SAN ANGELO, Texas — What's better in the hot summertime than biting into fresh, delicious homegrown fruit? Summer right now may be the last thing on our minds, but winter is a great time of year to plant fruit trees that can be enjoyed in the future.
Most woody plants fare better if planted in the cool season, giving them a chance to establish a good root system in mild weather, than if planted when it's hot outside. Plus, it's much easier on the gardener to dig the hole and do the work.
Our unpredictable climate doesn't make it easy to produce fruit, but it is possible to grow peaches, plums, apricots, pears, apples, pomegranates and blackberries in this part of Texas. Difficulty of production will depend on the type of fruit as well as specific variety. Pears are the easiest and most dependable option, while apricots only produce a crop occasionally. Pomegranates are another good option, as they are well adapted to our hot, dry weather.
Most apples are not self-fruitful, and will need at least two different varieties. The same goes for pear trees. It's important to choose varieties carefully, and select those that have proved to be successful in the area — a good variety would be one that has the proper chilling hours requirement, is resistant to pests and is adapted to soil and other local conditions.
Chilling hours are the number of hours with temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees, and fruit trees will not bloom or set fruit until the requirement is met. In the Concho Valley, we typically have about 900 chilling hours.
Most fruit trees will try to produce more fruit than they can sustain, and need to be thinned to produce high-quality fruit. For example, when fruit is still very small apples should be thinned to one or two fruit per cluster, and peaches thinned to 6 to 8 inches apart.
Strawberries are another popular fruit to grow, but can be frustrating. They are sold in the springtime, but don't do well in our hot weather. Research is being done on fall planting of strawberries inside a low-tunnel hoop house for protection through freezing winter temperatures. Raspberries and blueberries are simply not a reasonable option in this part of Texas, but thankfully we have plenty of other tasty choices.
Recommended varieties for the Concho Valley:
Apple: Top Red, Anna, Mollie's Delicious, Gala
Pear: Orient, Moonglow, Kieffer
Peach: Ranger, Redglobe, Belle of Georgia
Apricot: Harcot, Golden Amber, Harval
Plum: Morris, Ozark Premier, Methley
Pomegranate: Sumbar, Russian 18 (aka Texas Red), Salavatski
Blackberry: Brazos, Womack, Rosborough
Allison Watkins is Tom Green County Extension horticulturist. Contact her at AEWatkins@ag.tamu.edu.