Fruits | Nuts | Vegetables | Herbs
The Backyard Orchard
Fruit growing is a popular hobby for many gardeners. There are a variety of fruit bearing trees, vines, bushes that do well in central Texas.
Success with fruit growing depends on careful attention to several key factors. Fruit producing plants need full sun exposure, good drainage, good soil depth and supplemental water and fertilizer. Proper variety selection is critical. It remains a pretty good rule that the fruit varieties found in the supermarket produce section are not generally well adapted to central Texas. Our climate particularly our mild winters, require special medium chill varieties of fruits like apples and peaches, while disease resistance is important in selecting grape varieties. Some fruit species are self fruitful while others need a second variety for cross pollination.
Before investing in fruit plants take some time to check out the resources in this section of the website. There is a wealth of information here to get you off to a good start and help you maintain a productive home orchard, vineyard or berry patch.
Related Resources
- Growing Fruit in the Texas Hill Country(Texas A&M)
- Home Fruit Fact Sheets (Texas A&M)
- Home & Commercial Fruit & Nut Production Publications(Texas A&M)
- Fruit Varieties for Travis County
- Fruit & Nut Disease Control Products (AgriLife Bookstore E-17)
- Homeowner’s Guide to Pests of Peaches, Plums and Pecans (AgriLife Bookstore E-145)
- In Praise of the Princely Persimmon
[top]
Nuts Bearing Trees in Central Texas Landscapes
The pecan is the state tree of Texas. Many of the major rivers of Texas are lined with giant pecan trees. Pecans thrive in deep river bottom soils. These stately trees are popular yard trees, but here in central Texas upland soils are often shallow and rocky. Such soil conditions along with some troublesome insect and disease problems often result in poor performance in the home landscape. We’ve included some helpful resources to help you select, plant and grow pecans in your landscape or orchard.
Other nut producing trees are much less common and largely unproven here. Black walnut has potential but improved varieties are not readily available. Carpathian walnuts have been tried with limited success.
Related Resources
- Home Pecan Production
- Texas Pecan Orchards
- Texas Native Pecans
- Evaluating Pecan Problems
- Texas Walnuts
- Fruit & Nut Disease Control Products (AgriLife Bookstore E-17)
- Homeowner’s Guide to Pests of Peaches, Plums and Pecans (AgriLife Bookstore E-145)
[top]
Vegetables
Vegetable gardening is fun, relaxing and good exercise. Fast paced, high tech, modern lifestyles have brought about renewed interest in gardening as a great way to slow down and unwind. There is something therapeutic about getting out in nature and growing things. Each gardening season is unique providing an opportunity to start over and try something new.
Tomatoes are king of the vegetable garden. While there are many common vegetables grown in our gardens, nothing inspires and enamors most gardeners like the quest for the perfect tomato. In addition to the more commonly grown vegetables, there are dozens of unique species from various ethnic cuisines. Our gardens tend toward the traditional dozen or so vegetables. Experiment a little and try some new vegetables. You may find a new favorite when you do.
Most vegetable gardens are the traditional style where a patch of earth is tilled up and planted in a large block of rows. Most folks don’t have a large enough sunny space to have such a garden. In fact gardens can be planted in a variety of spaces. There may be room for a “postage stamp” gardens tucked in a sunny spot between the driveway and the house. A raised bed bordered with timber, rock or cinder blocks can be set up in a sunny spot in the backyard. Containers can be used to successfully grow almost any vegetable, except perhaps corn, provided the container is large enough. Containers allow even an apartment or town home dweller to grow vegetables.
Here in central Texas we can grow something every month of the year. An important factor to remember is that our spring and fall gardening seasons are very short, sandwiched between frosts and blistering hot summer conditions that cause many crops to stop production. Variety selection and proper planting time are critical to success.
We’ve included some a list of recommended varieties and a planting chart in this section of the website to guide you in your gardening plans. There are a number of other helpful resources well worth a look.
Related Resources
- Grow Boxes
- Rhubarb Texas Style
- Vegetable Seed Sources for Travis County
- Vegetable Varieties for Travis County
- Vegetable Garden Planting Guide
- 10 Tips for Terrific Tomatoes
- Easy Gardening Fact Sheets
- Home Vegetable Gardening Resources(Texas A&M)
- Cucurbit Problem Solver
- Tomato Problem Solver
- Vegetable Seeds and Seed Information(Texas A&M)
- Harvesting & Handling Vegetables(Texas A&M)
- Commercial Vegetable Resources(Texas A&M)
- Vegetable & Herb Disease Control Products for Texas(AgriLife Bookstore E-10)
[top]
Herbs Provide Beauty, Fragrance and Flavor
Herbs are popular garden plants. Some are grown for their culinary qualities. They add the distinct flavor of our favorite cuisine. Others are medicinal, providing health benefits. Still others contain essential oils valued for their fragrance. Many herbs bear attractive flowers and some attract and nourish beneficial insects.
Traditional herb gardens provide symmetric design in a landscape. Yet herbs are not just for the herb garden. They work well in vegetable and flower gardens, in mixed contain plantings or scattered about the landscape.
Consider using herbs in unique ways in your landscape. Plant a group of herbs for making flavored teas. Intersperse herbs with blooms that feed beneficial insects in your vegetable garden. Use trailing herbs to spill over the edge of a container. Place a few fragrant herbs along a garden path.
Check out the resources in this section to learn which herbs do well in central Texas and some of their uses.
Related Resources
[top]
