Pollinators are responsible for over 40% of the world’s food supply. The life of abundance and options in the food world that we know exists because of pollinators’ work. With the population of pollinators declining throughout parts of the USA, we owe it to ourselves to help the pollinators.  

The main reason for the decline is the loss of habitat. Luckily, there is still time for the backyard, urban, and suburban gardeners to help. A lack of space is no longer an excuse, and WE can all do something to help the pollinators.

5 Ways To Help Pollinators

1. Biodiversity. Whenever you plant a garden, be sure to add a variety of crops. Think of pollinators as humans. Would you want to go somewhere there is only one type of food available? Plant pollen-rich flowers, trees, shrubs, and other herbaceous plants. Ensure there are plenty of pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing seasons. This food source will help keep pollinators nourished during their long days of pollinating. Milkweed, Calendula, Asters, black-eyed Susan are a few examples of pollen-rich plants.
2. Water Source. Provide a water source for the pollinators. The water source can be as simple as a birdbath or elaborate as a garden pond, and the choice is yours. The goal is to ensure that the pollinators have access to fresh water, and access to water helps alleviate the stress that is potentially harming them.  
3. Stop being so tidy. Hollow stems from perennials that are homes to pollinators like solitary bees. Other native bees build a nest and raise their young in piles of deadwood, leaf piles, and other places. IF we are constantly cleaning up and removing these spent plants and materials, we can end up destroying potential nesting sites. If you insist on having a neat and tidy gardent then you may want to invest in some bee hotels. 
4. Avoid pesticides. Pesticides and insecticides do just what they are supposed, they kill bugs and insects. The only problem is these same pesticides and inseticides cannot differentiate between pollinators and pests. Try committing to maintain your garden organically. If you are noticing a pest issue, try improving the health of the soil, planting trap crops or non toxic methods of pest management.  
5. Plant natives. Native plants are favorites of pollinators. These plants provide them with food, protect them from predators and act as a place the raise their young. Natives habe evolved with the pollinators in your region. Whats great is that they these natives are often perennials. Meaning you plant them once and they will naturalize and provide food sources forever.

Spread the message of the importance of pollinators with all of your friends. Doing so has the potential to influence thousands even millions of people to follow along. 

JUST GROW IT

Basil is the ultimate summer herb. I mean, what is there to dislike about it? There are endless varieties, each with its distinct fragrant smell and taste. Summer meals like garden pizza, pasta, or even sauces are not the same without fresh garden basil. If you don’t like fresh basil, try making and freezing pesto and other seasonings or drying the leaves to make your spice blends. There are so many uses and reasons to grow more basil. Luckily, growing basil is easy as well as cloning it to create more plants than you know what to do with. By the end of this article, you will be able to clone your basil plant, or friends for that matter, and grow the cuttings in water until they have a thriving root system and are ready to transplant.

Growing Basil Tips

• Basil can be grown seed indoors or outdoors. To grow transplants inside, start the seeds about six weeks before your last frost date. To find out more about your frost dates, check here. If you live in zone 7 or higher, sow basil seeds outdoors after your last spring frost.
• Do not transplant seedlings outside until the risk of frost has passed.  Don’t be in a rush to get basil out.  It does better the hotter it is out.
• Basil enjoys full sun, so plant in any location that receives a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight.
• Keep basil plants watered.  Depending on where you live and your rainfall pattern, be prepared to water basil deeply every seven days.  Living somewhere like Houston, you may have to water your basil plants every three days.
• If growing basil in a container, you will water plants more often.  Container plants always dry out faster than raised beds or inground beds.
• Basil cannot tolerate cold temperatures, so to keep your basil supply throughout the winter months, either preserve your harvests or take clones and grow them indoors over these winter months.
• Most importantly, allow some of your basil to go to flower and leave the flowers for the pollinators.

Why Do I Need This Much Basil?

Basil is one of the most common herbs worldwide.  Many dishes from different cuisines call for basil.  Since we have a garden and are growing basil, we might as well grow enough to keep a supply ready throughout the winter months. 

The easiest way to keep basil plants in the garden is not by purchasing many transplants from the nursery.  It is not succession planting and growing them from seed.  The easiest way to keep an endless supply of basil is from propagation. 

• Propagating from cuttings speeds up the time needed until harvest.  Basil plants grown from seed take a minimum of 21 days to reach a transplantable size.  While basil grown from cuttings takes 14 days to reach the same size. 
• If you follow the water propagation technique rooting will occur in 100% of the cuttings.  If you start seeds, even though basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow, you may have a germination rate of around 90%.
• Growing one rooted cutting per pot will produce a plant with stronger roots than had you grown multiple seedlings in one pot.

