2009 FRUIT & VEGETABLE DESCRIPTIONS What does early-season mean? Mid-season? Late-season? These are just rating systems for ripening. Exactly what date the berries will ripen depends on the weather that occurred in the months and weeks preceding the bloom. To have fruit over a long period of time you need early, mid, and late season plants. Item Table of Contents Page BLUEBERRIES... 1 EARLY-SEASON... 1 MID-SEASON... 3 LATE-SEASON... 4 BLACKBERRIES... 4 EARLY-SEASON... 4 MID-SEASON... 4 LATE-SEASON... 5 MUSCADINES... 5 BUNCH GRAPES... 7 RASPBERRIES... 9 FIGS... 9 STRAWBERRIES... 9 ASPARAGUS... 10 (Note: left click on the plant in list above to open the description) EARLY-SEASON BLUEBERRIES Austin has a chilling requirement of about 450 to 500 hours. Time of flowering is just after Climax. It should be ideal as a pollinizer for Climax. Austin is moderately vigorous, productive, has an upright growth habit and adequate renewal cane production. The fruit ripen with Climax in most years and just after Climax in other years. The berries are large to medium size with a light blue color and a dry stem scar. The fruit are softer than Climax, but thought to be mechanically harvestable. Released from Georgia in 1996. Brightwell has a chilling requirement of 350 to 400 hours but bloom date is as most 500-hour cultivars. It also appears to have some freeze resistance. Season of ripening is early to mid to late. In south Georgia the harvest starts in early to mid to June and lasts about 35 days. Plants are vigorous and upright and can be mechanically harvested for the fresh market. The berries are medium size, have small, dry stem scars, and good flavor. The 1
berries are round and roll nicely on the packing line. Rapidly becoming a major cultivar. Released by Georgia in 1983. Climax has a chilling requirement of about 450 to 500 (maybe fewer) hours, blooms very early in some years, and frequently suffers freeze damage. Season of ripening is early. In south Georgia, the harvest starts in early June and lasts about 20 days. If the bushes are treated with gibberellic acid, the harvest period can be much longer. Plants grow upright and open. Berries are medium in size, medium to dark blue in color, have a small scar, and good flavor. Fruit ripening begins 3 to 5 days before Woodard. It has concentrated ripening with few shriveled or overripe fruit. This cultivar is excellent for mechanical harvesting for the fresh market. Released by Georgia in 1974. O Neal has an approximate chilling requirement of 400 to 500 hours for the flowers, more for leaves. Approximate start of ripening in south Georgia is early May. It blooms over an extended period in time, starting very early in the spring. Often one or two flowers per cluster will emerge before the rest of the flowers. O Neal is productive, with large medium to blue fruit of excellent firmness, picking scar and flavor. It is not currently thought to be machine-to-harvestable. Bush habit is not very vigorous under most Georgia conditions and is semi to upright. Spring leaf development is only fair. Tolerant to some races of stem canker. Recommended for trial in the Coastal plain of Georgia. Released in 1987 by North Carolina. Premier has a chilling requirement of about 550 hours. It ripens in the early season (late May to early June in south Georgia). The bushes are vigorous and productive, but the canes on young plants may be too limber to support the fruit load and may require some pruning. The fruit have excellent color, size and flavor. It can be harvested mechanically for the fresh market in some years, especially if harvested on a regular basis. It is recommended for planting on farms that can be picked very regularly with mechanical harvesters. A bush decline of Premier has been noted on one farm in south Georgia, but this appears to be an isolated case. Released by North Carolina in 1978. 2
MID-SEASON Bluebell has a chilling requirement of 450 to 500 chill hours. The flowers appear to be freeze sensitive. Bluebell ripens in mid season. Berries are large, round, light blue, and have excellent flavor. Fruit ripening begins in mid to late-season and extends over a relatively long period. Under favorable conditions, berries size well throughout the season and production is high, thus making it an excellent pick your own variety. This variety is not recommended for shipping or processing, because berries tend to tear when harvested and ripe fruit float with green berries on a wet line used in processing berries for the frozen market. Released by Georgia in 1974. Powderblue has a chilling requirement of 550 to 650 hours. Powderblue is similar enough to Tiftblue in appearance, quality, season and mechanical harvesting characteristics that the two can be harvested together and used as pollinizers for each other. It is an excellent choice to plant in established Tiftblue fields to increase pollination. Berries are medium in size and light blue in color with a small, dry stem