Who live in Austin TX area?

General Fruit Growing
#1

I got a job offer in Austin TX area. Before I accept the offer, I want to know what kind of fruit trees can be grow and successfully fruit? Am I able to grow Apple, Pear,Peach,plum,Apricot. There?

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#2

Definitely peaches! The Hill Country area is known for peaches and vineyards. Austin has rocky caliche soil, often in drought. Water is heavily mineralized. Few freezes during winter but late frosts are possible so apricots and plums are iffy. Loquats and citrus can survive in ground with some protection. Not many apples do well in TX due to chill hours. Persimmons, pears and jujubes are easy there. Figs and pomegranates would do very well.

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#3

You can definitely grow peaches here. There are lots of peach orchards west of Austin. I haven’t grown apple or pear here to the point of fruiting, but have grown them in pots here for several months before taking them up and putting them in the ground on my Michigan property and they actually thrived better here.

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#4

Growing apples in Texas is not very productive due to cotton root rot. You can also buy better quality in the store.

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#5

Pears also do well, but make sure to get the proper chill hours and they have to have good fire blight resistance. They are a little slow to produce, but will produce well once they get started.

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#6

How about pears, plum, apricot?

#7

Go with disease resistant pears and late blooming apricots. Check out the varieties at Womack Nursery online to get a sense of what does well in Central TX. I’m trying more marginal varieties in North TX. As for plums, I’m starting to learn that self fertile varieties will fruit better up here.

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#8

Here’s what I have had success with: Figs, Persimmon, Loquat, Pear, opuntia, and blackberry. Citrus with protection. Jujube if you don’t mind thorny stuckers and bland flavor. Mulberry if you don’t mind difficult harvest.

If you live east of austin near bastrop there is sandy soil. Out there you can grow chestnuts and plums but neither of those will do very well in austin or further west in my experience.

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#9

Thanks all for sharing the growing info. I am OK without having a apple tree. I don’t grow apple in my yard neither in Chicago home. I love to have persimmon tree or loquat tree. But I hope I can still grow asian pear, plum，apricot，and peach(I now know it grow well in TX).

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#10

Apricot very iffy, you might get fruit every 4 years

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