come up ever yr to see my God-children!!! One is now 20 & one 14!!! Been coming up every May since b4 they both were born!!!!
I called my 85 yr old mom in FtW when I got here today & said 'I'm back home' & she thought that we had turned around & gone back to Texas!!! ROTFLOL ALOLA!!! You know 'Back home in Indiana!', right? Truth of the matter is, I have relatives in Indiana!!! & I can't imagine being any where else for Memorial Day wkend except in Indiana, especially, Indy!!!!!
I worked at a whsl nursery for almost 10yrs in the Hou area. Am now for the second yr, Tres for STNGA, (ck it out online), Maas was one of my customers!
I see that you are a newbie! But also see that you are headed in the right "Texas" direction!!!
Put me in your file!!! I am always sitting on ready, waiting on go!! & being a Texas lady, ain't no step for a stepper when it comes to miles!!
I know fr working @ that farm, that we brought in BB that will grow this far south!
D-mail me!
PS Helio is on the Pole & Danika is on the inside of the 4th row! Great positions to start!!! D-Mail me!!!
:~)
Don't know how to "D-Mail" yet. Helio and Danika are my favorites too! You can email me if you want, litlbitmorluv@aol.com.
litlbit, it's easy to D-mail. Just click on the name of the person you want to send to, and a screen will come up that has a selection to "send D-mail". Try it.........you'll like it!
sorry about that, I just couldn't help myself!
Try miho and seto mandarin citrus. Hardy to 14 degrees and available at Lowes and Home Depot.
Kumquats will also rock out at your location.
Mexican avocadoes should do fine at your location as well. Try Mexicola or Mexicola Grande/ hardy 18 degrees.
Strawberry guavas should be okay near the house. Hardy to 21 degrees.
I have had a Meyer's Lemon here in 8b for years now with no protection.
Dont do lime trees unless you want to protect them.
Starfruit and Lychees are iffy at your location. Maybe if planted up on the house. 24-26 degrees.
Go on and make your neighbors jealous.
Also find Jerry's Jungle.
I need a refresher, When is Jerry's Jungle Open Garden?
no way - avocados? i can die happy. used to ride my horse in Topanga (CA) and picked all kinds of citrus, fresh bay leaves, sage, thyme, rosemary, pomegranates but avocados...oh! This is why God made saddlebags!
and ooooooohhhhh i picked enough blueberries to make a pie, Paul thinks he's in heaven: heaven/Texas - pick one! now if i could just keep that blipping mockingbird off my tomatoes...and yes the topsy-turvy bag thing WORKS. Got grape tomatoes out the wazoo and want to do strawberries in one next year.
and thanks for telling me how to do d-mail.
p.s. if i seem discombobulated it's the advil p.m. which i do not recommend daytime. but i am not into pain.
The mexicola avocado varieties are hardy down to 18 degrees but there are two new varieties called Wilma and Opal which are hardy down to 14 degrees. They are ususally only available in Devine Texas at Devine avodados. However, you might find them locally if you are lucky.
if it gets down to 20 degrees I'll move! neither of which is expected to happen. and I don't need luck, I have Maas! thanks for the intel, I'm on it like a duck on a June bug. y'all come down for guacamole in a year or two
~kate
Can I threadjack to get back to blueberries? LOL
I've got a saskatoon blueberry on the way to being delivered -- should be here in a day or two. So if anyone has experience with that, I'm all ears. I'd like to grow it in a container if possible.
I did not think blueberries grew well in the Gulf Coast area. Are there any varieties in particular that fare well here?
I have read that Climax does good in south Texas.
Check you soil pH. Blueberries need a soil pH between 4.5 and 5.0. Given that most Texas soils are alkaline, using a raised bed filled with acidic soil, composted oak or pine needles. You can lower your soil pH by adding sulfur, but it's a time consuming task that may take a while to achieve. You would have monitor and amend your soil as needed to keep the pH low. The best bet would be to keep the plants in pots filled with potting soil for acid loving plants. You still need to check the pH.
Thanks, bettydee. Will do!
LiseP
I've been reading more about the saskatoon blueberry and turns out, it's not even a blueberry! It's the same as a serviceberry or juneberry, and is related to the apple tree. As such, it doesn't need things particularly acidic, merely well-draining.
I was a little bit bummed at first that I hadn't bought a true blueberry, but apparently it's plenty sweet and edible and far less picky about its growing conditions so perhaps it's just as well. JohnCrichton75, you might want to look into it.
Here's some good reading I found on the plant in general: http://www.nwplants.com/plants/shrubs/ame_alm_index.htm The article mentions that it will grow in Texas and Florida, and I seem to recall a couple older local folks here in San Antonio talking about picking serviceberries.
If you are interested, I bought mine at Gurneys.com and they very kindly sent me two plants bundled together (but it was intentional -- it said "2 plants" on the label) -- I'm not sure if they always do with this plant or if it's because I accidentally walked into a sale of some sort. I've put mine in large pots. Anyway, here are the product reviews:
http://gurneys.com/pop_crc.asp?pn=08511
LiseP
I do like the fact that there are a few ways to propagate this plant too.
I know I am hoping to sneak up to the King's Orchard in Plantersville, TX to pick blueberries. Last year I picked 10 pounds and made some incredible canned blueberry preserves.
http://www.pickyourown.org/TXhouston.htm
http://www.kingsorchard.com/
Hopefully it's not seen as spam but these are nice folks.
Water your Saskatoon bush well and you will have fruit as large as a blueberry. I personally like the taste of Saskatoons (Serviceberry) better than blueberries. I'm surprised it will grow well in a pot however (they get to be a pretty large bush, almost tree, here).
Well, we'll see if it can be grown in a pot! I've found it listed in a few places as a tree that adapts well to bonsai, and a few websites that list it as a good patio tree/bush. I was dismayed to see that it *can* grow as high as 20 feet! But the plant I bought is listed as 4'-6' in the catalog. (whew).
I'm glad your question prompted to me to do more reading. I realize that I have likely planted it too deeply so I'll try to get that fixed in the next day or two.
LiseP