These three easy fruit trees will provide you with fruit for decades!
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Pear Varieties for the South: https://www.thesurvivalgardener.com/pear-varieties-for-the-south/
Learn more about growing mulberries: https://www.thesurvivalgardener.com/survival-plant-profile-mulberries/
Learn more about growing persimmons: https://www.motherearthnews.com/grow-it/deep-south-fruit-trees-persimmon#axzz2LSdPqXnd
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I was asked about my recommendation for fruit trees along the Gulf Coast. Zone 8/9 is a great area for some fruit trees, but not for others. In my experience, the top three easy to grow fruit trees in the Deep South are the mulberry, the Japanese persimmon and the sand pear. All three grow quickly and produce an abundance of good fruit with very little care. I also add in a bonus tree – the fig! Figs are also easy to grow if you get the right variety. Another possibility is the loquat, but I do not really recommend it in the colder part of zone 8 because the fruit are often taken off by frost.
46 Comments
I planted 2 cherry trees in the food forest because I had future cold weather Changes to my area , people said I didn’t know what I was doing and wouldn’t get any fruit , it’s been below freezing here and it’s not even winter yet so it’s the cherries time to shine 🥶
You forgot pineapple guava (feijoa).
It’s a beautiful evergreen shrub, has pretty edible flowers, is extremely easy to grow (zone 8-9 Cali-Florida) and the improved varieties have large tasty fruit (well…I think they’re tasty!). As long as the soil is well draining, and you hand pollinate the flowers (need at least two varieties), you’ll have an abundant crop with zero care.
Hmm….Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening, that may prove very helpful for me here in central Mexico, I'm figuring we're about at the same latitude. As for Sand Pears, hard fruit,great for processing not so much for eating fresh…..this sounds like "Peras de agua", very hard, crunchy fruit, not much around here, probably because people here prefer the imported D'Anjous and Bartletts from Washington State. And the loquats, easy to care for, nice evergreens and yeah the common loquat, the fruit is small and in some the pit is so big, its more pit than fruit! 😂But the seeds do germinate very easily, I've just transplanted 2 to pots(from the ziploc plastic bag they were in), this is my 2nd time, the first time they grew to about 10 inches tall and then died. Loquats here are called Nísperos.Thanks for sharing DTG, and so enjoying Sugar 🥧!
…and they all make respectable brandy!
Drip…
Drip…
Drip…
No artic frost satsuma? So easy. Loquats do fine in zone 7 at my parents also.
Please don't play music while you're talking. It just doesn't work.
If you really must, turn it down a lot. It's easy to overpower your own voice, which is why playing music is generally not a good idea.
I know where a mulberry tree is on the grounds of an old sawmill.My buddy has worked there for over 38 years and the tree was big and mature when he was shown it. What a treasure this old tree is. Come to think of it I need to dig up some saplings!! Lol
Thank you so much David! I was who asked about the fruit trees…and I appreciate your so quick response. How you manage to stay on top of questions like mine with all you are doing in the garden, taping it all and everything that goes along that….and such a beautiful family and the time you spend being an obviously awesome dad and super sweet husband….I know your strength comes from the Lord and I know He will continue to bless you and your family. I am so glad I found your channel….you and Rachel are living breathing witnesses and I am blessed just reading your posts and watching your videos.
Sand pears make an awesome pies you have ever ate
Wow. This is so timely! I keep going back and forth about a Persimmons. I’m going to go check out the Fuyu. Kept reading the astringent is best for south Fl. But, I really wanted a non astringent to be honest. 🤔 Going to research the Fuyu! Thanks so much. Zone 9b here ! 👍
I'm lucky to have a huge pear tree in my yard, along with a fig tree. Can wait to add Mulberry! On a side note we also have a huge magnolia tree. I know citris grows well here, and I'm going to get some kumkuat cuttings to start. We live on the Alabama Gulf Coast.
Squirrels. Did mention squirrels?
@ David the Good – If mulberries are produced off of first year growth, then is it advisable to espalier them against a fence? Seems like it wouldn't be possible since you'd have to cut back the stems you just trained every year?
Pretty good list. I prefer Chickasaw plum over any persimmon. They make an amazing jam. They are native to the southeast and always produce.
I have a 100 year old peach tree, from under a leaking rainwater tank. I love this tree.
Loquats.!!
I wonder if it’s synchronization? I literally just planted 5 mulberry trees and 2 persimmons yesterday;) woke up this morning and my favorite gardener says plant these easy fruit trees. Pretty cool! Thanks David, you’ve given me more good advice than you’ll ever know. Happy new year and keep preaching the gospel homie! Thank you sincerely again! Have a wonderful day!!!
David where can I get some mulberry trees? Do you have any for sale I would love to get some. Thank you in advance.