What Is Propagation

Propagation is the process of reproducing an identical copy of a plant from a piece of that plant.  There are many ways to propagate plants; grafting, division, and budding, but in this article, we will focus on taking cuttings.

How To Propagate Basil

Rooting basil takes time, but not as much time as growing from seed. There are many ways to propagate basil, but we will go over two of the easiest ways. One way involves water and the cup, while the other requires soil. Whether you decide to do the soil route or the water method, it’s easy to do.

Growing Basil by Water Method

1. Go outside and collect basil cuttings. You want these pieces to be 4 to 6 inches long. It is best to take these cuttings right at the node area.
2. Remove the leaves from the bottom 2 inches of the stem. This is where the new roots will grow from.
3. Get a cup and fill it with water. I prefer to use clear glass to watch the roots grow and know when I will need to change the water.
4. Place the basal cuttings into the cup of water.
5. Place this cup somewhere where the cuttings will receive bright indirect light. I recommend finding a sunny windowsill inside. But if the inside is not an option, then place your basil cuttings in water in a shaded area.
6. Change the water every few days.
7. After about seven days, you should see roots starting to grow at the bottom of the stem.
8. Allow the routes to reach one to two inches long before transplanting into a four-inch pot or directly into your garden.

Growing Basil by Soil Method

1. Fill a four-inch pot 3/4 of the way with potting mix.
2. Now, take a four to six-inch long cutting from your basil plant. I prefer to take many cuttings at once and do all of the propagating at one-time.
3. Dip the base of your 4 to 6-inch cutting in rooting hormone. Read about how to make your rooting hormone here. Place the cutting into the pot, rooting hormone side down.
4. Cover the pot with a plastic bag or larger container. This is to help prevent moisture from escaping and create a high humidity zone for the cutting. Since the cutting has no roots, this high humidity allows the plant to intake water while developing a new root system. 
5. Place the plant on a sunny windowsill to keep the soil moist.
6. In about ten days, you should see new growth on your basal cutting. Give it one more week before transplanting out into your garden.

Now that you are a propagation professional and able to grow as much basil as your heart desires, don’t forget to share some with your gardening friends. And once you have all the basil you could ever want, check out this link to learn how to dehydrate and store your basil harvest. Or this link here where we talk about how to make your garden pesto.

Stratification is the conditions a seed is exposed to to get them to germinate. When people think about this stratification process, they often think of the moist and warm temperature needed to get the job done. These conditions are not always the case. In the wild particular plants flower in late fall. These plants produce and drop their seeds around winter time when the temperatures are usually cold and wet. This process of exposing seeds to cold, moist temperatures is known as cold stratification. Not all plants need the same conditions during the cold stratification process. Some plants like damp and humid conditions, while some plants prefer cold and dry conditions.

The process of exposing the seed to cold temperatures primes the seed. How do you know which seeds need to go through this process? By paying attention to the plant’s flowering times. Plenty of trees, shrubs, and perennials need cold stratification to germinate.

Here is a list of plants that fall into that category:

• Milkweed
• Butterfly bush
• Fuchsia
• Rhubarb
• St Johns Wort
• Shooting Sar
• Prairie Coneflower
• Certain marigolds
• Lupine
• False sunflower
• Hardy hibiscus
• Catmint
• Evening primrose
• Perennial sweet pea
• Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan)
• Sedum Hen-and-chicks
• Ironweed
• Chinese lantern
• Lavender
• Verbena

Cold stratification is a survival tactic engrained in individual plants. This tactic ensures that plants do not germinate at inappropriate times. Sudden changes could trick a plant into thinking it is time to grow too early in the spring or too late in the summer. Without the cold and moist conditions during winter and early spring, individual seeds will not even sprout.

In the wild, nature subjects these seeds to these conditions for months. Luckily when recreating this process at home, that time length is not necessarily needed.

Here are different ways to copy nature’s cold stratification easily in your own home.

Materials

• Seeds
• Plastic Ziplock bags
• Refrigerator
• Water
• Paper towels
• Peat moss
• Sand

Cold Stratification Methods

Paper Towel Method

Sand method

1. Place sand in a mixing bowl and moisten with water. The sand has the proper moisture content when you can form it into a ball
2. Add your seeds to the sand and water mixture
3. After mixing, place sand and seed mixture in a Ziplock bag and place in the refrigerator for a month
4. After a minimum of 3 weeks, remove the bag and plant the seeds as you would normally.

