Fruit Trees in Austin

Fruit and Nut Trees Chilling hours refers to the number of hours, 45 degrees and under, during the dormant season. All fruit and nut trees need a specific amount of chilling hours before they produce fruit. The amount varies with each variety and the hours need not be continuous. Average number of chilling hours in Texas ranges from 500-1200. The following is a list of varieties that we plan on having for sale this year and while supplies last.

Availabilities are subject to change.

APPLES Mature apple trees can reach 15 to 25 feet tall and 10 to 25 feet wide. They prefer full sunlight and well-draining soil with large amounts of moisture. Pruning increases air circulation and light, necessary to produce healthy fruit. Fragrant, white, five-petal blossoms appear in late spring. Fruits develop through summer, reaching optimal ripeness in the fall.

MOST VARIETIES ARE SEMI to COMPLETELY SELF-FERTILE; however, planting several varieties guarantees good pollination and spreads the harvest season over a longer period of time.

EZ PICK Anna: Mature height & spread is 6-12 ft. Large fruit w/ light greenish-yellow skin with slight red blush. Sweet, slightly tart, crisp, creamy white flesh. Good choice for salads, pies, applesauce and eating off the tree. Stores well. A low chilling selection from Israel esp. suited for Southern California and low desert areas. Produces at an early age. Ripens: late June.

POLLINIZER RECOMMENDED. (200-300 chilling hours)

EZ PICK Early Summer – Red: Mature height & spread is 6-12 ft. Outstanding fruit in early summer. Medium fruit w/ red skin, crisp white flesh with sweet to tangy flavor. Blooms Mid-April. Ripens: late June to early July. SEMI-SELF-FERTILE. (500 chilling hours)

EZ PICK Gala: Mature height & spread is 6-12 ft. Medium fruit w/ Conic to round shape. Golden yellow skin with reddish-orange blush. Flesh is firm, crisp, sweet and juicy with excellent flavor. Stores well. Will take summer heat. Ripens: late August to early September. Earlier in warmer valley climates.

SEMI-SELF FERTILE. (500 chilling hours) Granny Smith: Large fruit. Bright green skin which is retained long after harvest. Flesh is firm, sweet/tart. Good for eating, cooking, and sauce. Does well in hot climates. Ripens: August to September. SEMI-SELF FERTILE. (400 chilling hours)

EZ PICK Red Fuji: Medium fruit w/ yellowish-green base with red blush over entire surface. Firm, crunchy, juicy, white flesh with excellent flavor. Stores well. Will take summer heat. Ripens: Early to Mid-September with Fuji. SEMI-SELF-FERTILE. (350-400 chilling hours)

BLACKBERRIES Mature blackberry bushes reach 4-6 ft tall and wide. They prefer deep well-drained, slightly acidic soil that is not saline. Deep-rooted plant that likes to be planted in full sun. Plant 3-4 ft apart in rows 6-8 ft apart. ALL ARE SELF-FERTILE.

Apache: Cultivar released by the University of Arkansas. Erect, thornless blackberry bush. Produces higher yields and the largest fruit of the thornless cultivars, 'Arapaho' and 'Navaho.' Excellent flavor and firmness. Good for fresh eating, jams, jellies or pies. Ripens after ‘Arapaho’ and before ‘Navajo.’ Very disease resistant.

Arapaho: Cultivar released from the University of Arkansas. Erect, thornless blackberry bush. Good fruit quality. Excellent flavor and firmness. Good for fresh eating, jams, jellies or pies. Ripens before 'Apache' and 'Navaho.' Moderately vigorous. Very disease resistant; small seeds.

Brazos: Cultivar released by Texas A&M University in 1959. Large, attractive, fairly firm berry with tart acid flavor. Best for cooking. Vigorous upright grower. Bush form. Productive and disease resistant. Ripens early in late May through July.

Rosborough: Cultivar released by Texas A&M University in 1977. Erect, thorned blackberry and producing large fruit that are sweeter than

Brazos, and yields are often higher. Ripens same time as Brazos. It is the best early variety for East and South Central Texas.

FIGS Mature figs can reach 15-25 ft tall and 15-20 ft across. In rows, space 15-20 ft apart. Figs bear fruit continuously throughout the summer and into the fall. Soil should be deep and well drained. Drought tolerant. 'Open or closed eye' is a reference to the condition of the eye's outside opening leading to the interior pulp of the fig. Both water and/or insects can move through a fig's eye opening and do some damage. Require few chilling hours. ALL ARE SELF-FERTILE.

