Here is a long list of fruits, vegetables, and herbs growing at .09 Acres. There are many other fruit trees that I would like to grow but I am trying to focus on plants that will thrive in my specific climate rather than forcing something to grow that likely won't perform well. I will admit that I utilized loads of great information and plants from
Sybil and Rob Mays. They've been successfully advocating a similar philosophy for many years on their farm in southeastern Virginia Beach. I visited them about 5 years ago and was inspired by their success, kindness, and willingness to share ideas.
I will periodically update this page to reflect when plants have been added (or removed) or to make comments about specific plants and their growth habits in the yard. If you live in the mid-Atlantic I encourage you to try these plants. If you are growing things that you think I should try, let me know!
FRUIT TREES
Figs - Require no spraying, have no major pests (other than birds and ants), low maintenance. Can be eaten fresh, dried, made into jam/preserves. Flavor is unbeatable when fresh off the tree. Harvest from mid-summer through October.
Celeste (x2) - One of the most common figs in the southeast, very hardy, sweet, and reliable. Can grow very large or be pruned to maintain certain size.
Violette de Bordeaux (x2) - The best tasting fig, in my opinion. Dark black, almost purple, with dark red flesh. Sweet and rich, almost berry-like flavor. Dwarf plant, prolific production.
Negronne - Very similar to Violette de Bordeaux, some fig lovers use the terms interchangeably.
Strawberry Verte - Large green fig with red flesh. Sweet and productive.
Peter's Honey - Yellow/green fig with amber flesh. I have yet to harvest a fig from this tree because it is very young.
 |
| Unripe Violette de Bordeaux figs. |
 |
| Ripe fig. |
 |
| Violette de Bordeaux fig sliced in half. |
 |
| Peter's Honey fig. |
| Pomegranate - Fairly hardy tree if protected from cold winter winds, has no major pests or problems. Bears in fall-early winter. |
Russian - Very hardy strain of pomegranate from Russia. 2010 was the first harvest and the fruits were sweet/tart and amazing.
 |
| Pomegranate blossom. Very showy. |
 |
| Russian Red pomegranate shrub loaded with nearly ripe fruit in mid-October. |
 |
| Fistful o' pomegranates. |
Citrus - All my citrus trees are potted in well-drained potting mix. They produce very fragrant blossoms in spring. Plants are cold sensitive and must come indoors when temps approach freezing.
Bearss/Persian Lime - Classic grocery store lime with a major difference. It is VERY JUICY. Most grocery store limes are harvested prematurely. Let them turn yellow (ripe) on the tree and you'll have more lime juice than you can handle! Also is seedless.
Lemon - Not sure if it is Eureka or Lisbon, but has incredible lemon flavor. Very productive for small potted plant. Very juicy, few seeds.
Calamondin - Small tart oranges great for juicing, marinade, salad dressings, fish, etc.
Gold Nugget Mandarin - Newest plant in the collection, only 2 years old. Not sure if it will bear this year, but is a sweet and seedless version of manadarin/clementine.
 |
| Bearss or Persian limes, not quite ripe. |
 |
| Ripe lemons ready for harvest. |
BERRIES
Raspberries - Don't require much work, other than trellising and understanding what to prune and when. You are missing out if you have only eaten store-bought berries. I encourage you to grow them!
Heritage (x3) - Everbearing red raspberries with amazing flavor. Extremely productive, bear fruit in summer and fall.
Fall Gold (x2) - Perhaps the sweetest and finest backyard berry. These yellow/gold raspberries will blow your mind.
Kiwi Gold - Very similar to Fall Gold.
 |
| Heritage raspberry blossoms. |
 |
| Kiwi Gold, Fall Gold, and Heritage Red raspberries. |
Blackberries - I'm growing erect thornless varieties. They do need trellising under the weight of fruit. Again, like raspberries, they are indescribable when home-grown.
Arapaho - Sweet and productive, ripens in early June.Ouachita (x3) - Sweet and productive, harvest for about 5 weeks beginning in mid-June.
Triple Crown - Sweet, large, vigorous, harvest in July-August. Can grow over 10 feet tall! I've heard stories of 30 pounds of berries per plant. This year will be my first harvest so I'll post more info in the summer.
Strawberries - I have planted a few strawberries to naturalize a portion of the backyard. I hope they don't take over the yard...
Ke'oki Strawberry - Small, fragrant, delicious yellow strawberries, produces runners.
 |
| Rooting Ke-oki strawberry runners from the mother plant into smaller pots. Note the color and size of the strawberries. |
VEGETABLES
Tomatoes (heirloom varieties from saved seed)
German Johnson, Black from Tula, Cherokee Purple, Black Cherry
 |
| Assorted heirloom tomatoes including German Johnson, Virginia Sweets, Black from Tula, and Black Cherry. |
Peppers (heirloom varieties from saved seed)
Chocolate Bell, Jalapeno, Joe's Long Cayenne
 |
| Joe's Long Cayenne peppers. |
 |
| Chocolate Bell peppers start out green before ripening to a dark purple/brown color. |
Cucumbers
Straight 8, A&C Pickling, Lemon
 |
| Straight 8 cuke. |
Lettuce
Winter Density, Paris Island Cos/Romaine, Marvel of Four Seasons
 |
| Lettuce in late Fall. |
 |
| Buttercrunch (l) and Winter Density (r). |
Radishes
Cherry Belle, White Icicle/Blanche Transparente, French Heirloom (from friend's grandfather in France)
 |
| Blanche transparente radishes in a large ceramic pot right before harvest. |
 |
| Blanche transparente radishes on my cutting board immediately after harvest. Yummy stuff. |
Carrots
Chantenay Red Core, Danvers, Scarlet Nantes, St. Valery, Short n' Sweet
 |
| Carrot in February, just waiting to be pulled from Mother Nature's fridge. |
 |
| In need of a rinse. |
 |
| Yum. |
Beets
Chioggia, Bull's Blood
 |
| Chioggia beets. |
Kale
Vates, Red Russian
 |
| Bed of kale. |
Swiss Chard
Rainbow, Ruby Red, Lucullus
 |
| Tasty and vibrant chard. |
 |
| Assorted chard in March. |
Broccoli
Calabrese Broccoli
 |
| Calabrese broccoli a few days before harvest. Homegrown broccoli is sweet in flavor and lacks the bitterness sometimes found in store-bought broccoli. |
 |
| Beautiful close-up view of a head of Calabrese broccoli. |
Garlic
Inchelium Red
 |
| Garlic clove prior to planting. |
 |
| Worm's eye view of garlic, disregarding the fact that worm's have no eyes. |
 |
| My first attempt at braiding garlic. |
Onions
Red Bunching, Egyptian Walking
 |
| Egyptian Walking Onions. |
 |
| A lone Red Bunching Onion, obviously not bunched! |
Chives
Arugula
HERBS
Basil
 |
| Sweet Genovese basil. |
Rosemary
 |
| Every garden should have rosemary. |
Thyme
Oregano
Sage
Borage
 |
| Borage flowers are edible. They have a "green" lettuce-like flavor. |
Apple Mint
 |
| Apple mint growing in a half barrel in October. |
Cover crops
 |
| A 4' x 8' bed of winter rye and hairy vetch grown as a cover crop. My dog Diego found it very tasty and would frequently munch on the new green growth. |
