Category Archives: Edible Plants

Hardy Chicago Fig

Our Hardy Chicago Fig survived an unprotected winter in Utah! Everything died back, but here it is alive and well in July.

Our Hardy Chicago Fig survived an unprotected winter in Utah! Everything died back, but here it is alive and well in July 2015.

This has been so fun to see. It really starts late in the spring and needs a lot of heat to get growing.  Once it started it gained quite a bit of growth. We will need to protect it from the winter this fall to try to keep some of this growth for the following spring. Hopefully we can get some fruit this year, but I am not counting on it.

They say it can get 8-10 feet tall and wide but I don’t know if it will grow that large and if it does, it will be with a bit of work.  It needs full sun and a lot of heat. A southern exposure by your house might be your best bet.

 

Hardy Chicago Fig in Utah - 1 year after planting

Hardy Chicago Fig in Utah – September 2015, 1 year after planting a 4-5″ plant.

1 year after planting a 4-5" plant, we have one fig!

1 year after planting a 4-5″ plant, we have one fig!

This is all new growth in 2015. In the Spring there wasn’t anything above the ground. By July it was close to 12″ tall. In September it is 2′ tall, sprouting new shoots out of the ground and has one fig! Not too bad for a 4-5″ plant and no protection from the winter.

2016

Fig-2016-06June 2016 – 2 year old plant in the Spring. After another winter without any special care, new leaves are out in June. There are buds all over the bare branches and we are hopeful that they will pop soon. I think it is ahead of where it was this time last year.

Nanking Cherry

We got this Nanking Cherry as a bare root plant in 2015

We got this Nanking Cherry as a bare root plant. Planted May 2015.

Back in February 2015 we ordered five bare root Nanking Cherry plants (Prunus tomentosa) from the Timp-Nebo/Alpine Tree sale. We received them in mid April. We planted them right away in 1 gallon pots and they leafed out pretty good. We got around to planting them in the ground at the end of May. We’ll add some chicken wire around the tomato cages to keep the rabbits and deer away while the plants get a start.

They are said to grow 6′-10′ tall and up to a 15′ spread. We didn’t leave enough room for that kind of growth, but we’ll deal with when and if they grow. They should grow 1′-2′ per year.

  • Adapts well to cold winters, hot summers and drought.
  • Blooms in early spring, with pink buds opening up into fragrant pale pink or white flowers.
  • The cherries are tart and tangy scarlet-colored and can be eaten fresh or used in pies, jams and jellies.
  • Two or more shrubs should be planted within 100′ of each other to ensure cross-pollination. It isn’t self-fertile.
  • Can be planted 4–5′ apart to form a hedge.
  • Adapts to a variety of soil conditions and pH levels. It prefers well-drained soil but will tolerate drought and can grow in semi-arid conditions.

I’m anxious to see what kind of cherries we get off these $3 plants.

Crimson Pointe Plum

These trees were planted late in the summer of 2014. They are looking good so far in the Spring of 2015. We haven’t planted the Crimson Pointe variety before, but we’ve had other flowering plum tress that grew well in Eagle Mountain.

Crimson Pointe Plum - Spring blossoms.

Crimson Point Plum – Spring blossoms, 2015.

Crimson Pointe Plum - Spring blossoms closeup.

Crimson Point Plum – Spring blossoms.

Some of those blossoms turn into fruit. We weren’t sure what to expect, but all three of these trees gave us a bit to eat about July 1st, 2015.

Small plums from the Crimson Pointe Plum tree. They are just over 1". The flesh is sweet, but the skins are very tart, but we still eat them.

Small plums from the Crimson Pointe Plum tree. They are just over 1″. The flesh is sweet, but the skins are very tart, but we still eat them.

  • 20′-25′ tall
  • 5′-6′ wide
  • Full Sun
  • Beautiful spring blossoms
  • Small fruit, but edible