Alma: Medium sized fruit. Golden brown skin and tasty, amber-tan flesh. Smaller tree than average (10’T & W) with a compact habit. This heavy bearing, very sweet fig was released from Texas A & M University's breeding program in 1975. It has a small eye which prevents spoilage during adverse weather conditions. Heavy main crop that ripens very late. Good fresh or dried. Highly resistant to fruit rots. MODERATE CLOSED EYE.

Black Mission: Medium to large fruits with dark purple-ish black skin and pink colored flesh. Bears first round in June and then again in August-September. Great for eating fresh and also popular for dyring. CLOSED EYE.

Brown Turkey: Medium to large. Purplish-brown skin with light strawberry flesh. Sweet, best eaten fresh. The fruit is excellent for making home preserves. Has the longest ripening season of the recommended varieties. Ranges from coastal to inland heat. CLOSED EYE.

Celeste: Small to medium fruit ripens in June. Violet to purplish-brown colored skin. White flesh, shading to rose at center. Firm and juicy, the sweetest fig of them all! Celeste has excellent fresh dessert quality with a rich sweet flavor. Celeste is the most cold hardy of all Texas fig varieties and has been known to survive down to 11 degrees F. The tree is large, vigorous, and very productive. Do not prune mature Celeste trees heavily since this can reduce the crop. CLOSED EYE.

Texas Blue Giant Fig: A fig developed in TX that has extra large fruit with purple skin and amber flesh. Fruit is very sweet; good fresh or dried.

Texas Everbearing: Medium to large fruit, bell shaped, brownish-purple fruit, with deep burgundy pulp. Large bush form, most popular in Central Texas. Bears at young age and produces longer than most other varieties. Will tolerate colder areas. The early crop ripens in May; the main crop ripens in late June and continues to ripen into August.

GRAPES: Soil should be deep and well-drained, preferably a sandy or sandy loam soil. Grapes are large and vigorous vines that thrive in full sun with good air circulation. Allow 10-15 ft to grow and sprawl. If planting along a trellis or wire support, space 8 ft apart.

There are two grape classifications: Cane varieties, which develop fruiting wood away from the base of the cane, leave long canes to train on wire or trellis. Most cane produced varieties are excellent for arbors. Spur varieties which develop fruiting wood close to the base of cane-prune back to within several buds to leave small spurs for development of new wood. This method is used for most wine grapes and a few table grapes. ALL ARE SELF-FERTILE.

Black Spanish: Small black fruit in full, compact clusters. Vigorous, productive, and resistant to Pierce’s disease, but susceptible to black rot. Heat and drought tolerant. Good for jelly, juice and wine.

Cane pruning: Ripens: August-September. Champanel: Seeded large black grape with a thin, tough skin and juicy flesh. This variety is very heat and drought tolerant and does well in all soil types including alkaline and black soils. This makes a good table grape and is good for juicing. Ripens evenly in large, loose clusters in the summer.

Cane pruning: Adapted to north central Texas and is resistant to Pierce's disease.

Venus: Large, blue-black seedless grape with a wonderful sweet fruitiness with a suggestion of muscat. Excellent for table, wine, and juice. Very vigorous and good productivity. Spur pruning. This is a variety which develops fruiting wood close to the base of canes-prune back to within several buds to leave small spurs for development of new wood.

Seibel: Large. Whitish-yellow fruit. Large clusters. Medium vine vigor, very cold hardy. Great wine and table variety. Good selection for the southwest. Spur pruning. Ripens: August-September, with Concord.

JUJUBE Mature trees can grow up to 20 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Jujube trees are self-fertile (although they have greater yield with another variety nearby) and the abundant fruits are sweet and crunchy. Truly delicious fresh. Jujubes can dry on the tree for future use. Both fresh and dried fruit are packed with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Jujube trees will thrive under the harshest conditions. Hardy to at least minus 10 degrees F and can take almost any amount of summer heat, yet needs very little winter chill, less than 200 hours. Full sun, drought tolerant. Best fruit set and flavor in hot summer areas. No known insect or disease problems.

GA-866: An outstanding selection out of the Chico Research program. It has large, elongated fruit. Fruit is noteworthy for its remarkably high sugar content. Sweet apple flavor. When candied and dried, resembles dates. Good in hot, desert regions. Attractive shiny leaves. Ripens: Fall, mid-season.

Li: The number one seller. 1 ½ inch long, round-plump. Can be picked yellow-green and will finish ripening off the tree to wrinkled, mahogany color. Arched branching structure. Ripens mid-season in fall.

