shane jennings

Found a heirloom with a lot of history. This heirloom came from Alexander Stephens homeplace. He planted it soon after becoming Vice President of the Confederacy!  This Ancient shrub is still there. This variety is a  pink/orange color and has a sweet/sour taste.

Tracy West wrote:Do you sell cuttings or seeds? We had pomegranate in AZ before we moved to NC and its my husband's favorite fruit. I really didn't think it was possible to grow in the SE!

Hello Tracy,

    I'm sorry for the long delay. If interested, I can get you a tree.

Most of the heirloom varieties I have showed so far are very different that what he see in the store. Here's a beautiful colored pomegranate. Unique here because even the variety wonderful grown here has white arils because our nightly temperatures are not low enough to produce good color. This heirloom has dark red fruit  with dark red arils that stain your hands red that has a sweet/sour taste. Very big heavy producer. I found this in Allentown Florida.

Here's an heirloom pomegranate I found in Gaskin Florida. It has a yelloish color that gets a red blush when it ripens. It has very sweet pink arils.

Hello jane,

    It is so nice of you to write me. It sounds like you live in a beautiful area.. I definitely agree that deer do not like pomegranates. They have completely leave them alone here too. I always wanted to try Feijoa, but have not tried them yet. It will be exciting to see what the guy grows. Pomegranates do not need to be grafted. It is best to root them. Of course, most all the heirloom pomegranate varieties I find were grown as seedlings passed from homestead to homestead. I can not wait to what you find out.

Here's another heirloom I found in Birmingham Alabama. 85+ year old tree believed to have come over with Sicilian immigrants. Dark Red pomegranate with dark red arils with a sweet/sour taste

Hello Joseph,

    I am collecting heirloom pomegranate varieties all over the place. Most of the time I do not plant seed, but instead root a cutting. I have collected quite a bit in Alabama. Last week, I just picked up cuttings from two old heirloom varieties in Birmingham, Alabama. Now I do have some that I am growing by seed. A customer of mine brought me a pomegranate from his home country of Tajikistan. I have 32 of them. What type of pomegranate are you looking for? There is a variety raised in Utah called Utah Sweet and also called Dixie Sweet. Also, I have an educational page for growing pomegranates. If interested, check it out. Here's the link.
https://m.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/

Hello CI,

    I wish I could give you advice about your cotton field dilemma. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about the effects of living near a cotton field. But there are numerous articles written about the health benefits of consuming pomegranates. Many of these articles even say that eating pomegranates can reduce your chances of getting cancer. If I were in your shoes, and worried about getting cancer. I would buy several pomegranate trees. The benefits of of consuming pomegranates far outweigh the results of not having pomegranates planted in your yard. Plant several varieties. Pomegranates are very good for you.

Some other helpful suggestions would be to train your tree. What I mean by that is to train your tree as tree form or bush form. Here's a link. https://www.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/posts/1199049666807062:0 To many suckers can take away energy from fruit production. Please keep me informed about your progress. Not sure where you are located, but I just found an heirloom near Union Spring Alabama 100+ year old tree. Keep me posted on how things are going. Once you get to the point of planting, let me know I will help you. There many varieties that will work for you. Thank you for the updates! Be sure to read Alabama Pomegranate Association Facebook page. There so much educational material I post. It will really help you. https://m.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/

Hello CI,

    It is so great to hear from you! I will glad to help you with your pomegranate tree. Can you send a picture of your tree? Also, how much sun does your tree receive each day? What type of soil is your pomegranate planted in, such as sandy loam or heavy soil?