chickensense

Every fall and spring for 15 years, I’ve been telling myself I’ll plant fruit trees. If I had done it back then I’d have such a wonderful orchard now.  I did once plant an apple tree in the front meadow, but it died after a few years. I learned from the demise of that apple tree, to keep my gardens, livestock, and orchards within sight and easy to reach.

This year I really am going to get some fruit trees, to keep my dwarf peach company, even though it is a little late to be planting.  I’ve been researching the best type of trees for northwest Mississippi.  I’ve read that it is best to grow trees, vines, and shrubs that thrive in your area, and trade for everything else.  It sounded like very good advice.

Best Fruits and Nuts for North Mississippi
Fruits and nuts that are the most care-free to grow in north MS are figs, oriental persimmons, blackberries, and blueberries.  Others that will do well if you give them a little attention are pecans, pears, muscadine grapes, and strawberries. Peaches, apples, and plums need the most “gardener intervention” to get decent yields.

There are many other fruits and nuts to grow, of course.  Some may just need the weather to cooperate to get decent yields. For example, raspberries prefer cold winters and moderate summers, though some varieties have been developed for the high summer heat of southern gardens. They need slightly acid soil, and a sunny site with good drainage and air circulation to do well.

Muscadine grapes are native to the Southeast and will thrive where temperatures do not go below 10 degrees; but with the proper variety, and some TLC, we can also grow bunch grapes.  Neither type of grape likes our clay soil, though.

Commercial plums have always been very susceptible to disease, and native varieties don’t have very good fruit.  Breeders have recently developed new Japanese-type varieties made from crossing native plums with commercial varieties.  Resistance to disease comes from the native plums, while the commercial varieties in the crosses provide better fruit quality.

Only the tart cherries are adapted to Mississippi, and then only in the north part of the state.

Peanuts require at least five months of warm weather.  The best soil for peanuts is well-drained, sandy loam with a deep, friable loam subsoil. Definitely hard to find in Mississippi!

Helpful Links

Fun article on nut trees

Fruit and nut recommendations for Mississippi

North Mississippi Home Gardening Tips

Tweet This