Urban Orchard

Fabulous Figs for Summer Harvest

June 24, 2026 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 6/23/2026

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

I’m delighted to report that fig fruit are beginning to ripen and are ready for picking. Fruit availability may seem to go by in a flash as fresh fruit is highly perishable. Unlike tomatoes that can be harvested at the breaker stage, figs will not ripen on the countertop until in the later stages of ripening on the stem. A crop of figlets from my in-ground variety Celeste developed about a month ago, and I am fortunate that it has produced almost four pounds as of this writing with more to come.

Figs Are Healthy and Tasty

Figs offer health benefits that include high dietary fiber content, a great source of calcium and potassium and easily digestible natural sugars. Fresh figs are favored for their jam-like, delicate texture. I smile when I read flavor descriptors like those used by a sommelier – the all-encompassing berry with hints of vanilla, or light cherry with a syrupy interior. I speak from direct experience and report on the sweet and sugar jam flavored profile of Celeste and Little Ruby, an aroma of fresh strawberries from green skinned Nagle, and the light honey flavor of LSU Gold. I have a variety called Smith that offers a rich taste, one that is difficult to describe but is outstanding in flavor.

Fig Varieties

There are hundreds of named varieties, each offering difference in taste, texture and harvest time. I offer a few recommended for ease of cultivation and consistent producers.

Diversity of fig fruit image — L to R: Celeste, Little Ruby, Smith, LSU Gold

Celeste, a popular dooryard tree, produces a light-bronze fruit averaging 1.5-inches in diameter with a closed eye. It has the capacity to produce ten pounds annually from mid-June thru July. Reddish pulp offers a rich, sweet taste when fully ripe. Celeste is a cold hardy tree, down to low teens with short duration freeze event.
LSU Gold was developed through Louisiana State University’s fig breeding program and reached commercial markets in 2001. The fruit is a large 2-inch diameter oblate form, offering a greenish-yellow skin when ripe and the potential to produce 24 pound in one season. The tree begins producing fruit in mid-June. The pulp is light pink to amber color with a honey-like flavor. Mature fruit has a partially closed eye (ostiole). One challenge is the fruit may split or crack with excessive moisture from rain events during maturation.
Smith was brought by the Becnel family to their nursery in Louisiana in the early 1900s. Reputed to be a classic southern fig, Smith produces from June through early July and expresses an exquisite berry taste. You know when Smith is ripe when the skin expresses prominent purplish ribs and an amber droplet emerges from the semi-open eye.

Cultivating Fig Fruit

If planting anew, wait until early spring and after anticipated hard freeze events in well-drained soil. Do not fertilize and prune newly planted trees to half their height, forcing shoots to grow from the base of the plant. The following late winter, select three to five vigorous leader shoots and prune back to one foot from the base. Ensure each leader is widely spaced to accommodate up to 3-inches of girth as it matures. Other than dwarfed varieties like Little Miss Figgy, Little Ruby and Fignomenal, all fig trees can become quite large at 20-feet or more tall and wide. Give them room to grow and prune annually mid-February to early March to keep at a harvestable height. Use thinning cuts, removing branches to their lowest point and avoid heading cuts that shorten branches and encourage vigorous, upright sprouts.

While annual maintenance includes fertilization, apply with caution as fig trees can respond vigorously with little to no fruit production. My advice is to submit a soil sample to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory (soiltesting.tamu.edu/) and determine any nutrient deficiencies for a more accurate measure of fertilization. For newly planted trees and after the first year in the ground to around three years, split approximately 3 cups into thirds and apply early spring, mid-May and mid-June. Mature established trees can be fertilized once in the spring annually. LSU Extension recommends annual application from half to one pound per year of plant age and no more than ten pounds per plant at maturity. Cut back on the fertilizer application next year if the foliage growth outcompetes fruit production. The fig season may seem to go by in a flash, but I encourage you to cultivate at least two for your backyard orchard to extend the bounty. Figs are truly a part of our southern culinary culture, and I look forward to sharing knowledge and supporting your urban orchard efforts. You can always chat with me about figs on Garden Success, my live call-in garden radio show every Thursday at 12 pm on KAMU-FM 90.9. Fig on, my friends and I’ll see you in the garden.

