Mid-winter is the best time to plant fruit trees in our area. Planting during that time period allows trees to focus on growing a strong root system before leaf, flower and fruit production begin.
If you’ve always wanted to grow your own fruit, take a look at these San Antonio-specific recommendations. In the meantime, here are a few to get you started:
- Figs – Celeste, Texas Everbearing and Brown Turkey all produce without pollination, so there’s no need to buy more than one tree to produce fruit. A planting site with full sun and good soil drainage is paramount.
- Peaches – June Gold, TexRoyal and La Feliciana are nice varieties to try, and are self-fruiting. Considerably more work may need to be done to achieve a healthy crop of peaches, including planting them in a raised bed and regular spraying to decrease insect damage.
- Pears – Warren, Moonglow and Orient are reliable, tasty varieties for our climate. You’ll need to acquire at least two varieties for good fruit production and plant them no more than 50 feet apart. Fortunately, pears tolerate clay-type soils better than most fruit trees.
Finally, most fruit tree experts warn potential homeowners not to bite off more than they can chew. One or two fruit trees is more than enough to produce a useable crop!
