‘Contender’ peaches are large and sweet and tolerate colder temperatures than most varieties. In this article, gardening expert Melissa Strauss will tell you how to grow and care for these wonderful trees. If you live in a cold climate yet still want to grow peaches, ‘Contender’ peach trees offer ultra- sweet fruit to gardens as cold as Zone 4. This disease-resistant fruit tree doesn’t mind frigid winters and reliably produces peaches in late summer. Let’s take a look at these sturdy and cold-tolerant peaches. What Are ‘Contender’ Peach Trees? ‘Contender’ peach trees are a hybrid first introduced in 1988. They boast excellent cold tolerance and are highly disease-resistant. Finding a peach that will survive winter in Zone 4 is unusual. So, if you thought you couldn’t grow a peach tree in your cold climate, this is a great peach to try. This self-pollinating cultivar will grow fruit when planted independently, but a companion tree may increase your yield. Planting two peach trees near each other is a surefire way to have a bumper crop of fruit. Native Area The objective of breeding ‘Contender’ was to grow a peach tree with better cold tolerance. The hybridization of this tree took place in Raleigh, North Carolina. Introduced in 1988, this award-winning cultivar also boasts excellent disease resistance. Characteristics ‘Contender’ is a mid-sized peach tree, which makes it great for picking fruit. You can harvest this tree completely without too much hassle. It grows to a height and spread of 12-15 feet and produces tons of pretty pink flowers in the spring. This peach tree will take about two to four years from planting until it bears fruit. The peaches are medium to large, with sweet, yellow flesh. They are freestone peaches, meaning the pit comes away from the fruit easily. This tree is a great producer of large, tasty fruit. The peaches are non-browning, making lovely slices on a fruit platter or in the lunchbox. ‘Contender’ peaches need 1,000 chill hours. This is the amount of dormancy hours the tree needs to produce fruit. Chill hours need to take place between 35°-45°F (2°-7°C) or colder. Propagation You can propagate peaches by seed or softwood cuttings. A tree propagated from seed will typically take longer to bear fruit. But, the success rate of germination is fairly high.

Do you love to eat figs? Did you know that fig trees are remarkably easy to grow? In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen will discuss the proper care and maintenance of one of the most popular fig cultivars, the ‘Black Mission’ fig. Mission fig (Ficus carica ‘Mission’), also known as the ‘Black Mission’ fig, is a popular edible fig cultivar. There is a tremendous variety of different edible figs, and the ‘Mission’ fig is one of the more common varieties you can buy from garden centers and plant nurseries. ‘Mission’ figs are also one of the most common fresh figs sold in supermarkets, so you are likely to have seen them somewhere before. The most likely reason you’ll want to grow a fig is for eating. Figs are sweet, tender, and absolutely delicious! A fig tree takes up a bit of sunny space and requires rich, moist soil, but if you can provide the right growing conditions, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to grow your own fresh figs. You can eat figs directly from the tree. They are delicious when eaten fresh, at their peak ripeness. But figs ripen very quickly, and you are likely to grow more than you can eat all at once. Fortunately, you can enjoy figs in a lot of different ways. Preserve them in jams and jellies, make pickled or canned figs, freeze them to blend into smoothies, or dry them for snacking. Keep reading to find out if you can grow a fig tree in your yard and how to help it thrive so you can harvest your own superabundance of these fantastic fruits. Plant Natural History Edible figs originated in Asia and the Mediterranean region, including some of the warmer climates of Europe. Fig trees grow naturally on rocky hillsides and in well-drained soils with full sun. They evolved with a special pollinator relationship with the fig wasp. In cultivation, however, most fig cultivars, including the ‘Black Mission’ fig, do not require a pollinator to produce an abundance of edible fruits. Fig trees have long been cultivated as a valuable food crop. They are now grown throughout the moderate climates in the world and have been bred to include hundreds of different cultivars. ‘Black Mission’ figs are very productive trees and easy to grow, making this variety an ideal candidate for commercial production. They bloom in the springtime, but don’t expect to see any flowers. The flower is actually more of an inverted fruit. In early summer, look for tiny, rounded green structures. These are a combination of the flowers and the fruits. The flowering parts are inside and not visible from the outside. These fruiting bodies will continue to enlarge and grow and will eventually become the first fruits of the year. This first crop is called the “breba” crop. Then, in mid-summer, trees will produce a second or “main” crop of fruits. Many figs produce a small breba crop and a larger main crop, but the ‘Black Mission’ fig produces an excellent breba crop, making it one of the earlier-fruiting varieties you can grow. Characteristics The ‘Black Mission’ fig is a deciduous, small to medium-sized fruit-bearing tree. These trees develop a very highly-branched, rounded form and more closely resemble a large-branched bush. The branches, particularly at the truck and base, are very thick, with smooth, light gray bark. Fig trees have large, deeply lobed leaves. The leaves emerge in early spring and stay on the tree until they are killed by the first frost. Fig leaves do not display bright fall foliage but rather change quickly from green to brown. The leaves have short, stiff hairs on them that cause them to feel a little rough and possibly even irritating on sensitive skin. The leaves and stems also contain a white, latex-like, sticky sap. This sap can cause contact dermatitis on sensitive skin. It’s best to wear long sleeves and gloves when working closely with these trees and wash your hands thoroughly after handling them, especially if you come in contact with the sap. Most people do not have a severe reaction to the sap, but it can still be slightly irritating. The ‘Black Mission’ fig produces high-quality edible fruits. The fruits are two to three inches across and change from green to reddish-purple at maturity. The fleshy interior is strawberry pink and has a deliciously sweet flavor. These fruits have very soft skin and split easily when they are past their peak ripeness. These trees develop a large, shallow, sprawling root system. Wherever you plant your fig, you can expect to see some of these knotty roots poking above the soil surface around your tree. Propagation The easiest ways to propagate your fig tree will be either by taking cuttings or starting a root sprout. Stem cuttings are very easy and reliable and will grow you a full-size fig tree from a dormant twig! Whichever propagation method you choose, you will need a mature tree from which to gather your starter materials.

