’Jubilee’ bush watermelons bring exceptional sweetness on a compact, bushy form. Versatile across garden scales, including in pots and small spaces, the dwarf variety makes growing the hallmark fruits of summer achievable. Garden expert Katherine Rowe explores the merits of ‘Jubilee’ bush to highlight the warm season. ’Jubilee’ bush watermelons celebrate the flavor of summer. The dwarf melons boast superior sweetness on compact vines. Made for hot weather, the relative of a favorite southern heirloom stands up to heat and humidity for refreshing rewards on long summer days. An excellent melon for hot climates, ‘Jubilee’ bush is also a space-saving option with shorter vines and smaller fruits than the classically large oblongs. They’re a fit for containers and raised beds, and can grow vertically to free up ground space. ‘Jubilee’ bush expands the options for growing sweet, juicy fruits across climates and garden situations. Savor the delicious taste of summer by planting now and enjoying them later in the season. What are ‘Jubilee’ Bush Watermelons? ‘Jubilee’ bush is a prized watermelon variety for its flavor, manageable size, and ability to withstand heat and humidity with good production and disease resistance. Its high sugar content makes it a sweet selection among bush types, which aren’t always as sweet, juicy, and tender as their full-size counterparts. ‘Jubilee’ bush has lineage in the favorite heirloom ‘Jubilee’, a result of several crosses introduced by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station in the early 1960s. ‘Jubilee’ is tops for its large, flavorful melons and resistance to wilt and anthracnose, setting it up for good yields in humid conditions. Like all melons, ‘Jubilee’ bush is in the Cucurbitaceae family along with squashes and cucumbers. Watermelons are long-maturing, soaking in the warmth and sun of summer days as they fill and sweeten. Characteristics ‘Jubilee’ bush produces light green, oval fruits with dark striping. The bright red flesh has a fine, crisp texture to complement the sweet taste. Ready for harvesting in about 90 days, ‘Jubilee’ bush produces three to five fruits per plant. The oval melons weigh 10 to 13 pounds, as compared to the 35-pounders of the standard ‘Jubilee,’ which reach over two feet long. The manageable vines spread three to five feet with resistance to common cucurbit diseases of Fusarium wilt and anthracnose. Native Area Citrullus lanatus is native to North Africa, with wild ancestors in southern Africa and the Kalahari Desert. The drought-tolerant species weren’t necessarily sweet, but they contained water for hydration. The fruits made their way to Egypt, where cultivation began for improvements in water content and sweetness. The ancient watermelons even appear in tombs in painted depictions and as physical seeds. The crop later presents in historical references in Israel, Ancient Rome, China, and Europe. The fruits traveled through colonization and the slave trade from Africa, making their way to North America. Cultivation dedicated to disease-resistant, table quality crops heightened during the last century and continues to innovate. Warm, sun-drenched growing conditions remain essential for their development. Planting In the ground, direct sow watermelon seeds or seedlings into low mounds to improve air circulation, drainage, and minimize damp conditions that lead to disease issues. Mounding also reduces root and vine competition for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. Two to three vines planted in low, 16-inch tall mounds give vining stems room to run while elevating the crowns. Allow six to seven feet between mounds for vines to run.

Are you curious about growing your own wild strawberries? Just because they are “wild” doesn’t mean you can’t grow these tasty little fruits in your own landscape. In this article, gardening enthusiast Liessa Bowen introduces the wild strawberry and how to successfully grow your own! You won’t find wild strawberries for sale at your local grocery store. They aren’t practical for commercial enterprises, but you can easily grow these tasty treats at home. They are relatively small, delicate, and immensely sweet. The best way to eat them is straight off the plant at their peak of ripeness and freshness. Wild strawberries, Fragaria virginiana, are a member of the rose family (Rosaceae). This plant is a cool-season perennial that is native to woodland edges and meadows throughout much of North America. The home gardener will find these berries both interesting and useful because they are easily incorporated into a variety of gardening styles. Individual wild strawberry plants are small but readily spread by numerous runners, each producing a new plant that then creates its own runners. They eventually form a loose ground cover for your garden plot. Wild strawberry plants are also an ideal candidate for a raised bed or container, making them very versatile. In mild climates, your wild strawberry may stay evergreen for year-round landscaping interest. In the spring, notice the delicate white flowers, soon followed by small, delicious, scarlet red fruits. Strawberry flowers attract valuable pollinators to your garden and support native bees. Add them to your bird beds because many species of birds relish the tasty fruits as well. Are you ready to grow some wild strawberries in your garden? Let’s dig a little deeper into the proper care and maintenance of these fascinating and prolific plants! Plant Natural History There are two species of strawberry native to North America: the wild strawberry and the woodland strawberry. Commercial strawberries that you find at the grocery store, farmer’s market, or pick-your-own farms are hybrids. Many delicious cultivars with various fruit qualities have been developed from these hybrids. Humans have long used and appreciated strawberries as a source of food. Wild strawberries are also important for pollinators and the many animal species that use them as a food source. Because they provide food for so many different animals, these plants play a vital role in the natural ecosystem. Characteristics Wild strawberry is a very low-growing, ground cover plant that typically stays only about six inches tall. Each plant is a rounded clump of single, short stems that end in a group of three coarsely-toothed leaflets. The leaves and stems are covered with fine hairs that give them a slightly soft feel. Wild strawberry plants bloom reliably each spring. The flowers are white; each typically has five petals, although occasionally, a flower has only four petals. Shortly after flowering, the pollinated flowers produce small, red berries that are extremely sweet. Each mature berry is rounded, scarlet red, and covered with many indentations, each with a tiny, dark red seed. Wild strawberry plants are evergreen or semi-evergreen, retaining their green leaves throughout the winter. In the heat of summer, however, plants grown in full sun partially die back, regrowing fresh foliage when the weather cools again in the fall. These plants spread by numerous runners and eventually create an effective ground cover. Individual plants are short-lived and die after a couple of years, allowing the runners to continue propagating within a healthy patch. Propagation These plants are very easy to propagate by dividing healthy runners. While you can start a strawberry plant from seed, this is not the easiest method. If you purchase just one or two plants from a nursery specializing in native species, you can easily allow them to multiply into a large and prolific patch.

