New to VA 8a growing

General Fruit Growing
#11

It was old veterans that got me into natural and organic farming also! I definitely think you can do what you are planning and really like Scotts idea of both of those companies for good local advice on what works. I do think you really need to interplant and put different tree or shrub species between each other as a pest block. All bees (honey, mason bumble etc) or other pollinators wont flinch at flying 50-100’ but for many pests that is quite the walk and ideally they find a pest on the way to eat them. I try to do companion planting for each tree like garlic onions or chives as well as comfrey or other deeprooted plants (dandelions are great too) and put strawberries near my apples etc. Basil near grapes. I really reccomend anise hyssop for pollinators and maybe a few pollinator trees if you want landscape trees (summer or dearth flowering like basswood or sourwoods, European lindens, bee bee tree, seven son flower, black locust (thorny). I think lawns just invite and sustain pests only unless you include clover, dandelions or short flowering walkable plants (creeping thymes / mints, violas, chamomile, short fescues, birdsfoot trefoil and many things considered invasive or unwanted) and mow them at the highest setting.

There are plenty of effective natural or organic alternatives that people could use to there chemical sprays but these are usually much more expensive or require more applications. Beneficial bacteria and fungi products usually are not and many you can brew up on your own to create more for spraying. You will probably need to preventatively spray there for many of the commonly grown fruits but eventually the natural system works when you weed out what tree / plants do not. If you ever have a question on a product to use i would gladly reccomend a organic alternative i just do not try to use this site as a advertising platform (and usually only make recommendations when i see people advertising for a chemical company etc) as i love how Scott has set it up and there is such a free exchange of knowledge on here.

I really like the japanese style gardens and since i do not have as much space as need for plants i went with semi dwarf to dwarfing rootstock with summer pruning to control size. I think its important to incorporate water if there is none near and wood / rock piles for habitat for predators. My assumption is you have more chill hours than you would think and like most people you may have things wake up to early, Disease resistance is probably the most important thing to look for in purchasing fruit as homegrown fruit is usually better period. I tried many apples that were supposedly the best eating but because they did not work for my climate i had a lot of losses and failures which allowed me to learn.

How important are apples, pears and peaches to you? They are extremely important to me so they were worth growing.

What about citrus? your close to alot of really hardy varieties but without late warmth many may not work for you unless you cover, shelter or greenhouse them.

Figs would be a real winner for you i feel

Mulberries are amazing very tasty and good to have around as a bait tree for birds / squirrels are no spray and can extend berry season. You probably need a named variety that tastes good many on the EC complain about the wild mulberries the ones here on the west (and mountains) are pretty good.

Raspberries and blackberries you should be able to find no spray easy to grow ones for your area as well.

Goumi is very good and is a nitrogen fixer for the ground and well behaved shrub for its family.

Jujubes are pretty amazing they are a summer pollinator and handle high temps well but you may need to find one that ripens early (in your heat window)

One thing to remember is the rootstock is far and above the most important thing, you can always regraft something later and i know its winter but getting a soil sample or an idea of what your soil consists of (clay loam etc) is important. Also its very good to see if water pools anywhere or if you have low spots that are flood plains, you will need to put different trees or roots that accept that there. Also good to see where the winter sun line is and if you can keep less hardy or early waking trees away from it that can be helpful. Do you know what your average frost dates are as well as something to set that by like different crab apple blooms or montmorency cherry blooms for the years, this can help in selecting varieties.

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#12

I am west of you in the Piedmont region of Virginia and I am familiar (not an expert) on growing peaches in our area. The main differences between where you grow and the Piedmont region will be the soil and you are in a slightly warmer area where you can grow slightly lower chill variety peaches.

As far as peach varieties go I do not have enough experience to say with certainty which varieties do well in Virginia but these varieties are consistently recommended as having frost hardy buds - Veteran, Madison, Contender, Red Haven. Jefferson is recommended as cold hardy by the nurseries but nobody seems to grow it (I have one planted but not producing yet). Jefferson and Madison are from the old Virginia breeding program. You likely will have an issue with late frosts where you are at. I would not recommend Reliance based off of my experience. The closest commercial nursery that I am aware of to you is HollyBrook Orchards. They do not sell to individuals but if you e-mail them they will send you a list of local nurseries that sell there trees. Desiree, Elberta have done well fairly consistently for me so far - I had great tasting crop of Elegant Lady and Coral Star peaches last year, but only one year so far. Indian Cling, PF 13 Lucky Star, PF 24C and Intrepid did well also last year.

