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Joshua Peede
Landscape Designer & Gardener
ISCO Landscaping • Wilson, NC
SCC Landscape Gardening Graduate
A Local Fruit Grower’s Guide
by Joshua Peede
Many people have great aspirations about
growing a variety of fruiting plants in their own
garden, envisioning bountiful, future harvests
that will feed their family. Unfortunately, those
dreams are overshadowed by the reality of poor
yield, insect invasions, rotting fruit and other
occurrences sometimes. If this sounds like an
experience you’ve encountered before, then
do not be alarmed, because the outcome can
most likely be changed for the better with a little
preparation and knowledge about what to plant,
where to plant it, and how to care for it. I do not
consider myself an expert in this field, but I have
learned some helpful things along the way that
I believe will help you make more informed
decisions for the future.
Starting with what I believe are the easiest,
and working toward the more challenging fruits
to grow, I’ll give you some valuable information
that should point you in the right direction.
My list begins with figs. Figs are a fleshy fruit
with a distinct, sweet taste. They are typically
not found on grocery store shelves because of
their short shelf life, so the best way to get your
own is to grow them in your yard. There are two
main varieties grown here in North Carolina
that do really well, ‘Brown Turkey’ and ‘Celeste.’
Brown Turkey is a slightly larger growing plant
than Celeste, reaching heights of 15-20 feet
at maturity, where Celeste usually finishes
out around 10 feet tall. When picking a site
for growing figs, be sure that it receives over 6
hours of sun each day, is well drained, and allow
plenty of room for the plant to mature. Figs do
not need a pollinizer, so you can get fruit with
only one plant. Soils with good organic matter
are recommended, but don’t over-fertilize
figs, because they do not respond well when
receiving excess amounts of synthetic fertilizer
at one time.
The next fruiting plant on my list in relation
to ease of establishment and maintenance is
the blueberry. A favorite here in the Sandhills,
the blueberry is a plant that yields a lot of fruit.
When selecting a site for blueberry bushes,
make sure that it receives a full day of sunlight
and has soil that is well-drained. Before planting
your blueberries, test the pH of your soil to see if
the level is 4.0-5.5. If it is not, then soil acidifier
or sulfur that you can find at your local garden
center can be added to the soil to reduce the
number into this range. If the number is low,
you will need to add lime. Blueberries are shrubs
that require a pollinizer, so plant more than one
shrub and variety for best results. There are
two main types called Rabbiteye and Highbush
blueberries. Highbush varieties tend to get taller
than 10’, and have powder-blue fruit, where
Rabbiteye varieties tend are more compact
with smooth, dark blue fruit. One of my favorite
varieties that I’ve tried is called ‘Legacy,’ a newer
hybrid with early, large fruit, and tastes amazing!
As far as fertilization goes, I recommend
fertilizing with Holly-tone and Cottonseed meal
as soon as flowers appear in spring.
With blueberries and figs being the simplest
fruits to grow and care for, my next selection is
the grape vine. Did you know that the state fruit
of North Carolina is the Scuppernong grape?
Scuppernong and Muscadine grapes can easily
be grown here, but do require some type of
support for growth, such as an arbor. Muscadine
and Scuppernong grapes are both seeded
grapes. Muscadines are usually brown-black in
appearance, and Scuppernongs are somewhat
bronze-golden colored, and larger than the
Muscadine. These grape vines can have what
are called “perfect flowers,” which contain both
male and female reproductive parts, but this is
not the case with every vine. Therefore, to ensure
maximum yield, you really must have multiple
vines, and ensure that the vines with perfect
flowers are spread evenly to where pollinators
can travel with ease to neighboring female
flowers. When purchasing grape vines, they
typically contain “perfect flowers,” considering
that vegetative cuttings were probably taken
from desirable, fruiting vines to generate new
ones. With site selection and fertilization, grapes
like to grow in somewhat arid conditions, so if
you find a place that receives all day sun, and
is toward the top of a slope, then this should
be a great place for grapes. When grapes just
begin developing on the vine, it is a good
time to incorporate at least 4 or 5 handfuls of
composted cow manure around the base of each
vine. When first planting grapes, do not expect
fruit for at least a couple of years. Fruit forms on
last year’s wood, so when making your pruning
cuts on a more mature vine in late winter, only
leave 2-4 nodes of last year’s growth and remove
the rest of the cane. This short piece of the vine
remaining from the cut will support the growth
for the upcoming season’s crop.