Are you looking for a showy plant that produces edible fruits, attracts pollinators, and helps feed birds? Look no further than the highbush cranberry. This cool-weather-loving shrub is perfect for northern gardens. Learn all about the highbush cranberry and how to grow it in your landscape. The highbush cranberry, also known as cranberry viburnum or American cranberrybush, is a bit of a puzzle. It produces sweet-tart, bright red, cranberry-like fruits, yet it’s not related to the true cranberry. American cranberrybush, Viburnum opulus var. americanum, is a variety of viburnum and is native to northern North America. Adding to the confusion, this deciduous native shrub is easily confused with a weedy species from Europe, known as the European cranberrybush, Viburnum opulus. North American gardeners will want to stick with the native species or one of its equally showy cultivars. You will then have a hardy and easy-to-grow native shrub with beautiful spring flowers and colorful fall foliage. The white flowers and scarlet red berries provide a feast for pollinators and songbirds, and the berries are edible and tangy, and make excellent fruity preserves! Are you ready to add some form and color to your woodland garden, rain garden, or bird garden? Let’s dig right into the details and see if the highbush cranberry is a great choice for your landscape! Plant Natural History Despite its name, the highbush cranberry is not related to true cranberries (Species Vaccinium, family Ericaceae). Highbush cranberry is a member of the Moschatel family (Adoxaceae), which consists of about 200 species of herbs, shrubs, and small trees, many with showy flowers and fruits. It was previously grouped in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). The native range of the highbush cranberry includes all of the northern United States and Canada. The range extends as far south as Colorado, Illinois, and West Virginia. It will grow in the cooler mountain regions of more southern states but is not considered native in these areas. In its natural habitat, highbush cranberry is primarily an understory shrub that inhabits woodland margins and open hardwood forests. It prefers moist soils and is often found along streams and wetland edges. This is an important wildlife plant throughout its range and also offers food and medicinal value for humans. Do not confuse the native highbush cranberry with a similar species, the European cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus). European cranberrybush has escaped cultivation and naturalized in many northern states and Canada. The European species competes with the native highbush cranberry and other native plants. The fruits of the European cranberry bush are not palatable, nor are they favored by wildlife. Characteristics The highbush cranberry is a deciduous shrub with a maximum height of eight to 12 feet. It has a medium growth rate and will mature into a multi-stemmed shrub with a rounded, vase-like form. It has thin bark with a smooth to scaly texture and a light gray to tan color. Smaller stems have a reddish tint. The leaves somewhat resemble maple leaves, typically with three distinctive pointed lobes. The leaves measure three to six inches long and one to three inches across. They are opposite along the stems and coarsely toothed. Color during the growing season is uniformly medium green. In the autumn, the leaves turn golden yellow, followed by shades of red, burgundy, and purple. Highbush cranberry blooms in the spring. Its lacy white flowers form in flat-topped clusters. Each mass of flowers consists of two distinctly different flower types. The outer flowers are sterile but very showy. These are larger and pure white with five rounded petals. The inner flowers are fertile and much more abundant. These inner flowers are much smaller, creamy white, and have five recurved petals and prominent yellow-tipped anthers. Bright red berry-like drupes mature in the fall. These can be harvested and eaten raw or preserved as jellies and jams. They have a sweet-tart flavor and can be used as a substitute for traditional cranberries. Propagation Highbush cranberry is most easily propagated by seed, stem cuttings, or division.