That is good news.In Jacksonville I asked my store about fruit trees and was told they haven't been ordered yet and it would be well into Feb before they get any in. I hope that isn't true. I am going to check back.

hubs = husband

orange city depot has two kinds of plum trees, dwarf and a not so dwarf...not sure of the variety. had them out with the peaches, apples and pears.

How large are the fruit trees? Any good orange trees?

No orange trees. They are in 3 gallon containers. Deciduous trees. Apple, Pear, Plum, Peach - thats all I remember. They had Santa Rosa dwarf plum; we passed. We are the proud parents of an Anna Apple. She spent the night in the garage. They looked good yesterday; hopefully they got some blankies for the night. grin They also had Dorsett Golden Apple; I'm going to work on my neighbors today - they've been wanting a fruit tree.

And yes, hubs is my DH - darling husband - who enjoys the fruits of my labors and agrees to the occasional haul heavy stuff for me.

~dianne

Last year I purchased something called a "columnar apple tree." This year, lo and behold, miracle of miracles, I have apples growing, apples in "Florida!!!!!

Since truth is the best policy here is the size they really are. But they are apples and I grew them!!!!!

WOW!!! Hey- small or large - it still counts. Congrats! I didn't even know you could grow apples in Florida! I grew up on a Northeast apple & pear farm.

If it makes you feel any better, my 2-year old honeybell oranges are about that size. Guess I'll pay attention to fertilizing more this year.

Beautiful apples. My HD's have their fruit trees in...I got a small cocktail improved meyers / key lime. I'm also on the look-out for neelum, duncan and cogshell mango so if anyone spots them in Broward let me know!

Dianne, good choice on the Anna apple. I had it in Arizona and produces apples very early, very productive, the fruit is on the sour side but good to make applesauce or pies. Why you did not like the Santa Rosa plum? It is one of my favorites, I also had it in Phoenix, grew very tall and very good fruit! Now I have a cocktail plum and one of the fruits is Santa Rosa, it fruited the second year I planted and is very tall now.

Bill, those are some great apples! I was also thinking about the columnar apples because they look like they use less space and look very ornamental, let us know about the taste of the fruit. Getting some sapodillas now despite the cold, I will pick them unripe like somebody suggested for best flavor.

Saintpfla, you must have great memories growing up in the apple and pear farm. I loved to pick apples in the fall, my favorite apple is the Macoun apple, can not buy it around here, it is only a memory now.-(

Silvia

Sylvia,
You can buy a box of those apples from the link below.
They are New England's favorite apples for sure!!!

Lou

Here is a link that might be useful: Marcoun Apple

AW Shucks, looks like they ran out of those marcoun apples now.

Lou

How are cocktail plums created? Multiple grafts on one rootstock? That looks ... interesting.

We looked up Santa Rosa Plum (it was actually our first choice) and the chill hours are more suited to North Florida than Central Florida; then the UF/IFAS Fruitscapes page has then to say 'Santa Rosa' produces a purple/red colored fruit with red flesh. Santa Rosa is an older cultivar that is no longer recommended due to susceptibility to plum leaf scald and other diseases of bacterial origin.

Since we are growing this as on ornamental edible out in the front I didn't like the idea of bacterial leaf footer spread problems near my veggie garden.

I suppose who knows what is what since we don't really know what root stock it is on, right?

We have one of those Meyer Lemon/Key Limes in one pot thinga-ma-jigs. I got it off the clearance rack at Lowe's for $5. It looked pretty sad when I brought it home but it is perking up. It is two different plants very close together; and it is actually a Meyer Lemon and a Limequat. I love Key Lime's so if the Limequat thrives I'll be happy. I just scratch my head in confusion over two fruit trees planted so close together.

~dianne

I bought those citrus sale pots at Lowes a few years back when the sign said CLEARANCE 3 one gallon pots for 5 bucks. They were little bitty things probably a foot tall at most and really scraggly looking, a Ponkan Tangerine, a Blood Orange, and a Lemon that looks like a small orange that makes fruit all year long, you pick a branch clean and it flowers right off(I cant remember the name they gave it and the tag is now missing). All three now make great tasting fruits especially the Ponkan Tangerine & the Blood Orange which we just finished the last one this weekend. They grow in my citrus tent greenhouse(I remove the cover during the summer).