As far as spraying peaches goes you will need to spray in the fall/winter after dormancy for peach leaf curl and critters that overwinter in the bark. You can spray copper/with sticker or lime sulfur or both. In the spring prior to fruit set you will need to spray with immunox and captan for fungicide protection - follow the labels religiously as to when to spray. Immunox and captan can be mixed together. Immediately after petal fall occurs you will need to start spraying permethrin for plum curcilio, again follow the label religiously PC can destroy a crop in a few days if not sprayed. Permethrin can be mixed with Captan and Immunox when spraying (Again only use permethrin after petal fall). This is my basic spray schedule. Contrary to what you will read on some of the insecticides labels at Lowes/Home Depot permethrin is the only effective insecticide against plum curculio available to backyard growers.

What my schedule does not protect against (after spraying for plum curculio) - stink bugs, wasps/yellow jackets, oriental fruit moths and peach tree borers. Stink bugs, wasps/yellow jackets and oriental fruit months have not been a major problem for me so I just share my fruit with them - its not worth the late spraying. It is very possible your experience may be different. Peach tree borers are a real threat - they damage the base of the tree not the fruit. I have not found an effective way to spray for them. I have to manually cut/dig peach tree borers out.

Below are links to the products that I use -

Permethrin - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bonide-32-oz-Eight-Insect-Control-Vegetable-Fruit-Flower-Concentrate-443/305716349

  • This Bonide permethrin is the only permethrin that is labeled for the backyard grower that I can find. 10% permethrin works the same.

https://www.keystonepestsolutions.com/kocide-3000-fungicide-4-pounds-387?zenid=0e3ea0a62540cc42a92a497f29236bf7

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Spectracide-Immunox-Multi-Purpose-Fungicide-16-oz-Spray-Concentrate-For-Gardens-HG-51000-2/203772106

https://www.keystonepestsolutions.com/captan-fungicide-50wp-5-pounds-295

I use NuFilm sticker but cannot find a link to it …

If you search the forums there is a guide that will show the you the right per gallon concentration mix for the copper, sticker and captan. My spray recommendations are not meant to be all inclusive and you will likely need to tweak for your area but this should provide a spray program foundation to get started in Virginia.

Below is link to HollybrookOrchards:

http://www.hollybrookorchards.com/

Stranges is a big nursery in Richmond:

http://www.stranges.com/shop/Trees/Fruit-Tree

Hope this helps.

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#13

Check out my post below. Its not completely applicable to you because 8a will likely allow you to more easily grow slightly more cold sensitive fruit (like figs), but its a good start.

#14

The low temp for 8a is 10F. You need to keep that in mind. Probably record lows are even lower. It is the lo temperature you need to pick stuff that can handle it with ease.

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#15

No edible citrus can survive 10F.

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#16

Hi Christina! I live in Chesapeake - not far from you. I have tried to grow many different fruits. In my experience, blueberries do very well here . . . if you find the right variety. Apples are tough. Pears seem to fare well . . . also, plums and peaches, if you can control the bugs and diseases. The humidity is a big problem.

I am experimenting with pomegranates - and have about 15 different varieties. Most of these are still young - and only survived one full winter in the ground. So no great success report yet!

We also have a few apple trees, peaches and nectarines and plums. I don’t seem to be able to get any decent fruit without spraying. But, others on this forum might have other results. And, there is at least one member, ‘Ann’, who lives in Gloucester, I believe.

Welcome to the Fruit Forum! - Karen

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#17

Kumquats are inedible?

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#18

IMO If you want no-spray, almost carefree after first year: figs, pawpaw, persimmon.

Next level up in care and trouble: pear

Even more difficult: apple

Even more difficult: peach, cherry, plum

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#19

That seems to be the consensus. I didn’t have a choice in moving to this area. I would prefer to live out west but here we are. I hope to find some ‘Deep South’ apples and see what I can do with that.

#20

hello! I am hoping to get a high tunnel to protect some of the things I am growing from bugs and frost or hurricanes! I am pretty lonely here in my passion for growing. Someone in Gloucester is letting me grow food on his 5 acres. lots and lots of work I can’t wait to accomplish. :slight_smile: I would love to sample your pomegranates if they do well this year.
I also ready about an avocado that can handle frosts (25F) from the mountains of Mexico.

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#21

I think you can make it work!

What are the main disease worries for apples and peaches in your area?

How long do you plan to stay here (affects what you plant possibly maybe you need dwarfs or plants that are precocious and bear fruit sooner also containers speed up precocity and take to moving like a couch)

Definitely all the no spray stuff on here i think you should try and it sounds like pomgranny has had excellent results with pomegranates and there are lots of cold hardy ones available. Like blueberry said you definitely have citrus you could get going but they would need some TLC and extra effort but you would do great putting them in high tunnels or greenhouses. Look at this thread you can really do anything you want to do if you match it with the appropriate effort

#22

Hi @violagirl305, if I am to guess, your area does not suffer much from late freezes, and hence; I would try planting a couple of apricots. They will probably need a couple of sprays in the spring, but being early ripening, you may not need to spray them for the remainder of the season.

