What’s ripe and ready to eat right now.
The sandy soil of the southeasternest part of Southeastern North Carolina is great for plants that don’t need to dig too deep into the ground to get their nutrients. Caneberries like blackberries and raspberries get all the sun they need and their roots don’t go too far beyond two feet deep. The same with tubers like sweet potatoes and vine crops like squash and pumpkins that spread out instead of down.
Orchard crops like apples and peaches grow better farther west, where it doesn’t get too hot; citrus prefers to grow farther south, because it can get too cold in the Port City. Yep, too cold.
But that is changing. From 1991 to 2020, the average annual lowest temperature in Wilmington was 15 to 20°F, according to the USDA. From 1976 to 2005, the average was 10 to 15°F. It works out to an increase of 2°F over the past 10 years. Maybe there’s some grapefruit in our future.
- Blackberries
- Cabbage
- Chili Peppers
- Figs
- Green Onion
- Lavender
- Muscadine Grapes
- Mushrooms
- Pears
- Persimmons
- Pumpkins
- Raspberries
- Sweet Potatoes
- Squash
- Thyme