It was well worth the 5 bucks.
Lou

Lou, thank you for the link, maybe next year I will try to get me a box. They are available for a short season in the fall if I remember correctly, I always got them in the farmers market at North Hampton, they were selling straight from the farm.
Talking about apple trees, I hope that you get a Macoun. I have 3 heirloom apples now for zone 9, one of them was Thomas Jefferson favorite.

Dianne, my cocktail plum tree has 4 different low-chill varieties one of them being the santa rosa, it is an a citation dwarf rootstock that is also resistant to nematodes. Plum trees don't like to get wet feet, that is why they do well in a dry weather like Phoenix. I have mine in a slope in the eastern side of the house, plenty of drainage there. All my fruit trees are kept small under 6 feet, except the plum and the avocado that my family would not let me cut it.:)

Silvia

After much much deliberation I picked up a Florida Prince peach tree. It was between that or the apples, but I like peaches better. I had to pack it in my tardis type (bigger on the inside) car because I don't have a truck. You wouldn't believe how much I have gotten to fit in my car.

Amberroses,
I just picked up one the other day too...I know it does not state if it is grafted on nematode resistant stock but for 19 bucks I will give it a try...nice looking tree to...not too twiggy...post its progress and let us know...I also picked up a white flowering dogwood with it and curious to see how it handles the summer in my zone 9A...good luck...I can smell the peach cobbler now.

Where, in Central Florida, can I get a peach tree?

Hi Jwahlton,
Right now all HD and Lowes big box stores have loads of fruit trees in...not all are low chill though...so a little tricky...the best is the Flordaprince if u can find it only requires 150 chilling hours. If you want a top notch tree u can try Bay Laurel or Just Fruits and Exotics on the web as they guarantee proper root stock for your locale...but for me as a test I was willing to just plop down 20bucks and if it is lost due wrong root stock...then no big deal...nice healthy lookin trees too...

Lou: Do you get good color on your blood orange fruit here in FL? I grew the Moro and Sanguinelli (sp) in AZ and got good color. I gave them to my mom when we moved out here and haven't replaced them but found the Moro variety at a nursery nearby. I have heard that they don't get dark coloring here compared to the southwest or interior CA. Just wondering how they do for you. They are my dh's absolute favorite :)

SJN,
They had pretty good coloring for Florida, but they don't compare with the blood red color you get from Calif. To me the eating oranges tasted better out west too. I think they mainly grow oranges for juice in Fl. Every available inch of my yard when I lived in Calif had different fruiting trees I put there. I love fruit & nut trees and I'm trying to grow whatever types will grow here.

I don't know the name of my blood red tree.
Lou

I did buy an orange and meyer lemon at HD for $10 the other day. They didn't have any peach trees that I saw. I might check Lowes this weekend though.

I went and got the Blood orange from that nursery lol. I have no willpower when it comes to citrus. If I could, I would have one of everything :) I had a australian fingerlime in AZ but my mom has it now. It makes the cutest little long limes that are like little gelatin balls inside. I miss that plant but hear they don't like the humidity here.

"Right now all HD and Lowes big box stores have loads of fruit trees in...not all are low chill though...so a little tricky...the best is the Flordaprince if u can find it only requires 150 chilling hours. If you want a top notch tree u can try Bay Laurel or Just Fruits and Exotics on the web as they guarantee proper root stock for your locale...but for me as a test I was willing to just plop down 20bucks and if it is lost due wrong root stock...then no big deal...nice healthy lookin trees too..."

I found a Florida Prince and Florida King peach tree at HD this morning. I was on my way into work so I didn't buy it, but will this weekend! I hope I can stuff it into my Camry. The Prince said it grows to 25' tall and wide. Is that right?

They also had Anna Apple trees. Know anything about those?