Planting Fruiting Trees In Winter

February 6, 2026 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 1/20/2026

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

Winter is the recommended season to dig in newly purchased fruit trees. The trees are undergoing a period of dormancy estimated from December through end of February, allowing roots to establish prior to summer environmental stressors. Since these trees are going to be in their forever home, it is best to plant them correctly from the start. I offer steps to assist in this lifelong friendship and years of fruitful production.

Step One: Find the Best Location and Test the Soil

Find a location for your tree that offers the best exposure to sunlight, access to water and proximity from structures and surrounding trees. It is important to look up and around at surrounding buildings and trees to ensure your site is not covered by shade during the growing season. Another preliminary step is to make sure the area drains well; make an assessment if you need to plant on a berm to improve drainage. Also commit a soil test of your growing area. You need a baseline measurement of soil nutrients, pH and salinity levels to determine the right varietal as well as practice sustainable tree maintenance. Ensure that you have adequate access for consistent application of water. The bottom line is you do not want to be hauling buckets of water to maintain your tree.

Step Two: Dig a Hole

Next step is to dig a hole twice as wide and no deeper than the height of the root ball. Some may be planting bare root trees or vines, making it slightly challenging to determine how deep to make the planting hole. Look for a distinct color change where the roots meet the trunk, called the root collar, well below the graft union and plant at that level. You can also use the part of the trunk that naturally flares at soil level as a visual guide. The final level should be a little less than one-inch higher to account for settling.

Examining fruit tree roots before planting

As you remove your tree from its container, look over the root mass and remove any inward growing or fixed and curling roots. There is a technique called root washing, removing all soil from the root mass by washing with a hose and exposing any malformed roots for pruning. Root washing provides you with an opportunity to clearly see and adjust the roots as you plant. You can also try to shake loose media surrounding the root ball. Whatever technique you decide to use always make sure to prune out any malformed roots you see.

Always save and use extracted native soil for backfill to encourage optimal root growth. Supplemental media like peat moss or shovelfuls of compost may encourage roots to become more localized and not readily move out of the enriched environment of the planting hole. Also, we’re reducing an abrupt change in soil texture at the interface between the soil in the planting hole and surrounding soil, allowing for adequate drainage and reducing what is often referred to as the bathtub effect. Once you place the tree in the hole, backfill with one-third of collected soil at a time, making sure to lightly tamp the soil enough to hold everything in place, water in the soil until you see it pool slightly, then let drain to reduce air pockets that may collect while planting. Repeat this activity until you fill up the hole to surrounding soil level. Build a 4-inch berm around the tree at least 2 feet away from the trunk and fill the berm with water for final settling.

Step Three: No Stake and Watering

Tree roots serve a dual purpose: they absorb and transfer water and minerals as well as provide a foundation and support. After planting, you will be pruning your fruiting trees to a single trunk at about 2 to 3 feet tall that will not be top heavy and therefore may not need staking. If you do decide to stake, check on your tree throughout the year to ensure it has firmly established roots and remove the stakes within a year of planting. In the absence of seasonal rains, hand water your trees every four days for two weeks and increase the time between watering until you can water the tree every twenty days. Always take into account soaking rains; the key is not to over saturate the soil, which can lead to root rot. Remember that lawn sprinklers do not replace directed application of water via drip emitter, soaker hose or if nothing else, good old hand watering.

Finding the right place and using sound practices for planting will go a long way toward cultivating fruit for you and your family’s culinary enjoyment. There is additional information on fruit tree cultivation including fertilization available from our trusted colleagues with Aggie Horticulture. Browse online to learn more: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut. Check out my live call-in radio show every Thursday at noon, Garden Success on KAMU 90.9 FM, send me an email if you want to connect: [email protected]. Note that I am always available to talk about fig trees, and I always look forward to seeing you in the orchard.

Persimmon for a Fruitful Fall

December 3, 2025 by stephenbrueggerhoff

Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 10/28/2025

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

I am a recent convert to the delicious taste of persimmon. I have a tree in the front yard that I recently harvested the ripe fruit, offering a sweet and almost jelly-like flesh that was outstanding in taste and texture. I invite you to consider persimmon for your home orchard.

Persimmon Origins

While native varieties such as the American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) can be cultivated, varieties of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki), sometimes called Asian persimmon or Kaki, are often used in space constricted urban orchards. These fruiting members of the hardwood ebony plant family are small trees that can be used both as an ornamental landscape feature as well as a food source. American persimmon can reach up to 40-feet, while Japanese persimmon varieties can be kept compact at 15-feet. They are deciduous, with dark green leaves turning brilliant colors of orange red to gold in the fall. The majority produces medium tomato-sized fruit that are more oblong than round, featuring vivid colors from cream-orange to deep red that complement bare branches in early winter.

