James Landreth

Thank you!

Hello,
I've been reading about this persimmon, and it might actually grow here (I grow some kinds of citrus now and have a hot microclimate). I was wondering if anyone has seeds for it?

It looks beautiful!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_texana

I have an extremely dry summer, and pineapple guava (also known as feijoa) has done very well for me. I'm told by a friend in New Zealand that they are exceedingly drought tolerant once established


I find bigger trees are generally the most drought tolerant once established, having the root system needed to store and reach water. You might consider traditional fruits on standard rootstock.

I don't know if you can do this or if you've thought about it, but swales and earthworks have lived up the hype for me. And so has improving the soil. I have extreme drought for about half the year, and I have seen volunteer squash and corn make it without irrigation in areas that I've improved the soil. This is actually really bind boggling considering the situation here.

I plant a few hundred every year and am not far. If you have space and inclination I highly recommend some chestnuts. They're great for pollinators (even though they're technically wind pollinated), they live a long time, and they're very productive of starch. One tree near me produced 400 pounds in its lowest year, and 1400 pounds in its highest (this was after squirrels and jays had taken their share).

Other good choices include blue elderberry, serviceberry (saskatoon), linden, and sourwood (sorrel) tree (especially good for bees) Do you have a way to water the trees? They have a high risk of dying without summer watering, these days

I agree about the recommendation for one green world, but I will warn you to take their information with a grain of salt, and ask very specific questions about how they keep things alive through the winter. For example, they once told me of a grapefruit they were growing successfully outside. Suspicious, I grilled them about how they did it, and they revealed that they had to use techniques like carefully timed christmas lights and such.

Another thing to note is that a lot of the things they market that are hardy for our area need to be grown for several years in a greenhouse before they're big enough to be hardy for the outdoors. Yuzu and pineapple guava are examples, as is loquat. Though if you're growing in a greenhouse long as you mentioned it's a moot point.

It's surprising how much of a boot even an unheated greenhouse can give in this region, even if it's not that much warmer in winter than outside. A lot of things are just barely out of reach in this region and a greenhouse helps tip the balance. A composting station (for heat) can boost the temperature a lot though.

I built a greenhouse out of lumber and salvage windows with a friend, and it works very well.

I know people experimenting with cold hardy mangos but I'm not sure how it's going. Also, Loquats are a thing people are growing. I think you could grow them in the ground if you wanted. They flower in winter. Bananas are also being grown in greenhouses here, too. I've got some cold sensitive citrus in a greenhouse. We'll see how it does, the greenhouse is unheated except for potentially some compost.

You can also get them from burnt ridge for that price or cheaper. They have American, as well as other types, including hybrids

https://www.burntridgenursery.com/Chestnut-Trees/products/53/

That's great to hear! They should thrive further south, then!

Thank you everyone. I'm still wondering if anyone has had success with quince or if it has fireblight problems

I'm helping some family set up an orchard in upstate NY Zone 5b and am trying to expand the selection of what's going in the ground. I keep seeing all sorts of supposedly hardy apricots and peaches. I was wondering if anyone has grown these and if so, what varieties? Also, we're there disease challenges? Thank you!