Sugar Cane: New cultivar. Sweetest fruit of any of the jujubes. Fruits earlier than 'Li' or 'Lang' and is a very productive variety. Fruit develops over an extended period, so you can harvest at your leisure. Best for eating straight off tree. MULBERRY Mature trees can grow up to at least 20 feet tall and at least 20 feet wide; can grow larger with maturity so provide ample space for growth. Prune to promote denser growth. Trees are either dioecious or monoecious, and sometimes will change from one sex to another. The flowers are held on short, green, pendulous, nondescript catkins that appear in the axils of the current season's growth and on spurs on older wood. They are wind pollinated and some cultivars will set fruit without any pollination. Cross-pollination is not necessary. Botanically the fruit is not a berry but a collective fruit, in appearance like a swollen loganberry. The color of the fruit does not identify the mulberry species.

White mulberry (Morus alba) varieties are quite tolerant of drought, pollution and poor soil. They are also the most cold hardy species.

‘Teas Red’ (Morus alba ‘Pendula’): Distinctively shaped, weeping tree creating mounding, round crown. Great ornamental quality for the landscape as well as enjoyable, edible blackberry-like fruit. Very cold hardy to USDA Zone 3. Ripens:

Early Summer Black Beauty (Morus nigra sp.): Large, tasty blackberry-like fruit, black and juicy. Very attractive to birds. Grown as a small tree or proverbial mulberry bush. Cold Hardy to USDA Zone 4. Ripens: Early summer.

NECTARINES Nectarines are classified, like peaches, into two categories: clingstone and freestone. In freestone varieties, the pit separates easily from the flesh, whereas cling does not and will leave some flesh attached to the pit. Soil should be deep, sandy and well-drained.

Red Sunset (Dwarf): Mature height & spread is 5 ft. Large fruit w/ deep red colored skin. Juicy, firm, yellow flesh. Freestone. Self-fertile, excellent production. Ripens: Mid-June (400 chilling hours)

PEACHES Mature trees will be up to 20 ft tall and 15-18 ft across. Space 18-25 ft apart. MOST VARIETIES ARE SELF-FERTILE, however, planting several varieties guarantees good pollination and spreads the harvest season over a longer period of time. Peaches are classified into two categories: clingstone and freestone. In freestone varieties, the pit separates easily from the flesh, whereas cling does not and will leave some flesh attached to the pit. Soil should be deep, sandy and well-drained. Peach trees bear fruit only on one-year or older wood. When thinning out fruiting wood, remove old gray-colored, slow growing shoots which are not fruitful and leave one-year-old, red, 18 - 24 inch bearing shoots.

Belle of Georgia: Heavy producer of large, white fleshed fruit. A freestone variety with excellent flavor. Ripens: August. (800 chilling hours)

Floridaking: Medium to large fruit. Semi-clingstone. Developed by the University of Florida, it has yellow flesh and a beautiful red blush over a yellow base skin color. Ripens: Mid to late May. (400- 450 chilling hours)

Frank: Large fruit. Clingstone. Skin is yellow with red blush. Flesh is yellow, juicy and very sweet. Ripens: Mid to late August. (750 chilling hours)

John Fanick’s: Large fruit. Freestone. Yellow fleshed fruit with excellent flavor. 80% red blush over yellow skin. Heavy consistent producer. Attractive spring bloom. Came from seedling of La Feliciana. Ripens mid to late July. (450-500 hours chilling)

June Gold: Large fruit. Clingstone. Yellow flesh with melting texture. Heavy producer of high quality early peaches. Ripens late May to early June. (650 chilling hours)

La Feliciana: Medium to large round fruit. Freestone. Dark red blush on skin. Flesh is sweet and tangy, excellent texture, and firm. Very heavy producer. Good for mild winter areas. Ripens: Late June to early July. (400-450 chilling hours) Peppermint (Ornamental Flowering): Large, double blooms, white with pinks strips. Blooms mid-spring. Prune after bloom for good show of flowers the following year.

EZ PICK Red Baron: (ornamental flowering and fruiting) Mature height & spread is 6-12 ft. Double delight with large, double red blossoms, and sweet, juicy peaches. Fruit are yellow and freestone. This peach variety is showy enough to be used as a landscape specimen. Self-Fertile. Ripens: mid-July to mid-August (250 chilling hours)

Red Baron: (ornamental flowering and fruiting) Double delight with large, double red blossoms, and sweet, juicy peaches. Fruit are yellow and freestone. This peach variety is showy enough to be used as a landscape specimen. Self-Fertile. Ripens: mid-July to mid-August (250 chilling hours)

Sam Houston: Medium fruit. Freestone. Red skin. Firm, yellow flesh; sweet, mild flavor. Good for mild winter areas. Ripens: June (550 chilling hours)

Southern Sweet (Dwarf): Mature height & spread is 5 ft. Very large, yellow flesh freestone. Very productive. Blooms very early, indicating low chilling requirement. Showy, dark pink blossoms cover the tree in spring. Ripens: Late July to early August. (300 chilling hours)

PEARS Mature tree can be up to 20 ft tall and wide. Planting distance 15-20 ft apart. MOST NEED CROSSPOLLINATION.

