new yard

property 8.45 acres. Zone 7/8? southern NC lowland Capefear river basin 100mi west wilmington,NC. Pitchter plants baylakes within 1 mi.White sandy area sloping less than 3 ft to boggy area with many everygreen Native trees. fruits/plants found onsite prickly pear fruit abundant collected NOV 14 08. single tree Persimon, astringent but sweet when bruised gone before first frost. wild black berry seedy but good since childhood. blue berry abundant on very short bush spreading wild for 20 years 2 ft bush 30 + berrys each. wild purple grape with hard skin sour sparse. I bought this place in a wild area it is far from even small towns and factories. the weather can be rough with hurricanes and tornadoes as well as early frost and warm winters subject to freeze overnight and scorching summers but the water is free as long as I can pump it! I have found passiflora wild near here as well as carolina jasimin. I have the expected azalias, wisteria and dogwoods. But I am shocked at the lack of fruit. where are the peaches and plums? Where are the fabled paw paws and why doesnt anyone grow cherries down here? This can go on forever, so I will post below and please anyone post insights and help!!!

I have grown and plan to grow anything I can that is edible. I have plans for indeterminate tomatoes in all colors and flavors from fruit to salad, tomatillos, peppers, cukes squash, eggplants, herbs and sprawling mints and evergreen herbs.I also have an area for a thre sisters garden with corn, pumpkins and beans. What am I missing here?

Here the winter is mild, its november 18th and there has only been one bad frost 3 weeks ago.other than the frost it has been warm 40-80* I have harvested long bamboo poles and will use them for hoops and arches to support fabric, tarp, plastic. they are sturdy and last more than one season if left alone. They are secured with 550 cord from army surplus, it does not rot. I work the ends into the ground with a pry tool from harbor freight. This has stood up to very high winds in my small grove.

I am looking for recommendations on any fruits or veggies. I have a random home depot plum that fruited like mad this year after almost 8 years with nothing(hasnt grown a foot since planted). I used a net on it for the birds and spiked it with fertilizer the year before. Apricots always bloomed too early and the frost killed the blooms, late varieties work best. I will be planting new plants in a high density pattern and planning rows that can be covered with bamboo fabric frames upto 10 ft high. passive hot water? heat and drip irrigation is a possibility. Additionally I will have an exotics patch that will be opened after april 15 each year but will need to be covered with fabric and tarps on bamboo frames starting around halloween. the weather here can be quite varied.
Suggestions for berry plants, fruits, exotics, veggies are needed. best practice? fertilizers?

Certainly, I do not want to rain on your parade, but there is a reason that no one is growing apples, plums, cherries, and even peaches. Our winters have been growing progressively warmer for years and there are simply not enough chill hours during winter for the trees to set fruit. Add to that our extreme humidity in the summer which breeds all forms of mold, mildew, fungus, etc and again, our warm winters that don't get sufficiently cold to kill off insect pests, and you have a not-so-great prospect for traditional fruit crops.

On the other hand, blueberries, figs, muscadines, paw-paws, and others do very/pretty well. You will really need to do your homework to avoid alot of wasted money, time, and effort. One resource might be Felder Rushing. He is a well known Mississippi horticulturist who takes a great interest in food crops. Check him out at Mississippi Public Radio (MPB.org). You may find some resources there.

RE: new yard

RE: new yard

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