Coco Coir Method

1. Pre-moisten the coco-coir. To check for the proper moisture consistency, I grab a handful of this mixture and attempt to squeeze it. If I can squeeze water without clinching a tight fist, I know I have the proper amount of moisture in my medium.
2. Next, place seeds flat and lightly press them into the coco coir. Cover with a light layer of moistened coco coir. The seeds should still be visible—cover the container with Ziplock or something similar to keep moisture level consistent.
3. Place this mixture in the refrigerator. After the designated time, remove your seeds from the fridge and now plant your seeds as you would normally.

To be honest, the sand method or the coco coir method both work, but that’s not my go-to. I prefer the paper towel method because I can remove individual seeds from the plastic more efficiently than sand, peat moss, or any other medium. And to me, when we’re urban gardening, efficiency is essential.

So, if you have ever attempted to start certain seed varieties and wondered why you could never be successful or successfully get them to germinate. We may have just solved that issue. Maybe those particular varieties required a cold dormant period.

For seeds that need a cold and dry stratification period, simply place seeds in the refrigerator. You can put the seeds in mason jars, ziplock bags, Tupperware, or in the seed pack. Just make sure they stay dry.

JUST GROW IT

Everyone wants to be a better a gardener. If you go online, you will see all sorts of videos and articles giving you ways to help 10x your harvest, and “the secret to bountiful harvest”.  Well, today, I am going to give you the best kept secret that many people overlook. And no, its not a fertilizer or a growing method. It is something much simpler than that. The way to get the best garden of your life is by simply keeping a garden journal.

While this is not a new concept it is often overlooked. Many people don’t see the value in it or claim they don’t have the time. Others just don’t know how to do it properly. A garden journal does not have to be elaborate or expensive. Any available notebook will do. You can even use the notes section on any smartphone.

What Is A Garden Journal

A garden journal is a place to record what happens in your garden. It is a fun way to keep records, observe, track, and even plan anything related to your garden.  Being observant and recording what happens in your garden is essential for your success.  Gardening is sciene and no scientist would ever experiment (grow a garden), and not keep records that they could revisit and learn from later.

Why Keep A Journal

Keeping a garden journal is vital to gardening success. Everyone thinks they can remember everything or don’t see the point in keeping records.

• Do you remember all of the varieties you planted?
• Do you remember which plants did better than others?
• Why was it their location in the garden?
• Do you remember the last time you applied fertilizer or neem oil?
• Do you remember when you waters?
• Do you remember the pests you dealt with?

Instead of guessing, keeping a garden journal will give you a place to record all of this information so that you can go back and revisit it later.

How To Keep A Garden Journal

The best part about this garden secret is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, all that mattes is that you stay consistent.  You can use a notebook, pad of paper, your smartphone or even purchase a premade garden journal.  Don’t be afraid to be creative.  Use bright colored pens or pencils to to decorate it and maybe even add some pictures of gardens you think are beautiful, dried flowers or pictures of greenhouses.

You choose what to record.  I am a big fan of journaling whether for the garden or for my life, it is a great way to get your thoughts out of your head and turn them into actionable steps that can be taken. I like to have the following sections in my journal.

• Calendar. Keep track of your seed starting and harvest dates. This way you can know when to expect harvests
• Lists. Make a list of all the plants and varieties you add to your garden. I even like to record the seed company information.  
• Pests. In this section keep a record of the pests you encounter, what time of the season and which crops they are attacking.  I also like to record pesticide application dates. This way I can keep track of when I applied things like neem oil and BT. I can keep track to see if the homemade pest repellent sprays I use work.
• Fertilizer. Record the application dates and rates of the fertilizer you apply to your garden.  Record how long it took before you noticed a difference in the plants.  This will help prevent overfertilization.   
• Garden planning. Since your garden can grow and expand every season this is where you can plan your garden for future seasons. You can plan proper spacing and ideal layouts.

The best time to start a garden journal is now. Even if you have already planted your garden and youre in mid-season, you will record useful information for next season.

JUST GROW IT

Rainwater harvesting is not a new idea. People have been harvesting rainwater for thousands of years. Freshwater is a finite resource. Only 2.5% of the world’s total water supply is freshwater. Since freshwater only makes up such a small percentage means that we could run out one day, there is a limited amount. As the population increase and cities, we as gardeners and humans, in general, should do a better job with preservation. Rainwater harvesting is an easy way to get started. 