I am interested in the history of global plant distribution. Knowing where plants originated can help broaden our global cultural and culinary understanding of one another. According to a plant profile from the Missouri Botanical Garden, Japanese persimmon is native to a broad range of the Asian continent – from India and Myanmar to China and Korea and is widely cultivated in Japan. Kaki was brought to the U.S. from Japan in 1856 by Commodore Perry, more than likely attributed to the Perry Expedition and establishment of global trade with Japan. Commercial production increased in the 1930s in California and southeast U.S., and today most of the fruit sold in broad markets across the states are from California orchards.

Cultivating Asian Persimmon

Fortunately, persimmons can grow in a variety of soil types and success is dependant on the rootstock. Rootstock is defined as one variety or species of rooted tree that is top grafted with another species. For our eco-region, American persimmon is used as a rootstock for Japanese persimmon as it is more adaptable to regional soil profiles and resistant to soil-borne pathogens. Bare-root trees can be planted in January and February. Remove half of the top of the tree to a single trunk. Pruning in this fashion forces growth to develop a framework of branches based off a central leader. Containerized trees should be planted in early spring, from late February to early April and pruned to shape. Multiple plantings should be spaced twenty feet apart on center. Fruit develops on branches growing in the current season. As with most fruiting trees, you may begin to see fruit production within the first 3 years after establishment. Most Japanese persimmons produce seedless fruit, with exception of variety ‘Eureka.’ Some varieties, like ‘Fuyu,’ are self-fruitful. Fuyu can be used as a pollinator for all varieties grown in our area.

Astringent Versus Non-astringent Varieties

While persimmons are valued for their sweet taste and pleasant texture, varieties are listed as either astringent or non-astringent. Most persimmons are astringent and must be fully ripe and soft prior to eating to reduce an unpleasant palate pucker. Variety ‘Fuyu’ and ‘Izu’ are two non-astringent, medium-sized and self-fruitful varieties that perform well in our area. Fuyu fruit is flattened in appearance with a deep orange colored rind. Keep in mind that Fuyu can be affected by sustained seasonal freezing weather. Izu looks more rounded with lighter orange-yellow tones and is colder hardy than Fuyu. Variety ‘Tamopan’ is an astringent variety that produces large and flattened, orange-colored fruit. Tamopan has a distinctive ring constriction near the middle of the fruit, providing a wow factor for the effort of growing. This variety has a vigorous and upright growth habit, so my advice is to plant it as a single specimen in the home landscape. While we were not provided with a distinct varietal list of fruit trees planted at our newly purchased house, I determined by fruit shape, size, and color that I have an astringent variety ‘Hachiya’. I patiently waited until each fruit reached anticipated coloration at full ripeness, and then gently squeezed each fruit daily until I could find a little give for each that suggested ripeness for harvest. Japanese persimmon can make a great addition to your home landscape, a fruiting tree that can be kept pruned to height for smaller yards, has great seasonal value with vibrantly colored leaves and colorful fruits that can be left to ripen on the tree in the fall. Browse online on our Brazos County Master Gardener website, txmg.org/brazos for upcoming programs that will include 2026 Urban Orchard seminars.

Do you want to become a Texas Master Gardener? You can also find out more about our upcoming 2026 Texas Master Gardener training program from the BCMG website. I am delighted to tell you Dr. Garett Slater, Assistant Professor and Apiculture Extension Entomologist, will be joining me at Garden Success, my garden radio show this Thursday, November 27 at 12 pm on KAMU-FM 90.9. Dr. Slater directs the Texas Master Beekeeper program and will be talking about his efforts cultivating professional development for commercial and hobby beekeepers. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends, and I’ll see you in the garden.

Pecan Season Is In Full Swing

December 3, 2025 by stephenbrueggerhoff

By Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 11/11/2025

All images unless otherwise noted by Stephen Brueggerhoff

Friends, relatives and neighbors have a personal connection with pecans, a highly nutritious and prized nut that is a treasured food in home life. Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) are indigenous to southern North America and northern Mexico, a staple food for ancestral Native Americans within the plant’s natural range and integrated into contemporary culture. Historically, pecan was not commercially grown until the 1880s and with the advent of improved varieties. Current statistics list the United States producing an estimated 80-percent of the world’s commercially grown pecans annually from New Mexico, Georgia, Arizona and Texas.