I would personally recommend against planting White Mulberries (Morus alba) as they're invasive in the southeast. But another good easy fruit tree for me is the Kumquat. Especially if you can put it up against a south facing wall. Satsumas as well. And for soft eating pears I have Moonglow and Ayers, which are both supposed to be fire blight resistant and pretty tasty, but they haven't fruited yet so we'll see…
Are Fuyu Persimmons grafted or can I air propagate them? It might be the sweetest and easiest fruit I have ever grown myself.
Ew to the crew
Just ordered your book
Thank you
Great trees to grow here. Borers are annoying, I've had them set back and even kill some peach trees to the ground.
Wow. 3 days after you posted this video I ate a store bought Fuyu persimmon and found one single seed… I wonder can i grow it from seed in my zone 10 B south Florida. Thanks for letting me know with this right on time broadcast it might actually thrive 🤞🏾
David, I remember you planted apricot trees and gooseberries last year, did you have any success with them in our deep south heat? Also I know lots of people say fig trees are easy, but I have one for almost 3 years and it still has no fruit even though it grew very thick trunk and got very big overall, have no idea what is wrong with it. I see here on YouTube or at local stores just tiny sticks with fruit and mine has still nothing!
Good advice
Does mulberry grow true from seeds?
1:57 Native Red Mulberries actually taste great and are a whole 1" long. But unfortunately getting endangered due to hybridization with the invasive White Mulberries… So, ecologically, Morus rubra is actually a best choice!
2:44 Similarly, American and Texas Persimmons are the native varieties of Persimmons, and both taste fantastic! In fact, a ripe American Persimmon may be the sweetest type out there!
0:46 I would agree with Sand Pears (but even eaten raw) and also Figs too, though…
Have you grown pomegranates?
Rhonda! You’re literally my neighbor I’m right above I 10
On MS gulf coast! 😂
I planted a Fuyu Persimmon in New York backyard, and and after a couple of years the tree produced fruits, I could not give them away. First it was around 400 fruits, big sized fuyu, and then next year 300, then 200, and then they stopped completely. I checked up with the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and they told me that I should water, plenty of water. But nothing worked. The tree is still standing , without any fruits. It is irritating my wife, who wants me to cut it. But I hate cutting trees. Do you have any solutions?
I have all of these. Zone 9a 9b. Jax Fl. I have actually found white fruiting mulberry wild in the woods and had success with propagation.
I love your videos. I'm closing a 2.5 acre around Okeechobee, FL and wanted to start my sustain garden + fruit trees! Amateur here still learning…
I just planted two fuyu's and a hachiya persimmon here Florida. I got spoiled buying persimmons by the pound at a Super Hmart in Colorado but then I was paying $1.50 each here in Florida. Now I can just go out in the yard and pick 'em. Also, I brought four figs with me from Colorado that never got a chance to produce much fruit because of early and late freezes. Now here in Florida they are leafless for the winter but I can see how vibrant green the branches are — and a few leaves are starting to pop.
Suggestions on how to actually harvest mulberries??? My birds get almost ALL of them….i am going with quantity. Just planted 2 morein hope I can get some
I planted about a dozen red mulberry seedlings 6 years ago… The ones downhill from the ducks' swimming pool grew ~extremely~ fast and were producing fruit by the 3rd year. The mulberries were just ok on all but one tree, and THAT tree had some dang tasty fruit. I called my husband over and we stood there eating the berries til they were gone.
We moved the next year but I'll always remember that moment, the first time I planted a tree and got to enjoy the fruit it bore ❤️
Pear salsa, I love that idea!
Have you ever grown pineapple guava?
We had insane success with a Texas Yellow fig tree for years 1 hour south of the AL/TN line, including giving cuttings away, with success, over those years. As peaches go, you're familiar with Chilton County yet?
What is that song?
Brown Turkey fig…..The only effort is beating the birds to the figs.
All they’s can grow in cold climates to.
I did it, I bought two trees and I'm gonna try the grocery row. I'm nervous but excited at the same time. The Grocery Row Gardening book definitely convinced me that I can do it 😂. We have a mulberry tree in our backyard currently and it's a giant, I'm pretty sure it was planted when our house was built waaaay back in the early 50's sadly it takes up a huge amount of space and has become quite scary looking sooo Free Plants For Everyone got me thinking that I could propagate the giant Mulberry and start a new tree. If I can accomplish the new tree it'll free up quite a bit of room and will allow for more sunlight and if I'm successful I may propagate a few and sell them or give them away 🤷♀️ . With the two new trees (apricot and nectarine) and the mulberry I'm on my way and can't wait for next growing season to kick off!
I'm looking to buy a sand pear. Is it the same as an Asian pear? Like if I buy an asian pear from my favorite fruit tree website then is that the same as a sand pear?
I live in The Bahamas 🇧🇸 i have a black mullberry tree and it produces fruit atleast 3 times a year and for 2 or 3 months each time it's awesome
Here above 10 also.. pearl river county