By 2030, more than 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. One out of every three people will live in a metropolitan city. Imagine the stress that will be put on our water system. Now, imagine the impact we could have on the environment if we changed our urban hydrology and began to harvest rainwater. 

The Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

Did you know that 1″ of rain across a 1000sqft roof can produce over 6oo gallons of captured rainwater? Now ask yourself, how often does it rain where I live? How many gallons of water do you use in your garden daily, weekly, or yearly? What if you could save money and get a better product. Would you? I know I would, and that is what rainwater harvesting does. It can save you money, protect the environment, and is better for your plants than tap water.

Water Cycle

A water cycle shows the continuous cycle of water from the atmosphere to the earth and back. Once we understand the water cycle, we will realize why capturing rainwater can positively affect our ecosystems.

1. Evaporation. When exposed to heat, surface water turns into water vapors. The majority of evaporation comes from large bodies of water like oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers. So if we pollute these, then the entire water system is affected.
2. Condensation. As the water vapors ascend in the atmosphere, they change into particles of ice/water.
3. Precipitation. When the air cannot hold any more moisture, the moisture is precipitated and falls back to the earth. The condensed water vapors, and clouds, fall back to the ground in the form of precipitation. Precipitation can be snow, rain, hail, sleet, and drizzle.
4. Runoff. As the precipitation falls, it causes runoff. Runoff occurs when the water runs over the surface of the earth. As water runs over the ground, it moves soil, minerals, and more into channels, rivers, bayous and eventually ends up in lakes, seas and oceans.  
5. Infiltration. The water that does not runoff is absorbed deep into the soil. This water works its way down through sand and rocks and refills the level of underground water tables.  

More Benefits of Rainwater Harvesting

The benefits of rainwater are linked to the world’s water cycle in many ways.

• Avoiding runoff to reduce soil erosion and any pesticides, fertilizer, or pet waste entering the water stream. In urban areas, the largest source of pollution comes from landscapes. Collecting and utilizing rainwater to apply to the landscape is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to conserve water.
• Reduce our dependence on the limited freshwater supply.  
• Save money
• Offset drought periods

How To Use Rainwater

• Irrigation. This is the most popular choice. If you install your rain barrel on stands higher than your garden, you can use science to do the work for you. This setup is known as gravity-fed irrigation. Every 2.5′ elevation above the water outlet creates one pound of pressure. If you cannot elevate your rain barrel, look into an external pump. This pump will help you move the water from the barrel to the garden.  
• Uses the stored water to refill ponds, fountains, birdbaths, and even swimming pools.
• Use the stored water to wash vehicles.

Saving rainwater conserves water, decreases your water bill, helps clean up the water cycle by reducing the impact on groundwater, and minimizes susceptibility to drought.    

Nothing says summer more than fresh basil growing in the garden. This warm-weather loving annual herb is not only versatile but is also easy to grow.  Today, I will share tips on growing basil and some tricks to ensure you get a bountiful harvest from your prolific plants.

Basil is one of those herbs you don’t need to plant too many of.  With a couple of plants, you can enjoy fresh sauces and leaves. If your goal is to fill the freezer with pesto and the spice cabinet with jars, then you will need at least five plants. That’s good for me because I always plant extra basil plants.

Growing Basil

Basil is one of the easier herbs to grow from seed. If you don’t like starting your seeds, head to your local garden center. Be careful about going to the garden center. With all the available varieties, you are likely to come out with ten plants when you only intended to purchase 2.  

When growing basil from seed, remember it is a summer crop. What does that mean? They love warm and humid temperatures. Basil is one of the herbs that benefit from beginning the germination process on a seedling heating mat.  

Like other veggie seeds, make sure to: 

• Use an airy seed starting mix 
• Keep the soil consistently damp but not soggy.
• Provide heat to aid germination 
• Provide a light source.  Whether it be from a window sill or an overhead LED light

Planting Basil

Basil is a warm-season crop, so make sure to plant the basil after the danger of a frost has passed. It loves well-draining, rich and fertile soil. I have noticed that I grow the best basil in beds that have been amended with compost or leaf mold. When planting basil seedlings, try to keep 8-12” spacing between plants. This spacing recommendation I tend to disregard and plant my basil seedlings closer. The 4-6” spacing is what I like. Then the plants will grow together into one large bush, providing support and shade for each other.  

Basil needs 6-8 hours of sunlight. Lightly filtered light is ok, but basil prefers direct sun. If you live somewhere like here in Houston, you may want to consider providing your plants with a bit of afternoon shade. To accomplish this, plant basil between taller plants like tomatoes or peppers where they will receive shade.  