All varieties will cross-pollinate if they bloom at the same time. Bees are not easily attracted to pear blooms because the sugar content of pear nectar is low.

Kieffer: Large. Greenish-yellow skin blushed red. Coarse, crisp, juicy, white flesh. AKA Sugar Pear. Pulp is coarse and hard, preferable for pear preserves, and freshly cooked pear sauce. Stores well. Ripens: October to November. SELF-FERTILE. (400 chilling hours)

Moonglow: Produces a fruit that when ripe, develops a creamy, white glow on the skin of the pear. The fruit has a musky fragrance that heightens the senses and the very soft, juicy pulp has an excellent quality that is most appreciated when eaten fresh. Ripens: August to September. POLLINATOR REQUIRED. (400 chilling hours)

EZ-PICK Shinko Asian Pear. Medium to large. Skin brownish-green. Flesh excellent, rich, sweet flavor. Fine texture. Russet type. Stores well through January. Fireblight resistant.Ripens: Mid-Aug to Mid-Sept. SEMI-SELF-FERTILE. (450 chilling hours)

PECANS The Pecan tree was designated the official state tree of Texas in 1919. Remarkably long lived, the pecan can survive more than a thousand years and grow over 100 feet tall. Pecan trees can make beautiful shade trees but beware of weak limbs falling occasionally. They prefer deep soil with regular water and are frequently seen growing along waterways. Because of their extensive tap-roots, however, they can withstand a remarkable level of drought and stress. Fertilizing with a high-nitrogen fertilizer, amending with zinc, and avoiding over-crowding are important elements to consider in cultivation.

Choctaw: Makes a great shade tree for a yard but need fairly rich, deep soil to produce good yields.

Paper shell (easy to shell). Bears at an early age. Very smooth, high in oil content, bright in color, and rich in flavor. A cross between Success and Mahan. Desireable: A regular and heavy producer of large, round, fat pecans with excellent flavor. Can take 8-10 years to get a good crop but will produce regularly. Does great in hot and humid climates including Central Texas. It is well branched, making it a good choice for home or residential plantings.

Native (Carya illinoinensis): Collected locally in East Austin, this is smaller fruit with a medium to hard shell. Possibly a cross. Thrives in Central Texas and produces heavily in good years.

PERSIMMONS Mature trees can reach up to 20 ft tall. Planting distance 20 x 20 ft. Persimmon trees are easy to grow and are adapted to most regions in Texas. They are free from serious insect and disease problems, which makes it an excellent dooryard specimen. It requires no sprays and is a favorite organic or health fruit. The fruit is very delicious and high in Vitamin A. Persimmons can be classified into two general categories: those that bear astringent fruit until they are soft ripe and those that bear nonastringent fruits. An astringent cultivar must be jelly soft before it is fit to eat. Young fruit has a high tannin content, which makes the immature fruit astringent and bitter. The tannin levels are reduced as the fruit matures. A non-astringent persimmon, often dark-fleshed types may be crisp as an apple, sweet and edible even before full ripening; these cultivars need hot summers. Chilling hours required for all varieties are minimum, approx. 100-200 hours.

Fuyu ‘Jiro’: With Fuyu, most popular fresh eating Japanese persimmon. Large, round, flattened. Reddish-orange skin. Good eating. Firm when ripe. Non-astringent even when firm. Bears as a young tree and is a heavy producer. Does not have male flowers so it will not have seeds unless planted with other varieties. Ripens: November.

Jiro is a variety closely resembling Fuyu, and often sold as Fuyu because it can be hard to tell the difference in trade. Hachiya: Very large, oblong with rather short point. Skin bright orange-red covered with dark blotches. Flesh dark-yellow with occasional black streaks. Largest and best cooking quality. Much used for drying in Japan. Tree, vigorous, upright and shapely. Astringent when firm. Non-astringent when fully ripe and soft, then sweet and rich. Seedless to few seeds. Ripens: November.

Tamopan: Extra large. Round with acorn shaped cap. Golden-red skin. Astringent until fully ripe, then flesh is non-astringent and tender, juicy, sweet and rich. Excellent for cooking. Ripens: Novemeber

Tanenashi: Medium-sized, round to coned-shaped. Seedless. Astringent until soft, then very sweet. Orange-red skin with yellow flesh when ripe. Long harvest season. Ripens in October –November.

