I want to plant blackberries, blueberries, paw paws, and plums. (Already have figs in the ground.) I can't find any local places for paw paws and I don't trust myself to take proper care of a bareroot plant purchased from the internet. Which kinds of plums and blueberries (the sweeter the better) do well here? And when is it too late to plant? The areas where these trees will be placed receive full sun until just after 1 p.m. followed by mottled shade till dark, in case this helps.

As far as the blackberries, I'm pretty much sold on the triple crowns, but not sure if they'll hold up to full sun here. I mean absolutely no shade all day long. I've been told to protect blueberries and paw paws from afternoon sun, and honestly have no idea what I'm doing.

My kids want to grow stuff, so I thought I'd lower my grocery bill in the process. They've already voted their way into a butterfly garden, which led me to the pawpaws for zebra swallowtails.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Shay

I have a place north of you near Thomas so we probably get a bit colder during the winter then Madisonville. Our soil is also a fine sand that drains well and tends to get hard when very dry. Bearing all that in mind I just planted a bunch of fruit trees/bushes 3 years ago and can share with you what has done the best for me.

Blackberries By far - Kiowa Great big sweet berries and the bushes are taking over. I have Arapaho, Ouchita, Choctaw and Kiowas all planted under a two wire trellis so I can tie the vines of the ground. Easier picking and more sun gets to the interior of the plant These berries are in full sun all day and love it.

Blueberries I planted Premier, Climax and Brightwell that I got from a nursery in Hattiesburg. The plants are 4 years old now and the only thing I can say for sure is that the Climax have not done well at all. The Brigtwell and Premier are doing better and I am getting berries already. I replaced the dead Climax with Tiffblues from Home Depot and about 3/4 of them have done well with the others dying.

I put in Mars, Niagra and two types of Muscadines. The Muscadines have all done well and I expect a decent crop of grapes this year from them. The others have struggled and I will probably replace with Muscadines.

You may want to try Peaches if you have the room. We have 10 trees about 5 yrs old and have more then enough peaches for everyone in the family and our friends.

Al

Good planting - God Bless