No garden bed? No problem. Basil thrives in containers. I once grew a holy basil plant in a 10-gallon pot for over 18 months before the historic freeze wiped it out.  Growing basil in a container allows you to place the pot where it would receive shade.

Basil is not drought tolerant, so water when the soil starts to dry. For the best harvest, you want to have a consistent watering schedule. Drip Irrigation systems make this easy to achieve. Applying mulch around the base of the basil plant will assist with water retention. 

Pruning Basil

When basil seedlings reach 4-6” tall and have multiple sets of true leaves, it’s time for their first chop. Grab a pair or snips, and cut above the second highest node.  The node is the area where two larger leaves are growing out of the stem. A few days after making this cut, tiny leaves on both sides of the cut start growing. These little leaves will eventually grow into two new larger branches.

If you purchase the transplant from your favorite nursery, it should have a decent size.  You will want to follow the same steps as listed above. Located the top two sets of leaves and cut above or below the node. This will cause the plant to send out two new main stems. 

Now the secret to achieving the bushy basil plant we are all searching for is to continuously top, or cut below a node, on every main stem. Since this process produces two new branches, every time we make this cut, whether we know it or not, we are telling the plant to become wider.

Harvesting Basil 

There is only one way to achieve a big, bushy, healthy, flourishing basil plant use it.  By regularly harvesting from the bush, you are signaling the plant to produce more.  Basil is one of those herbs that you should continuously harvest. Harvesting basil frequently helps prolong the life of the plant.

Now people will say make sure you cut off flowers to encourage more vegetative growth.  I don’t subscribe to this mindset. Rather, I always leave my basil flower. Why? Because it is a favorite of the bees and other pollinators in the garden. Usually, I do a couple of big basil harvests every season instead of continuous harvests. When I harvest, I remove whatever flowers there are along with the vegetation. One of the drawbacks of this method is that I don’t always harvest these flowers before the seeds produce. Then I end up with basil plants popping up everywhere. I don’t know if that is a drawback since I love basil.

Storing Basil

Have a plan for the basil before you harvest. Do not just go outside and cut it randomly. That is a surefire way to waste your harvest.  

To store basil in the fridge or on the countertop, treat it as a flower. Place the cut stems in a bowl or jar of water.  

If you opt for a larger harvest like I do, then be prepared to make pesto or have a way to dehydrate the leaves.

Growing Basil: My Favorite Varieties

·  Tulsi/ Holy Basil – My absolute favorite basil of all times.  I use it for tea. Said to be the best basil you could grow.

·  Genovese- Original basil used for pesto

·  Thai Basil- Add this basil to lemonade in the summer

·  Lemon Basil- Great fir tea blends and fish dishes

·  African Blue Basil- a favorite of the pollinators

Thanks for reading!  Now it’s time to just grow it.

In this article we are going to discuss how to grow mustard greens.

I have always heard the saying, faith of a mustard seed. Before gardening, it was hard for me to put that into perspective. But have you ever seen how tiny a mustard seed is? It is pretty impressive what power is in a seed. Plant this little seed, and within 60 days, you could be harvesting flavorful and—vitamin-packed green leaves.

Mustards are fast-growing greens from the brassica family grown for their leaves, and their leaves are one of the healthiest and most nutrient-dense leafy greens grown. Most people associate mustard greens with southern culture, but these nutrient powerhouses can be grown anywhere. Many African and Asian dishes call for mustard greens.

Varities

You can choose from many different varieties. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Mizuna
• Red Giant
• Florida broadleaf

How To Grow

Mustard greens, like other brassicas, prefer moist, fertile soil. Yes, you read that correctly. Mustards are members of the brassica family. Have you read the article about growing Cole Crops? They love the sun, but like other leafy greens, since they do not produce fruits, they can do well in the shade.

If growing in the fall, set out transplants 4-6 weeks before the first frost date. Are you planning on growing mustards this spring? Plant transplants around four weeks before the last frost date. Do not think that you have to start from transplants. Mustards are a very forgiving crop that can be grown directly from seed. Direct seeding is my preferred method when it comes to mustards. Mustards grow wide, so be sure to leave 12-18” between plants.

Mustards are not as cold tolerant as kale and collards, and that does not mean that they can’t handle a freeze, and mustard greens are cold tolerant down to the 20s. Down in Houston, it is not strange to have mustards growing in every season except for summer, and there’s not much that can grow in our Houston summers besides okra.

