Grow Your Own Backyard Fruit: Fig Trees & Muscadine Vines

Summer wouldn't be summer for me if it were not for two of my favorite fresh fruits. I am looking forward to this season's bounty full of figs and muscadine grapes.

You would think as a resident here since the mid 70's I would have known about locally grown figs, but it wasn't till years ago that I had my first fresh fig by way of my friend Larry who has a giant fig tree in his south side backyard. The explosion of sweetness with the chewy texture was unknown to me till then. I had an ‘ah ha’ moment “Oh, this is the fruit in fig newtons, duh! How could I have not realized or known that?”

We can grow figs in North Florida and they are one of the easiest fruits for the backyard grower. You need full to partial sun, soil that drains and a little space as fig trees can mature to 15 - 20ft tall by 15ft wide. They have a beautiful rounded spreading growth habit which can be pruned to accommodate easy picking, you don't want to let it get so tall that you can't reach the upper branches. Winter is the best time to prune most deciduous trees, figs will drop all there foliage in late fall and it is a good idea to rake up the fallen leaves to prevent any diseases from over wintering. Fertilize with Espoma Citrus-tone in early spring.

The two varieties that grow well here are Brown Turkey and Celeste. Celeste ripens midseason and has a brown violet hue on the outside and light red inside, while Brown Turkey is brown yellow outside.
Both are sugary sweet and great for fresh eating. Make sure they get regular water when the fruit is developing and harvest daily to avoid the birds for beating you to it. If you have the room plant both varieties for a longer harvest, but either one will fruit on it's own as they are 'self fruiting'.

Muscadine grapes are native to the southeastern United States and have been cultivated for 100's of years. There are many cultivars, having been selected for improved flavor, fresh picking, wine production and preserves. Being a native plant, they are one of the most sustainable fruit crops in the south and have a high tolerance for disease and insects. There are male, female and self fertile varieties. All females need either a male or a self fertile variety for pollination. Self-fertile varieties don't need a companion as they are 'self fertile'. Muscadines need to be trellised on a clothesline type structure or a simple square or octagonal structure will do. The Univ. of Florida IFAS extension has useful detailed information on creating a trellis for grape vines. Full sun is best for high fruit production. Pruning is necessary in the winter since fruit are borne on new shoots from the previous year's growth. Fertilize twice a year the first few years and then once a year after they are established with Espoma Plant-tone.

Both of these fruits thrive in our southern climate and give me another reason to appreciate the heat, humidity and thankful rains of our place called home.

Garden to Table: Lemon Verbena & Blueberry Shrub

There’s almost nothing more refreshing in the summer than a sweet and tart blueberry shrub poured over ice and club soda (and maybe a little gin). A shrub is a mixture of concentrated fruits, sugar, and vinegar. It is sometimes known as drinking vinegar. This sweet, yet acidic mixer originated as a form of medicine in the 15th century and today is enjoyed as a component of a mixed drink. Shrubs can be made with any berry or other juicy fruit! There is a lot of room for creativity and experimentation - you can also use a variety of different vinegars and add any aromatics you please. My most recent creation was a blueberry lemon verbena shrub using freshly picked blueberries and lemon verbena from my garden.

Here’s the recipe below:

Ingredients:

12oz. blueberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar (can use red wine, white wine, apple cider, white balsamic, or unseasoned rice)
Lemon verbena or other herbs

Other fun ideas for herbal berry shrubs:

• Strawberry and lime balm or lemon balm

• Blackberry and spearmint

• Blueberry and sweet basil

• Raspberry and chocolate mint

Method:

1. Gently mash berries in a medium bowl with a fork. Transfer to large jar, add sugar, and stir. Seal jar and let fruit mixture sit at room temperature, shaking occasionally, until berries are very soft and falling apart and sugar is at least mostly dissolved, about 1 day (mixture should look very juicy!)

2. Strain fruit mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl; discard fruit. Scrape any undissolved sugar left in jar into bowl.

3. Add vinegar to syrup and stir to combine. Taste shrub and add more sugar or vinegar to your liking—keep in mind the flavors will meld as the shrub ages. Add your lemon verbena or herb of your choosing now! I used about 1 cup of leaves, coarsely chopped. 

4. Pour shrub into a clean jar; cover with lid and chill until flavors come together and mellow, at least 1 week. Shrub will keep in the fridge for about 6 months. 

Watering 101

Immediately after planting:

Water plants as soon as you get them in the ground. Allow the water to soak in, then water again until the soil is thoroughly moistened. A consistent supply of water will be critical for your new plantings for a full year or more.

First Two Weeks:

Water plants daily depending on the weather and water deeply to encourage deep roots. Moisten the soil to the depth of 4-6 inches. The larger the root ball the more water the plant will need. How much water will depend on your soil and environmental conditions. Is your soil sand or clay? It greatly affects watering frequency and duration.

Rain showers may not supply adequate water for any given day. A shower may only produce a quarter inch; or if three inches falls quickly, much of it may be lost as surface runoff.

First Month:

Unless the weather is extremely hot and dry, you may be able to decrease the watering frequency to two or three times per week. It is optimal to allow the soil to dry between watering because this encourages roots to grow deep. Too much water leads to foliar and root problems. Sand soils south of Tallahassee will dry out faster than clay-loam soils of northern Leon county.

Following Months:

Water only when the top inch or two of soil dries or when plants display signs of wilt.

Second Year:

Water deeply as needed. During prolonged periods of dry weather water once per week. Generally, it takes plants at least two years to fully develop a sustaining root system.

Following Years: 

Properly planted and watered plants should be fairly well established and can thrive with less watering than you may expect. Drought-tolerant plants may require no supplemental water, whereas shallow-rooted plants or plants with greater water needs may require water. Many plants, when selected for the conditions in your yard, may need watering only once a month in dry weather. 

Best Management Practices (BMPs) 

Pick the right plant for the right place: Choose plants that match the sun, shade and soil in your yard. Even drought-tolerant plants need regular water until they are established! 

Avoid planting in hot, dry weather: Plants will easily stress and not develop healthy roots under hot, dry conditions. If you plant in summer, plant in the cool of the morning when less water is lost to evaporation.

Young Trees and Shrubs: Young trees and shrubs need deep regular watering. During times of little or no rain, water deeply once a week until trees become established.

Choose the right watering method: If you are planting a few plants in an existing planting bed, hand watering can get the new plants the water they need while not overwatering the rest of the bed. If using sprinklers, four hours or more may be required to apply adequate water.

Get to know your soil: Is your soil sand or clay? It greatly affects watering frequency and duration. Our clay soils can only take in about an inch of rain per hour. 

Check soil moisture before watering: Check soil moisture with finger or spade. Soil should be dry an inch or two below the surface before you water. Prior to planting make sure the root ball of your new addition is not dry.

Recheck soil after watering: At least an hour after you water, probe soil to see how deeply the water penetrated. If it didn’t reach the root zone, you may need to increase your watering. If the area is soggy, try cutting back on watering next time.