scar and good firmness. Powderblue usually cracks less in wet weather and hangs onto the bush better than Tiftblue. It can be mechanically harvested for the fresh market. Released by North Carolina in 1978. Tiftblue has a chilling requirement of 550 to 750 hours. Season of ripening is mid to late. In south Georgia, ripening starts in late June and may last until early August. Plants make vigorous, upright growth. This has been one of the best commercial cultivars from the standpoint of appearance and productivity. However, most years the fruit ripens too late to receive high fresh-market prices. Cane numbers can be excessive and pruning costs for mechanical harvest are significant. It is common for a few of the bushes to die each year in mature plantings. It also has a very serious problem with fruit cracking during wet weather. The medium-size, light-blue-color berries are firm and usually good flavored. Berries can remain on the plant several days after fully ripe and can be mechanically harvested for the fresh market in some but not all years. Due to the fruit crack problem, Tiftblue is no longer recommended for commercial planting if Powderblue can be obtained. Released by Georgia in 1955. 3
LATE-SEASON Centurion has a chilling requirement of 550 to 650 hours or more. It blooms late and the flowers are probably self-fertile. Season of ripening is late. Bushes are vigorous, very narrowly upright, and have limited suckering. Young plants may be poorly anchored (one to sided root systems) and fall over in high winds. Ripening season is mid to late and may extend into fall in the upper Piedmont and mountains. Fruit are medium size, medium to dark blue, and good quality with aromatic flavor. Performs much better in middle and north Georgia than in south Georgia. Fruit occasionally cracks following very heavy rains. BLACKBERRIES EARLY-SEASON Arapaho (thornless) Ripens mid-late June for about 4 weeks. Fruit is firm with slightly smaller seeds than Navaho. Flavor is very good, and the plant requires no support. No rust has been seen on this variety. Kiowa (thorny ) Thorny, ripens early mid-june for about 6 weeks. Very large firm fruit has a nice combined sweet and tart flavor. It is an erect variety. MID-SEASON Apache (thornless) Ripens late June for about 5 weeks. Fruit is firm, and rated between Arapaho and Navaho in flavor. A good producer, producing the largest fruit and most pounds per plant. 4
Cheyenne (thorny) Rripens early mid-june for about 6 weeks. Large, firm fruit has a nice combined sweet and tart flavor. It is an erect variety, meaning it will stand up by itself. Shawnee (thorny) later than Cheyenne Rripens in early June over a long period. Medium-sized berries that taste similar to Cheyenne. Not as thorny as Kiowa. Thought to be the highest yielder, has resistance to orange rust. LATE-SEASON Navaho (thornless) late -eason Ripens early-mid July for about 5 weeks. Fruit is firm and yields over a longer season than Arapaho. Excellent flavor. High sugar content and fruit stays firm well after picking. MUSCADINES All of these are vigorous growers and are great for the home garden. They all make excellent jams, jellies, and wine and are great right off the vine! (Pollinating means you can have just one.) Carlos (Self-Fertile) pollinating Bronze, small fruit size. Ripens medium to early, and tastes similar to scuppernong. 16% sugar. 5
Cowart (Self-Fertile) pollinating Black, medium fruit size, large clusters, disease resistant, good production. Largest self-fertile variety. Good pollinator. 17 % sugar. Southland (Self-Fertile) pollinating Purplish black, medium to large fruit. Very sweet flavor, ripens mid to late. Excellent for home use. 17% sugar. Tara (Self-Fertile) pollinating Large bronze fruit, high-yielding, cold-resistant, vigorous plants. 17% sugar. Triumph (Self-Fertile) pollinating Greenish-bronze fruit, thin skin, good quality, winter-hardy, excellent pollinator. Largest bronze self-fertile fruit. 18% sugar. Nesbit (Self-Fertile) pollinating The Nesbit black muscadine is very productive and ripens over a long period of time. Its fruit is 18% sugar and ripens mid to late season. Jumbo (female, must have at least 1 self-fertile variety muscadine planted near it to ensure pollination) Black, large fruit size, good disease resistance, ripens mid-season to late. Long picking season due to uneven ripening. 15% sugar. 6
Fry (female, must have at least 1 self-fertile variety muscadine planted near it to ensure pollination) Bronze, large fruit of excellent quality. Sometimes fruit can get as large as a halfdollar. Not as cold hardy as some, but worth the risk as its taste can t be beat. 21% sugar. Summit (female, must have at least 1 self-fertile variety muscadine planted near it to ensure pollination) Large reddish bronze fruit, ripens mid-season. One of the best for home use. 20% sugar. Scuppernong (female, must have at least 1 self-fertile variety muscadine planted near it to ensure pollination) The oldest cultivated variety, but still one of the best. Bronze with medium to large fruit, small cluster, excellent quality, ripens mid-season. Best known and most widely grown variety of muscadine. BUNCH GRAPES Niagra Light green, seeded, huge thick skinned, resistant to cracking, makes distinctive white wine, ripens late. Some folks call it the white Concord. 7