Tasty, tropical guava is a farmer’s market favorite in warm climate zones. Learn how to grow this treat of a tree with Florida gardener Melissa Strauss. If you want a tropical fruit tree that matures quickly and produces lots of sweet, juicy fruit, ‘Barbie Pink’ guava fits the bill. Maturing in as few as eight years, this fruit tree can live for 40 years or more. These long-lived trees are great for growing in the ground in warm climates, but they also thrive in containers. Let’s learn how to grow these attractive, tasty fruits. What Is It? Legend has it that guavas were once considered an inedible fruit. A kind young boy who wanted to feed a beggar prayed to the gods to make the fruit edible. The gods, impressed by his kindness, transformed the fruit into the sweet, tart, and tangy delicacy we know and love today. ‘Barbie Pink’ is a beautiful, evergreen variety of guava tree that produces sweet and tangy fruits with vibrant, pink flesh. It grows beautifully in warm climate gardens. In cooler climates, you can also keep this tree in a large container as a patio tree. It’s a low-maintenance, sturdy tree that will bear fruit early, and plentifully. Cultivated for as long as 5,000 years, guavas were first domesticated in Peru. Impressed with the delicious fruits, explorers from Spain and Portugal brought the tree to the West Indies and Florida. They traveled across the ocean with their tropical treasure, which led to its introduction in Asia and India. Growing up in South Florida, I can scarcely remember a trip to Miami that didn’t include a Cuban coffee and a guava and cream cheese pastry. If you’ve never tasted one, they are as delicious as they sound and worth every calorie. Characteristics This evergreen tree is popular in tropical climates as an attractive member of ornamental landscapes. However, delicious fruits are the main reason for planting them. Guava trees can grow up to 20 feet tall, but generally, we prune them to keep them compact and easier to harvest from. Prune them to 10-15 feet, and they will spread nearly as wide as they are tall. Light brown, mottled bark covers the sturdy trunk of this shrubby evergreen. The leaves are large, ovate, and deep, glossy green. In spring, attractive white blossoms have a scent similar to the fruits. The guavas mature from green to yellow when ripe, and have a strong, wonderful aroma. Inside is the prettiest pink flesh dotted with tender, edible seeds. The fruit is a rich source of nutrients, including fiber, potassium, folate, and B vitamins, but packs the greatest punch of vitamin C. The seeds are also fiber-rich and full of antioxidants, making them a digestive powerhouse. Native Area Pink and red guavas are native predominantly to Mexico and tropical America. ‘Barbie Pink’ is a variety bred in Florida. These plants make the invasive list in South Florida but are perfectly fine to grow in Central Florida. Elsewhere, they are not invasive. Grow in Florida with care, and make sure to harvest the fruit. Do not allow it to re-seed. Planting The ideal time to plant your guava is in summer. June or July are the best months. To grow it in a container, timing is not important, just make sure to bring it indoors for the winter. Guava trees like loose soil in which to establish their roots. To plant this tree, dig a hole that is three to four times the diameter of the root ball and three times as deep. This may seem excessive, but it will pay off. Loosening the soil this way will allow for fast and healthy root development. Backfill the hole so that when you position your plant, the root ball is level with the surrounding earth. Position the plant in the hole and backfill around it. No need to amend the soil in most cases. Tap down the soil and water your tree thoroughly. Guava trees have roots that can be aggressive and extend beyond the drip line. They can send up shoots farther than you might expect when planted in loose soil. Make sure to plant far enough away from any buildings or structures, and give them space from other trees, as well.