The July Harvest

 
The summer fruit harvest continues this month with figs, grapes and peaches.  It's been an exceptional year for peaches -- more on that later.  Let's start with the easiest fruit to grow in the Houston area: figs.

Figs grow on smallish, deciduous trees all over Texas.  Our summer heat and humidity don't seem to bother them, and because they're dormant in winter, they don't mind the occasional freeze either.  Plant closed-eye varieties like Celeste, LSU Gold, LSU Purple, Brown Turkey or Alma to prevent insect damage.  Plant in full or mostly full sun and prune if you like to control size.  Keep grass cleared from under the tree, all the way to the dripline.  Provide mulch and plenty of water in the summer and that's it!  No fertilizer needed, no special pruning.  Your only trouble will be keeping the birds away from the figs. Try bird netting, and get up early in the morning to harvest.  Best thing about figs?  Fig preserves. See my earlier fig post for my favorite recipe.

(Left: Black Spanish.  Right: Champanel.)

Traditional table grapes aren't easy to grow here, but it can be done if you select the right variety.  Choose grapes that are resistant to Pierce's Disease and be aware that the tougher the skin, the less insect damage you'll see.  Two great varieties of bunching grapes here are Black Spanish and Champanel, both beautiful purple-black seeded varieties.  For wine, jellies, juice or jams, you can't beat the muscadine grape.  Hybrid muscadines are descended from the wild mustang grapes that grow all over this region. They are very sweet, and have a tough, bitter skin which makes them unpleasant to eat out of hand.  But they are perfect for pressing -- very high in sugar.  Most muscadines require two different varieties to produce well, although some self-fruitful ones are available.  Pruning and training is important for grape production.  Here's some information from Texas A&M on the best techniques.

(Wild grapes in Brazos Bend State Park)

And finally, peaches!  Gardeners around here love peach trees for their beautiful flowers in the spring, but we sometimes don't get the harvest we want.  Peaches require a certain number of "chilling hours" in order to fruit and we certainly got ours this winter!  We still struggle with disease and insect problems, of course, but this year, we got the peaches we've been waiting for!  Peaches are self-fruitful, but will require careful management (pruning, disease and insect control).  Ask your nursery specialist for recommendations on specific varieties.