Fredonia is a blue-black seeded grape with very large berries that ripen in August. This very large grape is vigorous and similar to the Concord grape but larger. Thompson Seedless Green seedless, ripens in early mid-season. Top commercial green grape. Clusters are well filled. Will grow in hot climates. Excellent for wine. Red Flame Light red seedless table grape is popular for its crisp flavor. Elongated, loose, medium sized clusters, ripens early. Prefers plenty of heat during ripening period. Reliance The seedless Reliance grape produces pink-fruited seedless grapes that tops for flavor and texture. An excellent eating grape that is good for jellies and juices. Stores well. Has medium-sized clusters. Hardy and vigorous growing. You will enjoy a generous mid-season harvest. Dr. James Moore at the University of Arkansas developed and patented this variety 8
RASPBERRIES Latham raspberries are one of the oldest raspberry cultivars. They are hardy in cold areas but may develop some mildew problems in humid weather. This raspberry plant is known as a summer-bearing variety which ripens mid-season. Latham raspberry fruit is either red or yellow; flowers are white; and leaves have a slightly serrated edge. Latham raspberry plant canes can reach 10 feet in length. Latham raspberries were first introduced as a hybrid cultivar in 1920 in Minnesota, where they were developed to adapt well to cold weather. They are hardy to Zone 11. Latham red raspberries have good flavor, freezing quality, and are medium sized. The plants are upright in growth. Canes are almost thornless. Flowers and fruit grow in clusters and are easily picked. Grow Latham raspberries where they will receive 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. Give plants adequate room to spread; canes grow to 10 feet. Space plants 2 feet apart and rows 10 feet apart. Avoid planting to within 300 feet of where tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplant have previously grown. After the summer harvest, remove all the canes that have produced fruit. Latham raspberries are upright but often need support when fruit is most abundant. They do well when supported on wire trellis systems. FIGS Brown Turkey A medium-sized fig adapted to central and east Texas. The tree is vigorous, very large and productive. The early crop ripens in May; the main crop ripens late June and continues to ripen into August. The fruit has a short, plump stem and moderatelyclosed eye, which reduces fruit souring on the tree. The fruit is nearly seedless and has a mild, sweet flavor. Early crop fruit is very large, sometimes 2 inches in diameter. Skin is purplish brown, flesh pink amber. Good flavor. Best when fresh. STRAWBERRIES Earliglow Earliglow s fruit has a very firm, glossy skin, firm flesh and is medium size. Its sweet flavor makes the variety excellent for fresh eating and freezing. Fruit size tends to decrease as the season progresses. Earliglow plants are very vigorous and runners well. Among the best-flavored varieties and also one of the finest for freezing or making into preserves. Trouble-free plants are resistant to leaf scorch, red stele, and verticillium wilt. 9
Allstar Allstar has excellent resistance to fungus diseases, greatly improving its yield and reducing labor in the garden. The large, juicy-sweet berries are great for eating fresh or for freezing. Among the best fruit crops for the home gardener, strawberries require only fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. They offer years of tasty fruit, renewing themselves from the runners they produce. Set plants 21/2 feet apart. June-bearing varieties produce fruit in late spring to early summer -- typically in June! Replace the crop about every 3 years to keep yields high. This is the type of strawberry to choose for big harvests over a short period -- ideal for canning or freezing. ASPARAGUS Jersey Knight An all-male variety, Jersey Knight is extremely vigorous, has large, succulent spears and quickly attracts a loyal following. The flavor is excellent, and the plant is resistant to rust, crown rot and fusarium. It also does better in heavy, clay-like soils. Jersey Supreme The newest release from the Jersey asparagus breeding program. Supreme has a very high-yield potential as demonstrated by trial results. The spear size is more uniform than the other Jersey hybrids. Supreme is quite early, cold-tolerant and is adapted to warm and cool climates. This hybrid is best adapted to light to medium sandy soils. Supreme has demonstrated very good rust resistance and is selected for its tolerance to fusarium disease. 10