I’d think peach/plum are easier than apples, specially if you have early varieties that ripen in July, as you wouldn’t need to continue spraying and protecting from critters through September, as you would need with most apples.

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#23

You may be right- my peach experience was limited, and I don’t spray so that didn’t make things easier.

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#24

From hort.purdue.edu:

Robert Fortune reported that the ‘Nagami’ kumquat required a hot summer, ranging from 80º to 100º F (26.67º-37.78º C), but could withstand 10 to 15 degrees of frost without injury. It grows in the tea regions of China where the climate is too cold for other citrus fruits, even the Satsuma orange.

Say whaaat… Great, now I need to find some space in my garden. I wonder how good the yields are in a more mild climate.

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#25

It is still marginal. Zone 7a here in Northern VA can go down to 0F easily. On a cold year it could go down to -10F.
But it is fun to try. :slight_smile:

#26

That would be perfect for where I’m at, which is 7b/8a.

Fejoia and jujubes might be hardy enough for Virginia.

#27

I live on the south side of Richmond in 7a/b depending on exactly which climate map you use. Since you are so much closer to the ocean I’d expect a more moderate summer than I get. It’s still going to be hot and humid with plenty of disease pressure. I spend a lot of time during the summer in the high 90s.

You might, maybe, maybe make currants, gooseberries, and black raspberries work. Maypop will do very well, but is kind of a pain to eat. I think you are probably still hot enough for Jujube to ripen. The hardier figs will do great if protected in the winter, but more tender types need to be in pots to take inside. Blackberries, red raspberries, and most of the bramble hybrids will do quite well, and maybe yellow raspberries too as they are a little more heat and light tolerant than blacks. Blueberries do well if you can keep the soil acidic or keep them in containers. Muscadines should be great, but I’ve got no idea about other grape types. I’m pretty sure somebody local to the area grows Concords, though.

I’ve had my best tree fruit successes with figs, plums, and apricots in that order although the plums & apricots have only had one fruiting year and so may be a fluke. Apples and cherries are at least theoretically possible despite my incredibly disappointing yields. I know at least one local farm has peaches, but I don’t think there is a pear orchard within 100 miles. I’m trying a pair of poms, but pomgranny should be a better source of info than me.

Before you try to grow pawpaw mailorder a couple and see if you like the taste. It’s very unusual, and a lot of people just don’t care for it. Mulberries are very good, but grow very big and don’t seem to like containers.

Most of VA’s fruit growing area is in the west half of the state farther up towards the mountains. Even Edible Landscaping’s location is quite a bit different from the coastal plain. So the extension offices and publications are all VTech backed and generally aimed at those areas.

You probably have plum curculio like I do plus all the sooty mold and japanese beetles you could ever not want. You may also have that red clay that underlies so much of VA, in which case I suggest raised beds.

If you grow you absolutely need to have a way to protect them from the birds & squirrels & deer.

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#28

Yep . . . that ‘sooty mold’ is a REAL problem. It got all of our crepe myrtles . . . one by one. I finally had them chopped down - because I was afraid that it would ‘hop’ over to the pomegranates. And the Japanese beetles denude all my plum trees - unless I put out lures and traps throughout the perimeter of the orchards. (or spray)

And yes . . . Deer have ‘rutted’ against many of my new fruit trees . . . and I am afraid that they have damaged them beyond what they can stand. They seem to have loved the Apples and Peaches . . . but strangely enough, left the plums alone. ? I am going to drive those heavy metal fencing posts around each one - so that the deer cannot get close enough to rut, without getting their antlers caught!

You guys in Richmond have ‘mega’ deer, compared to ours! And they desperately need ‘thinning’. My daughter lives in Midlothian - and the deer jump her black steel fence - and help themselves to everything she plants! It is so discouraging for a new gardener. Even the so called ‘deer proof’ plants get nibbled. It’s a good bit colder than our temps, too. Even Williamsburg, just an hour north of us - - - quite a bit chillier.

We have 3 pecan trees, but have never gotten a single pecan . . . because of squirrels and nocturnal visitors. It’s pretty amazing . . . one day we have pecans on the tree. A few days later . . . . NONE. ! But, oddly enough - ‘no one’ bothers my little vegetable garden! I don’t get it?!? LOL

IT’S ENDLESS! If it’s not bugs . . . it’s fungus . . . or animals . . . drought or freezes. It makes one really in awe of those who can successfully grow fruit!!! And so envious of the peeps in California!

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#29

I guess for those who live in cities where discharging a firearm can get you in trouble…a crossbow or bow & arrow might be employed to ‘thin’ the deer?

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#30

The problem is that hunting season laws are real, and the deer don’t drop by at convenient times of night. Even if you shoot one, it’s gonna run and then it is likely somebody will come around asking who’s shooting deer out of season.

My particular area doesn’t seem to have a deer problem despite being pretty wooded, but I live in a subdivision not too far from the Richmond city limits.

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