Fall Fruit - Satsuma & Strawberries

This fall, I tried out some new fruit plants in the garden that I haven't gotten around to blogging about yet.

First was a new citrus tree that I planted in the new garden beds - an Arctic Frost Hardy Satsuma.  It's fruit is about the size of a tangerine, but tastes a bit sweeter.  One of the great characteristics of this satsuma is that it is one of the most cold-hardy citrus trees, being able to withstand temperature drops to 12 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is also drought tolerant - a must for my Texas garden, and it is also an evergreen.  The tree will reach 10-12 feet tall and 10 feet wide in the ground, and about half that in containers.

I ended up harvesting about eight fruit off the small tree this year in early November.  The fruit had a mild sweet/tartness and about two to three seeds per fruit.  I'm looking forward to a more mature plant and larger harvest next year.

This year was also my first go at planting strawberries.  I didn't have any room in my veggie beds at the time to get them in the ground, so I tried container planting.  I'm not sure what variety I planted, but the fruit were very petite.  I ended up only getting a few fruit off the plant before our temperatures dipped and the plant stopped flowering.  I wonder if the plants will make it through the winter and produce more for me in the spring.

A big, red, ripe strawberry...