By Amanda Moon.
Edible landscaping is a trend involving the inter-planting into the landscape of trees and plants that are not only beautiful, but also have a food value. Rosemary is a perfect example of a great landscape shrub that is also a staple herb around the world.
One of the larger and more prominent additions to an edible landscape plan is the addition of fruit trees. These can add shade and beauty to a yard, and at the same time offer a wonderful bounty of fresh fruit in exchange for a little water and care.
Some of the more traditionally grown fruit trees in central Texas include peaches, plums, pears, pecans and apples. Look for varieties that will thrive in this area.
These fruits need deeper soil – especially for pecans – so if your yard has a solid layer of caliche it may be necessary to build up a raised area for the roots to grow through. If you need to raise a bed, choose dwarf varieties for best results.
Make sure you irrigate your trees regularly every year, as fruit production can be affected by dry conditions the preceding fall.
Peach trees are probably the best starter fruit tree. They are super tasty, better fresh (ever compared Fredericksburg and grocery store peaches?), stay compact and bloom beautiful pink flowers in late winter.
The trick with peaches is that they need a certain number of chilling hours each year in order to set fruit. Chilling hours are the number of hours the temperature is between 32°F and 45°F. We average 650-850 in most years.
Too few and the tree blooms early and flowers are lost to frost; too many and you may lose out on blooms altogether. Each variety of peach has a different chilling hour requirement, so always double check if the tag doesn’t say.
Plums are another easy addition to the landscape. Methley and Santa Rosa are two varieties commonly grown here. Both are self-pollinating and have a lower chilling hour requirement (under 800) and should produce lots of plums each year. Just make sure to thin to 4” apart or you will end up with smaller, less attractive fruit.
Pears and apples also do well here, but both require two different varieties to fruit well. They can also be larger trees, so make sure you have enough room before planting. Good apple varieties include Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith. Pear varieties include Moonglow and Orient. Both are fire-blight resistant – a problem which affects many ornamental pear varieties in the area.
Pecan, the state tree, is native to Texas. Though the native pecans are certainly edible, the improved varieties will produce the large meaty pecans we are all used to. Pecans’ native habitat is along river banks, and they require deeper soil.
They are very large, long-lived shade trees that can be found growing on many old homesteads around the area. For this reason site selection and variety choice are very important. Some great old stand-bys include Choctaw, Caddo, Desirable and Pawnee.
Persimmons (native and Japanese), figs, pomegranates and loquats have also been grown here in Travis and Hays counties with ease for generations.
Native persimmons are small and seedy, but have a great flavor useful in preserves. Japanese persimmons are available in both astringent (eaten soft with a spoon) and non-astringent (eaten like an apple) varieties.
Figs are amazing fruit trees ... large but amazing. If you’ve ever eaten a fig straight off the tree, then you know what I’m talking about. The grocery store figs can’t touch them for freshness and flavor. Figs are super easy, non-picky and ornamental small tree/shrubs to grow, but they require a lot of space.
Brown Turkey can grow up to 20’ wide given the opportunity. Some stay smaller so make sure and check the tags for space requirements. Great options include Brown Turkey/Texas Everbearing (considered the same in some circles), Alma, Celeste and Black Italian (from Louisiana). Look for varieties with what is called a ‘closed eye’ (keeps pests out) for best production.
If you’re considering a new tree this winter, think about a fruiting one. They are beautiful and functional at the same time ... something that in this day and age of questionable water resources is a good thing to be.
If you have a question for Chris or Amanda, send it via email to [email protected]. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme:
11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748 www.itsaboutthyme.com