Blackberries are another type of fruit
that grow well here. There are two types of
blackberries as well; semi-trailing and erect.
The erect varieties are self-supporting, but the
semi-trailing varieties need a support system
to grow on, like a two wire setup, with one wire
about 5 foot off the ground, and the other wire
18 inches lower, directly under the top wire,
running in a line atop the row of berry bushes.
When the semi-trailing varieties grow along this
system, the fruiting canes can be supported
by the wires. All blackberries bloom and fruit
on second year wood like grapes, and when
canes are finished fruiting, they will die back
and need to be removed. There are thorned
and thornless varieties in both categories, but
I’ll just make mention of the thornless, since
I’m pretty sure that is what most people prefer.
‘Navaho’ and ‘Arapaho’ are thornless, erect
varieties, where ‘Hull’ and ‘Gem’ are thornless,
semi-trailing varieties. Blackberries benefit
from heavy mulching around the plant to keep
weeds from overgrowing as well as retaining
moisture around the roots. Also, fertilizing with
10-10-10 or a similar analysis in the spring is
recommended.
Though Kiwi is a more tropically grown
fruit generally, there is a hardy kiwi vine that
grows well in North Carolina. The fruit on this
vine is typically about the size of a large grape,
but still has that nice flavor that you find in
the large varieties. You will need to plant more
than one vine, as there is a need for male and
female plants in order to produce fruit. ‘Issai’
is the variety that normally does well here, and
needs a simple trellis or chain-link fence to grow
on for support. I recommend this plant for its
ease of growing, taste, and uniqueness. If you
are looking for an equally interesting plant to
grow, consider an Asian Persimmon like ‘Fuyu’
or ‘Jiro’, two varieties that do well and have
interesting fruit that resembles the look of a
tomato when ripe, and grows on a small tree.
These persimmons are self-fertile as well.
Apples are grown in many parts of the
U.S., including North Carolina, but careful
consideration needs to be done before planting
some at your home or farm. This is not to
discourage you, but to point out some things
you need to think about. Just like most fruit
trees, it’s good to select a site that is in full sun,
on a slope if there is one, to lessen impact of
late spring freezes that can settle into the low
lying areas more easily, and kill off buds that
become the fruit. Avoiding drainage problems is
another advantage of planting higher on a slope.
Apples usually require another pollinizer within
a specific group to cross pollinate for proper
development. You will want to consider this, as
well as looking at varieties that have resistance
to things like cedar-apple rust and mildew.
‘Golden Delicious’ is one of a few varieties that
are self-fertile.
One fruit that I have not mentioned yet is the
peach. Peaches are a delicacy in the Sandhills,
with many groves nearby. These trees prefer
sandy, well drained soil, but need a soil pH level
greater than 5.5, so liming is typically necessary
in the local soils. There are many diseases,
funguses, and insects that can pose problems,
so carefully select healthy trees that are less
susceptible to the issues found in your area.
Also, follow the same rules for site selection as
we mentioned with the apples, because late
spring freezes can be devastating with peaches.
One upside to growing peaches is that they are
self-fertile; you can plant just one if you’d like.
I know that we have just skimmed the surface
on the fruits above, but I believe that what you
know now will help you make more informed
decisions before shopping next time at the
nursery. As we close, I want to make mention
of a few other fruit plants. Pears are hardy here,
although most varieties need a companion for
pollination. ‘Dolgo’ Crabapples are also a good
choice of self-fertile fruit trees. Pomegranates
can be grown here, and many are self-fertile as
well. Last but not least, plums are grown locally,
but just using many of the same precautions for
most fruit trees with site selection and varieties
as most require cross pollination.
Now go out and grow your own food, and
use these tips along with your own research to
guide you to educated selections, while most
importantly having fun! ��
Blueberries, a local favorite!
No. 130 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.29