CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 03/27/01

Small Fruits Thrive in Georgia Home Gardens


Photo: SRSFC

Tara is one of the biggest bronze muscadines.
Things wouldn't be quite so sweet for shoppers and home fruit growers today without the Georgia legislature's farsighted action in the 1940s.

For six decades now, Georgia has had muscadine and blueberry breeding programs. The results are thriving muscadine and blueberry industries and a great number of excellent cultivars for home gardeners.

This year, farm gate sales of blueberries and muscadines topped $20 million. These small fruits provided much-needed income for struggling family farmers.

Both muscadine and rabbiteye blueberries thrive in Georgia's hot, humid climate. They can usually be grown with great success without pesticides in home gardens.

Top Muscadine Picks

My top picks for large muscadine grapes to plant in 2001 and 2002 are Tara (bronze fruit), Cowart (black), Scarlett (red), Summit (pinkish bronze) and Supreme (black).

These should work everywhere in Georgia except in the high mountains. In the high mountains, American bunch grapes, such as Niagara or Fredonia, are a better choice in the home garden. (See your county Extension Service agent for a publication on this.)

Rabbiteye blueberries thrive all over the state. Plant early-, mid- and late-season cultivars for extended ripening.

Top picks for early season are Austin, Premier and Climax. Austin is new and might be hard to find this year. The best midseason choice is Brightwell. Late-season picks are Tifblue, Powderblue and Centurion. If you're in a frosty spot, go with Brightwell, Tifblue, Powderblue and Centurion.


Photo: CAES File Photo
Bigger than a quarter, Kiowa blackberries thrive in Georgia gardens.
Best Blackberries

Besides these fruits, a breeding program for blackberries in Arkansas is producing cultivars we can use with great success in Georgia.

The ones that are doing best in Georgia are Kiowa and Chickasaw (very big fruit on thorny bushes) and Arapaho (medium fruit on thornless bushes). Kiowa and Chickasaw do well statewide, while Arapaho does better in north Georgia than in south Georgia.

Fall-planted strawberries do well in Georgia, too, but this is a project for next September. In the fall, plug plants are available from several Georgia producers. (See your county agent for a source and a publication on the subject.)

The Chandler and Camarosa cultivars from California are the best I've seen for this project. Georgia now has about 45 pick-your-own strawberry producers, and the strawberry harvest is here. Your county agent can give you a list of farms near you.

Gerard Krewer is a Cooperative Extension horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Gerard W. Krewer
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.