Cultivating Pecan Trees

Our personal connection with pecans is motivation for growing them at home. While they often become ornamental shade trees in time, they still require special annual maintenance for quality nut production. Be aware that grafted pecans can take up to seven years to bear nuts, and seedling trees much longer. If you plant a pecan tree into your yard, keep in mind you must give them room to grow. These stately trees naturally reach to 100-ft in height and spread 50-foot or more at maturity. A modest-sized lot in the city may provide enough space to grow a single pecan variety. For commercial production, establishing a pecan orchard takes focused planning that includes space consideration for maintenance and harvest. Planting densities can range from 12 to 48 trees per acre depending on spacing. Pecan trees can be planted from late November through February. Whether locating in the front yard or out in the pasture, ensure planting them in well-draining soil as they may fail if planted in soil that regularly becomes saturated. You can build up to 2-foot planting berms to compensate, but always best to locate them in a prime spot at the onset.

Pecan Varietal Choices

There is an estimate that over 500 varieties have been developed to date, with a handful of varieties that are appropriate for home or commercial production within our region and dependent on disease resistance, cultural and environmental conditions. Also consider their flowering structure when choosing a variety. Pecans are monoecious, meaning they produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant and, depending on the variety, from mid to late-spring. Male flowers are expressed on necklace-like catkins and pollen dispersal is by wind. Female flowers are produced at the tips of emerging shoots. Varieties are identified as Type I, those shedding pollen before the female flowers are receptive, and Type II varieties are shed after the female flowers are receptive. While some varieties are described as self-pollinating, it is always best to consider planting both types of trees in your orchard to enhance the chance of adequate cross-pollination. For example, Desirable is a Type I variety, producing a medium sized, soft-shell nut and ripening late October. You can increase production chances by pairing with a late pollen shedding variety like Kanza. Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture provides fact sheets that are an excellent source to identify pecan varieties that perform in our area, as well as planting and cultivation information. We offer professional advice for entrepreneurs considering commercial production, and Aggie Horticulture offers a world-renowned Pecan Orchard Management Short Course to provide an avenue of success growing pecans February 24 to 26, 2026.

Consider Entering a Pecan Show

You may be cultivating prized varieties on your property, gaining a reputation amongst pecan experts, aficionados as well as neighbors for being a source of the best pecans in your community. You can extend that pride and gain recognition by participating in a regional pecan show. The Extension offices in Austin County (Bellville) and Washington County (Brenham) annually host pecan shows, no entry fee for submission and open to the public and producers alike. Austin County is accepting submissions through December 1 and Washington County through mid-November. Take heart, Brazos County neighbors – you don’t have to be a resident of the listed counties to compete. Contact me via email at [email protected] to explore participating in their shows or check each counties’ website to submit prior to stated deadlines. Each county has similar rules for submission that include about 50 non-mixed varieties per entry. The competitions proceed with sorting and judging classic and new division, commercial division and native division. Each county hosts a public program soon after entry deadlines and identifies winning entries that are then sent to regional pecan shows for judging this coming January. All state regional winners will compete at the Texas Pecan Growers Annual Conference and Trade Show mid-July in San Marcos.

Enjoy Texas Pecans

Pecan harvest is in full swing, and fresh cracked and in shell pecans are available at local retail outlets. Except for November 28, The TAMU Pecan Orchard hosts a weekly pecan sale every Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm, at TAMU Research Park, 1500 Research Parkway, Lot 109 on campus until December 12. I encourage you to celebrate Pecan culture and bring attention to the diversity and health benefits of our native nut. Are you interested in learning more about pecans, fruits and vegetables, and best practices in horticulture and serving your neighbors with knowledge? I am accepting applications for the 2026 Texas Master Gardener Training program. We start the classes in January, have limited seating and would I would be delighted to help improve your gardening skills. Browse online to the Brazos County Master Gardener website, txmg.org/brazos, to find out more and contact me via email posted above. Enjoy your pecans, and I’ll see you in the garden.

Seminar – Temperate and Tropical Fruits

November 18, 2025 by janderson

Select Temperate and Tropical Fruits – presented by Dr. Tim Hartmann, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Fruit Crops.

Join the Brazos County Master Gardeners monthly for an educational presentation. Programs begin at 6PM.

This event is open to the public at no charge.

Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for effective participation in the program should contact the County Extension Office at least one week prior to the program or event to request mobility, hearing, visual or other assistance. Phone: 979-823-0129

Planting Fruit Trees in Winter

October 14, 2025 by stephenbrueggerhoff

By Stephen Brueggerhoff, CEA – Horticulture, Brazos County AgriLife Extension; published 01/21/2025

I have never experienced discontentment in winter. I keep myself active in my little urban orchard by choosing fruiting trees and vines I can get in the ground now for future harvest. Early to late winter is a great time to plant your chosen beauties. Once you purchase a tree, planting seems like it would be a simple task: dig a hole, plop your new fruit tree in, water and done. Not so fast, my intrepid gardener, there are a few steps to take to ensure a long life and years of fruit production.

Plant Fig Trees Now for Fall Harvest, Image: Stephen Brueggerhoff

Step one is to find a location for your tree on the north side of your landscape, supporting current plant dormancy and providing full sun exposure after emerging from winter. We do not know what advective freeze events are around the corner and certainly do not want to encourage bud break and expose tender new growth to extreme colder temps. Keep an eye on weather forecasts during this time of year to help support your decision for planting. It is important to look up and around at surrounding buildings and trees to ensure your site is not covered by shade during the growing season. Another preliminary step is to make sure the area drains well; make an assessment if you need to plant on a berm or in a raised bed to improve drainage. Also commit a soil test of your growing area. You need a baseline measurement of soil nutrients, pH and salinity levels to determine the right varietal as well as practice sustainable tree maintenance. Information reported from a soil test will help guide you to the best ratio of fertilizer for ongoing management.

Next step is to dig a hole twice as wide and no deeper than the root ball. Some may be planting bare root trees or vines, making it slightly challenging to determine how deep to make the planting hole. Look for a distinct color change where the roots meet the trunk, called the root collar, and plant at that level. You can also use the part of the trunk that naturally flares at soil level as a visual guide. This trunk flare/root collar zone is well below any graft union you may see on the trunk. Remember that you will have a bit of settling after planting, and I suggest having the final level at least one-inch higher to account for settling.

Examine & Correct Roots Before Planting, Image: Stephen Brueggerhoff

As you remove your tree from its container or pull away burlap from a ball and burlap tree, look over the root mass and remove any inward growing or fixed curling woody roots. It may be challenging to clearly see the tree roots surrounded by soil if container grown. There is a technique called root washing, which is removing all soil from the root mass by washing with a hose, exposing any malformed roots for pruning and providing an opportunity to clearly see and adjust the roots as you plant. I believe there is merit to this method, and whatever technique you decide to use always make sure to prune out any malformed roots you see.

Always save and use the native soil for backfill to encourage optimal root growth and reduce an abrupt change in soil texture at the interface between the planting hole and surrounding soil. Tree roots serve a dual purpose: they absorb and transfer water and minerals as well as provide a foundation and support. Supplemental material like peat moss or shovelfuls of composted material may encourage roots to become more localized and not readily move out of the rich environment of the soil amendments in the planting hole. Mix and use as much of the native soil as you can even if you decide to build a raised bed. Once you place the tree in the hole, backfill with one-third of collected soil at a time, making sure to lightly tamp the soil enough to hold everything in place, water in the soil until you see it pool slightly, then let drain. This action helps reduce air pockets that may collect while planting. Repeat this activity until you fill up the hole to surrounding soil level. Build a 4-inch berm around the tree at least 2-feet away from the trunk and fill the berm with water for final settling. Staking may not be necessary; you will be pruning your fruiting trees to a single trunk that will not be top heavy and therefore will not necessitate this kind of support. If you do decide to stake, check on your tree throughout the year to ensure it has firmly established roots and remove the stakes within a year of planting. In the absence of seasonal rains, hand water your trees every four days for two weeks and increase the time between watering until you can water the tree every twenty days. Always take into account soaking rains; the key is not to over saturate the soil, which can lead to root rot. Remember that lawn sprinklers do not replace good old hand watering.

Browse online to Aggie Horticulture to find out more specific information about fruit tree culture: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu. I will be marketing a 2025 Urban Orchard seminar series, and to best serve your interests I invite you to browse to my website and take a survey: https://brazos.agrilife.org/horticulture/urban-orchard. From grafting trees to cultivating blackberries, figs, peaches and pomegranates, I will review your answers to get things growing. Producers and home growers are welcome. Take care my friends, and I’ll see you in the winter garden.