Edible gardening is really taking off in American gardens! And why not get something back for all that hard work you do in your yard? Growing your own food is a rewarding experience that puts you in touch with the circle of life. No one who grows food can deny the universal truth: “ashes to ashes, dust to dust”. We make compost from dead plants and animal waste, the worms transform the nutrients, the plants transform them yet again into food, and eventually we get to take a big juicy bite of pear or peach or apple! Growing food opens your eyes to the web of life that we are all a part of, and it feeds your soul as much as your body.
Please peruse our extensive library of content about growing fruit in North Florida HERE and give us a call when you need current availability information.
These culinary staples are usually not cold-hardy in our climate. Limes tend to be smaller-growing shrubs rather than trees. The cold-sensitive one may be grown in large containers that can be protected in the winter. We do, however, carry a few lime hybrids that are 100% cold-hardy in our climate and offer the same great flavor as a conventional lime.
These fast-growing trees can be a bit finicky. Irregular winters with lots of warm and cold cycles can throw off their bloom times, making it hard to get good pollination. Plant as many different varieties of plums as you can to ensure a good fruit set, including native wild plums like Flatwoods and Chickasaw. They sure are a bit of work, but a fresh plum, warmed in the sun, is truly one of life’s purest pleasures.
Our region is appropriate for fresh eating, as well as hard pears that are used for cooking. Most pears require a second tree of a different variety to produce fruit, so you’ll need room for 2 trees. Though pears take a while to start producing (5-7 years), they can bear heavy crops for decades with minimal care once they are established.
One of the most cold-hardy citrus trees around. Satsumas are small, thin-skinned, easy-to-peel, sweet, juicy, and nearly seedless oranges that ripen very early in the fall. Some people use the term Mandarin, Satsuma, and Tangerine interchangeably. Technically they are different classifications of oranges, but for practical matters they have similar characteristics. We carry many types of these great oranges throughout the year!