Fruits & Nuts for Alachua County

By:
Gary H. Brinen, Extension Agent - Horticulture and
Wendy L. Wilber, Environmental Horticulture Agent

Many fruits will grow in Alachua County but it is important to select varieties best adapted for our climate. Varieties planted must tolerate our summer heat, winter freezes and get enough cold (deciduous) to produce fruit. Those listed here are varieties that best meet these requirements.

  • Apple
    Tropic Sweet, Anna, and Dorsett Golden (together for cross pollination).
  • Avocado
    Mexicola, Gainesville, Day, Teague, Topa Topa, Brogdon, Winter Mexican, and Young in warmer parts of County. Must protect from freeze or frost.
  • Banana
    Dwarf Cavendish, Orinoco Plantain, Raja Puri, Ice Cream, Lady Finger, Mysore. Must protect from freeze or frost.
  • Blackberry
    Brazos, Roseborough, Chickasaw, Chactau, Kiowa (all thorny).
  • Black Walnut
    Thomas, Victoria, and Captain.
  • Blueberry
    Highbush - Star, Millennia and Emerald, Windsor (earliest); Rabbiteye - Climax, Beckyblue, Austin, Woodard and Bonita (Early); Chaucer, Brightwell, Powderblue and Tifblue (later). Plant several within each group together for cross pollination.
  • Bunch Grape
    Blue Lake, Conquistador, Daytona, Blanc Dubois, Stover, Suwannee, Lake Emerald and Orlando Seedless.
  • Cattley Guava
    Any
  • Chestnut
    Any Chinese or American-Chinese chestnut crosses. Plant at least two varieties for cross pollination.
  • Chinquapin
    Native Florida Chestnut relative.
  • Citrus
    Owari Satsuma tangerine and Kumquats are hardiest. Also, early oranges including Navel, Hamlin, Parson Brown and Ambersweet. Triumph grapefruit (others not as hardy). Dancy, Ponkan (Chinese Honey) Robinson, Sunburst, Page and Fallglo Tangerines. Minneola and Orlando Tangelos. Limequat, Calamardin and Meyer Lemon. Robinson, Minneola, Orlando, Page and Sunburst need other varieties for cross pollination. Protect from freezes. These should be on cold hardy root stocks like Trifoliate, Sour Orange, Swingle or Cleopatra.
  • Elderberry
    Adams, Johns, Nova, New York 21, York or native plants.
  • Feijoa
    Apollo, Gemini, Nazemetz, Trask, Coolidge, Mammoth and Triumph or unnamed propagated locally as ornamentals.
  • Fig
    Celeste, Brown Turkey, San Piero, Magnolia, Alma and Green Ischia.
  • Jujube
    Li and Tigertooth.
  • Loquat
    Any improved varieties or unnamed propagated locally as ornamentals.
  • Mayhaw
    Lori, Lindsey, Big Red, Red and Yellow, Mason's Super Berry, T.O. Super Berry, Highway Super Berry.
  • Mulberry
    White (Downing, New American and Wellington), Black (Black Persian and Noir), and Red (Hicks, Johnson, Stubbs, Townsend, and Travis) or native trees.
  • Muscadine Grape
    Black: Alachua, Abemarle, Nesbitt, Cowart, Jumbo and Southland. Bronze: Carlos, Dixie, Fry, Doreen, Florida Fry, Granny Val, Golden Isles, Summit, Triumph, Welder, Red's Noble and Southern Home. Jumbo and Fry need other varieties for cross pollination.
  • Muskmelon
    Ambrosia, Athena, All Star, Magnum 45, Challenger, Explorer, Goldmark, Hy-Mark, Mission, Primo, Solid Gold and Tasty Sweet.
  • Nectarine
    Sundollar, Suncoast and Sunmist (white flesh); Sunracer and UF Queen (warmer areas).
  • Pawpaw
    Any
  • Peach
    Flordagold, Flordacrest, Flordadown, Flordaking and UF 2000 (warmer area).
  • Pear
    Baldwin, Carnes, Flordahome (soft), Orient, Hood (soft), Kieffer, Pineapple and Tenn; Flordahome and Pineapple need to be planted with another variety for cross pollination. Asian Pears including Ya Li, Shimsecki and 20th Century can also be tried but must have more than one variety for cross pollination.
  • Pecan
    Cape Fear, Elliott, Moreland and Summer. Also Desirable, Gloria Grande, Kiowa and Stuart, but must be sprayed for disease.
  • Persimmon
    Non-astringent--Fuyu (late), Izu (early) and Matsumoto Wase Fuyu (mid season), Jiro, Ichikikei Jiro, Suruga. Astringent--Gionbo, Hachiya, Saijo, Tanenashi, Sheng and Ormond.
  • Plum
    Gulf Gold, Gulf Ruby, Gulf Beauty, Gluf Blaze (two or more) together for cross pollination.
  • Pomegranate
    Granada, Early Foothill, Ruby Red, Sweet Spanish Papershell, and Wonderful.
  • Prickly Pear Cactus
    Any
  • Raspberry
    Dorma Red (not flavorful), Heritage, if planted as annual.
  • Strawberry
    Osa Grande, Douglas, Chandler, Sweet Charlie, Camarosa, Earlibrite, Strawberry Festival and Treasure.
  • Watermelon
    Crimson Sweet, Fiesta, Jubilee, Celebration, Crimson Sweet, Sangria, Starbrite. Also small icebox varieties Misckeylee and Minilee.


blueberries

Gary H. Brinen
Extension Agent - Horticulture
GHBrinen@ifas.ufl.edu

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