Jwahlton,
The Anna Apple is an Israeli selection with sweet, slightly tart, crisp with a creamy white fleshed fruit for mild winter climates. The trees produce at an early age and bears heavy crops of flavorful apples even in low desert areas. Use fresh or cooked. Keeps for 2 months in the refrigerator. Ripens in July. 200-300 Chill hrs. Somewhat self-fruitful but best pollinated by Dorsett Golden or Ein Shemer

The Dorsett Golden Apple is an outstanding southern selection, medium to large, firm, very flavorful sweet apple for warm winter areas. Recommended as good early season apple for mild winter climates. Ripens in late June/July. Good pollinator for Anna. 100-250 Chill hours. Self-fruitful.

The Ein Shemer Apple Tree is another very low chilling selection from Israel. It bears young and is very productive. Ein Shemer Apple Trees are a large, Golden Delicious type, with a crisp tart flavor and a good quality flesh. The Ein Shemer is an excellent multi-use southern apple that ripens mid-June to early July, after the Anna Apple Tree. The Ein Shemer Apple Tree is a self-fertile apple tree. 350 chill hours

I just finished planting all three of those trees here. So It will be a few years before I get fruit and can give a taste report.

Lou

I was at Kerby's Nursery in Seffner yesterday. They have a big selection of fruit trees for Florida; apple, pear, peach, plum and lots of tropical fruit. Prices are probably a bit higher than HD, but a MUCH better selection.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kerby's Nursery

hd has a 75% mark up on all their tree, about 90% of them are dieased

what is the best variety dwarf peach tree?

Carrie, I suggest you start a new thread for your question.

ok thanks

It is a little questionable why they carry regular varieties of fruit trees (not low-chill) in a State that barely has any chill hours. Does that mean that these fruit trees might be able to produce some fruit even though they will not get anywhere near the adequate number of chill hours? Or is it just incompetence on the part of HD ?

I wonder, there must be people buying these fruit trees and planting them in their yard. How are these fruit trees doing 5 or 10 years later? Particularly cherry trees, I've seen both a Bing and Rainier being carried in the garden section.

I suspect incompetence on the part of HD. First I would confirm the actual variey they have, as I believe I may have heard something about at least a type of lower chill ranier or bing or something with a similiar name existing. Assuming that they are indeed the trees that are recommended for several zones over from you, this is my experience.

I live in zone 8b, and the big box stores keep trying to sell me tropical mangoes and avocadoes, maybe an occasional papaya. Can I grow there here? Sure, with A LOT of work, cold protection for full grown trees, a bunch of luck and maybe a microclimate in my backyard. That or a greenhouse. They also tend to carry trees that need a crosspollinator and then the don't carry the crosspollinator, or even know what it is. Their inventory does not in any way match the inventory of my local nursery that will actually sell me things that will grow here. Depending on how far out of zone you are, those trees "MAY" struggle through and produce a fruit or two every several years. I believe there are advanced gardening techniques that can sometimes get a tree to set fruit even when chill hours requirements have not been met. Are taking measures possibly as ridiculous as having your tree professionally encased in an ice sculpture every so often worth your while? Probably not. It all depends on how badly you want that tree. If ten people who really want it buy and it do everything for it, maybe one will end up with a successful tree. Zone pushing is possible, just difficult.

if you are a little bit out of zone, by all means you can try it. I have giant grapefruit tree that sits out there covered in frost in the wintertime and still produces enough fruit to feed a small country. Also my nieghbor has one of the non cold hardy lemon varieties that does the same thing, they look like grocery store lemons, not Meyer. We do not care for those trees, I didn't even know they were in my yard for a few years after I moved in. And one of my friends says his neighbor has a papaya up against the wall of his house. And these trees are fine even though we drop into the 20's at least a few times every winter. But its not the typical experience, so be prepared to fail.

I find Lowe's to be cheaper. And if a plant is broken or damage, you can bargain for a lower price. I got the price down by half on a musa banana.

I'm really interested in growing a low chill hour peach tree like Florida Prince but I haven't seen any except for the bareroot ones on eBay.

Within 3 lowes and 3 home depots I can find tons of UFL recommended varieties. I can also find stuff that has very little shot without ridiculous care and very specific locations. I wouldn't call it incompetence. Nursary suppliers gives the stores what sells, doesn't get returned, and makes a profit.