Four Tasty Fruit Tree Choices for Texas and the Southern US

Feb 21, 2011
Kelly Smith

An Improved Meyer Lemon Tree for container gardening - Kelly Smith

Citrus and fresh organic fruit are part of a nutritious and well-rounded diet. Commercial fruit may have pesticide residue. Grow your own and save money!

Fruits like apples do well in the northern states like Washington and even as far south as Arkansas where they get sufficient chill hours. Other more tropical fruits like grapefruit do well starting around the Rio Grande Valley and further south. But for mid- to south Texas and other Gulf States, fruit and citrus tree selection can be a dicey affair.

Living midway between Houston and Galveston, I can attest to this. The issue is that this region cannot count on enough chill hours during most winters, but on the other hand, other years suffer bad enough short-term hard freezes to ruin tropicals. But luckily, there are some very good and delicious choices available to expand your organic home-farming program.

The Improved Meyer Lemon is Gourmet Citrus

The Improved Meyer has an interesting history. The original fruit species was introduced from China by Frank Meyer in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, a virus largely wiped out this line in the '40s. The improved version was developed during the '70s and the rest is history.

This tree is sometimes recommended as a large container plant so it's a good choice even for apartment dwellers. One of the real advantages is that the annual crop is spread out over a considerable period of time rather than right all at once. The lemons are a bit smaller, less tart, and much tastier than grocery store fruits.

Malta or Celeste Figs for Snacking and Canning

The Celeste is only one of many fig varieties that work well on the Gulf Coast but is acknowledged as one of the best for Texas. The crop is ready around the middle of June if the birds don't get to it early! The primary recommendations for this variety is plenty of sun and little if any pruning.

Other varieties that work well in this area are the Brown Turkey (Texas Everbearing), the Alma, and the Kodota, which is also widely commercially grown in California.

The Sam Houston Peach Tree

The name says it all. Nothing says Texas like “Sam Houston." Well, other than bluebonnet, Texas state flower! This tree is large when mature; it has been known to grow to 30 feet tall by 30 feet wide, so don't place it too close to your home, and if you decide to plant more than one, leave plenty of room between them.

The flowers on this peach tree are pinkish reddish, with a dash of yellow in the center; it's a definite invitation to pollinating bees. This is the Texas A&M variety, although a dwarf is also available. It is classified as a freestone peach which makes if a bit easier to tempt hard-to-feed kids.

Plant a Delicious Owari Satsuma Mandarin Orange Tree

These small oranges mature on the tree beginning in November and are much tastier than the ones packed in heavy syrup from the grocery store. The skin is extremely easily removed from the fruit, eliminating the frustration that comes with larger orange varieties.

A raised-bed vegetable garden isn't the only way to provide nutritious, low-cost food for your family. These four tree species will provide delicious food for years and respond best to an organic fertilization program.