PLUMS Mature trees can reach up to 20 ft tall. Planting distance 20 x 20 ft. Plums flower earlier in the season than most fruit trees, so if your garden is in a cool area avoid early flowering varieties. They prefer full sun, although some shade in the morning or afternoon is tolerated. Avoid water-logged and drought prone areas. Do not plant close to other trees because the other trees will deprive them of the moisture they need.

Bruce: Large. Red Skin. Red flesh, delicious flavor. Bears at a young age. Ripens in June. NEEDS POLLINIZER: Methley. (800 chilling hours)

EZ-PICK Burgundy: Medium. Reddish-purple skin. Flesh deep red, mellow, sweet. Small pit. Good for mild winter areas, yet cold hardy. Ripens: Early July, but keeps well on tree until Mid-August. SELF-FERTILE. (250-350 chilling hours)

Methley: Medium to large. Purplish skin. Flesh amber tinged with red; delicious flavor. Ripens early June. SELF-FERTILE. (250 chilling hours)

POMEGRANATES: Mature trees can reach up to 20 ft tall. Planting distance 20 x 20 ft. Pomegranates should be placed in the sunniest, warmest part of the yard or orchard for the best fruit, although they will grow and flower in part shade. The attractive foliage, flowers and fruits of the pomegranate, as well as its smallish size, make it an excellent landscaping plant. Pomegranates are relatively free of most pests and diseases. The pomegranate does best in well-drained ordinary soil, but also thrives on calcareous or acidic loam as well as rock-strewn gravel. Heat and drought tolerant. The pomegranate is SELF-FERTILE as well as cross-pollinated by insects. Cross-pollination increases the fruit set. Chilling hours required for all varieties are minimum, approx. 150-200 hours.

Double Yellow: Mostly ornamental. While not much is known about this variety in terms of it’s fruit quality, the double, light pinkish-yellow blooms are reason enough to grow this fast-growing 10-15’ tree. Needs mostly sun for best blooms. Dwarf: A dense growing, dwarf, cultivar to 4-6 feet with double red-orange flowers. Blooms almost continuously from spring until late fall. Good for containers. SELF-FERTILE.

Eve: Old variety, recently introduced to the Texas public. Lynn Lowry favorite. Similar to Wonderful variety, except fruit and flowers are darker red and better tasting. SELF-FERTILE. Granada: Large. Resembles Wonderful with deeper red blossom, regularly bears fruit and ripens one month earlier. Fruit is a darker color and less tart. Tree is identical to Wonderful in shape and size. Ripens: August. SELF-FERTILE. Kashmir: Medium size pomegranate with light pink-red exterior.

Ruby red seeds have intense flavor with no overbearing acidic taste. Tree has a slightly spreading growth habit and can also be grown as a shrub. Keep at any height with summer pruning. Excellent source of antioxidants- eat fresh or use in cooking. SELF-FERTILE.

Sharp Velvet: Large sized pomegranate with very appealing, unique refreshing flavor. Fruit has a dark red exterior and dark seeds, the color of crushed-red velvet. Upright growing tree sets huge crops of highly ornamental fruit and can be kept at any height with summer pruning. Eat fresh or use in cooking. An excellent source of antioxidants. SELF-FERTILE. Wonderful: Originated in Florida. First propagated in California in 1896. Large, deep purple-red fruit. Rind medium thick, tough. Flesh is deep crimson in color, juicy and delicious. Seeds not very hard. Better for juicing than for eating out of hand. Plant is vigorous and productive. SELF-FERTILE.

STRAWBERRIES: Strawberries will grow in a wide range of soil types, as long as the soil is well drained. They thrive with rich, well-drained soil. Strawberries should be planted in the fall or early spring. They will need some protection from the hot afternoon sun during the summer. Plant in full sun 6-10” apart in single rows.

Chandler: A very large strawberry that is medium red with a glossy finish; shape is long conical to long wedge shaped. High yielding. Excellent quality fruit.

Florida Radiance (aka ‘Fortuna’ in Europe): Medium-sized. Bright to dark red skin with a mild flavor. Produces heavily and spreads relatively quickly by runners. Developed to yield in the winter in mild climates.

Quinault (Everbearing): Large fruit. Medium red color, soft, good flavor berry. Vigorous semiupright plant. Resists leaf spot and mildew. Makes good jam and a good dessert berry. An everbearing variety popular for home use everywhere.

Sequoia (Everbearing): Very large. Medium red color, not good for shipping but great for the homeowner. The sweetest, best tasting strawberry and the most popular. #1 recommended variety for back yard use. Blooms within 10 weeks after planting.