Keep the soil moist but never soggy. Mulch will help reduce the weeds, regulate soil temperature, and reduce the water needed. It will help keep the ground moist   Improper watering, and stressful conditions can cause the flavor of the leaves to become unpleasant or extra spicy.

How To Harvest

When it comes to harvesting the greens, there are three ways I recommend:

1.  Let the leaves fully mature and harvest the outer leaves. Make sure to leave the center to continue growing and producing more leaves.
2. Harvest leaves when they are young, immature in the “baby” stage. These younger leaves will have a milder flavor, perfect for a salad mix.
3. Treat it as a cut and come crop again. Cut all leaves and leaves, leaving a stub. The stub will regrow.

How do you harvest your mustards?

Companion Plants

·       Corn

·       Collards

·       Pansies

·       Kale

·       Peas

·       Jasmine

Check out this article to learn more about companion planting.

Garden Foes

Avoid planting near sunflowers and beans.

Now what I want you to do is stop reading, go outside, get your hands in the dirt and JUST GROW IT!

Have you ever looked to purchase a fruit tree?  Let us take a peach for example, google peach tree; you get hundreds of sites selling thousands of varieties.  First, you need to know your gardening zone, and what’s this thing about chill hours?

What Are Chill Hours

To successfully grow fruit trees, it is vital to understand chill hours. If you mistake and select a fruit tree variety without understanding chill hours, you will waste your time with poor harvests.

Chill hours are defined as any temperature below 45F.  Depending on who you talk to, some will tell you the temperatures have to be between 45-34F.  Sometimes people make things more complicated than they need to be. 

Why Are Chill Hours Critical

For some plants to produce flowers and fruit, they need a dormant period.  This dormant period is achieved whenever the plant is subjected to colder temperatures known as chill hours.  Fruit trees, berries, and nut trees all need these dormant periods to help regulate the growth.  Without sufficient dormant periods, some plants are not able to flower or fruit.

When you begin to look at the fruit trees, you see there are different varieties of high chill and low chill. Low chill needs less than 300 and high chill requires more than 500 chill hours.  Now there are low chill requirements for a lot of the most common fruits. Careful, though, do not be tempted to plant a low chill variety in an area that gets high chill hours. Although it seems like a gardening hack, you run the risk of the plant breaking dormancy too early.  There is always a catch. If your plant breaks dormancy too soon, the flowers or blooms will fall off.  No flowers mean no fruit.

Do not confuse chill hours with cold hardiness.

What’s excellent about chill hours is that they don’t have to be consecutive. Chill hours are cumulative from late October until February or march, depending on your area. Hours that are below freezing do not count. 

Chill hours may be more important than location when selecting a fruit tree for your garden. If you don’t, you can waste time and money.  You will be disappointed if you live in an area that only receives 400 chill hours but buy a tree that needs 800 chill hours. 

What Types of Trees Require Chill Hours

There are not many fruit trees that do not require some amount of chill hours to produce fruit.  Out of all the fruit trees, Apples have the highest chilling, followed by apricots and peaches. Figs, olives, and quince have the lowest chill requirements, followed by persimmons, pomegranates, almonds, and chestnuts.

Most fruit trees are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves over winter.  Planting a variety that doesn’t receive enough chill hours and the leaves often will not drop from the tree.  The tree will not enter a state of dormancy and, therefore, will not produce. 

The number of chill hours will vary depending on the cultivar of the fruit tree.  Most apples require well over 500 chill hours. But check out how the chill hours vary depending on the cultivar.

Gala – 500 Hours

Golden Delicious- 600-700 hours

Red Delicious- 800 hours

Anna- 200 Hours

Golden Dorsett- 200 Hours

Anna and Golden Dorsett are excellent choices for people in Houston and other areas with mild climates.

Fruit trees are not the only plants that require chill hours of some sort.  Do you remember the cold stratification example with the milkweed?  Garlic, blueberries, tulips, nut trees, and others need cold temperatures to grow well or grow at all. 

How To Find How Many Chill Hours For My Area

One of the easiest ways is to google it. You can also ask your local agricultural extension office.

Chill hour lookup tools

• TEXAS CHILL HOUR
• AGRO CLIMATE

Your local agriculture extension agency will have resources, where you can find out the average amount of chill hours your area receives. Remember, though, this is linked to the weather so it is hard to be exact but the average will get you started off correctly.  Equipped with this knowledge as well as your gardening zone, you are now ready to venture out to a nursery or website and order a fruit or nut tree or bush.

Remember the motto –

JUST GROW IT!