Dwarf Pomegranate

 

Note from the Author: Something that was overdue.

 

Unripe fruit.

This is a flower bud.

The flowers have fused petals and appear on new growth.

The leaves are roughly lanceolate.

 

 

Common Name: Dwarf Pomegranate

 

Other Common Names: Not Applicable

 

Botanical Family: Lythraceae (The Henna Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Punica granatum var. ‘Nana’

 

Description & Habitat: 

          Dwarf Pomegranates are best described as a woody shrub that is deciduous and hardy in the ground in USDA zones 8 to 10; some online sources say it is hardy up to zone 7. Dwarf Pomegranates are drought and deer tolerant and can be found growing in a wide variety of soils. The leaves arrangement can vary as on a single plant you might find alternate, opposite and whorled leaf arrangements. In terms of shape the leaves are generally lanceolate shaped with an entire margin that may be anywhere from three to six inches long. Most of the season the leaves are green in color with a lighter green underside, but in spring the foliage has a reddish-bronze coloration and in fall before the leaves drop pomegranate foliage is a golden-yellow color. Dwarf Pomegranates also have thorns that are on average between ¼” to ½” and are straight and spike shaped like the fruiting spurs found on Pears. Despite what many online sources suggest the full size of this perennial is said to be 2-4 feet in height and spread however the specimen on the farm did not get that memo and might have reached 10 or more feet tall if it wasn’t pruned annually. The flowers of Dwarf Pomegranate are roughly trumpet shaped with unusual fused petals and are a reddish-pink color and only get about three inches long. The fruit is roughly spherical in shape and starts off with a glossy green skin that eventually gets a more matte texture with a noticeable red blush when ripe. Dwarf Pomegranate fruit at most gets about 3” in diameter and despite the small size is equally edible when compared to its relative with larger fruit. Pomegranate flowers attract Pollinators and Hummingbirds. The genus name of this plant comes from the Latin name from punicum malium or ‘Carhaginian Apple’ which has its roots in Poenus, Carthaginians and Phoinikes, Phoenicians. The specific epithet ‘granatum’ means  many-seeded, while the word Pomegranate itself comes from the Latin word ‘pomium’ meaning apple.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  

Not applicable

 

When & What to Harvest:

The fruit is best harvested in mid to late fall after the skin of the fruit has lost its glossiness and gained a reddish hue with a somewhat rough texture.

 

Related Plants:

Pomegranate (Punica granatum), the full sized type.

 

Recipe:

          I’m going to link straight to this one, it sounds fantastic!

https://www.pomwonderful.com/recipes/butternut-squash-ravioli-with-peppered-pom-sauce

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/punica-granatum/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://www.edenbrothers.com/products/pomegranate-seeds-dwarf

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Fresh Foods

Fig Leaf Tea, 8oz

Fig Leaf Powder, 4oz

Soup Kit, Parsnip

Soup Kit, Turnip

Carrots

Onions

Turnips

Celery

Red Potatoes

Parsnips

 

 

Fall Plants

Brussels Sprouts

Collards

Corn Salad / Mache

Kale, Dinosaur

Kale, Ragged Jack

Kale, Rubybor

Kale, Scotch Blue

Lettuce, Buttercrunch

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

 

Garden Supply

Live Mushroom Compost, 1 Gallon

Live Mushroom Compost, 3 Gallon

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Berggarten Sage

 

With all of the updates, blog posts, community announcements and the main topic handled remember that Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’s meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is October 10^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, or at North South Brewing on the same day between 1:00 and 5:00pm

Fort Liberty Series - American Persimmon

Note from the Author: New wild plant!

 

 

 

 

Common Name: American Persimmon

 

Other Common Names:  Common Persimmon, Date Plum, Jove’s Fruit, Possum Apples, Possumwood, Simmon, Winter Plum, Sugar Plum, Eastern Persimmon.

 

Botanical Family: Ebenaceae (The Ebony Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Diospyros virginiana

 

Prior Botanical Latin Names: Diospyros mosieri, Diospyros virginiana var. mosieri, Diospyros virginiana var. platycarpa, Diospyros virginiana var. pubescens.

 

Description & Habitat:

           American Persimmon is a native deciduous tree in the ebony family that can grow up to eighty feet tall with a canopy that is up to thirty five feet wide. The scientific name of American Persimmon is interesting as the first part ‘Diospyros’ comes from the Greek words ‘dios’ and ‘pyros’. The two Greek words directly translate to ‘Zeus’s Wheat’ but generally mean ‘divine fruit’. The specific epithet ‘virginiana’ means ‘of virginia’ or in some sources ‘virginian’. The common name ‘persimmon’ comes from the language of the Native Americans, specifically the Algonquin name for the fruit ‘putchamin’ which was phonetically anglicized. In our Fort Liberty hike it was found that the specimens as seen were smaller than the above noted size by a long shot; mostly being fifteen feet tall at best. American Persimmons bear their leaves in an alternate arrangement and the leaves are roughly elliptical and have a pointed tip. The flowers are easy enough to tell apart, male flowers appear in clusters of 2-3 flowers and are smaller and have petals that tend to curl back. Female flowers appear individually and have less curled petals that are more pronounced. For comparison, on Japanese Persimmons, all the flowers are female and are parthenocarpic meaning they don’t need pollination to produce fruit. They also had a thin canopy indicating that they were effectively operating as under story trees perhaps due to the location or the age of the trees. At the time I did not check to see if these trees were male or female because American Persimmons are Dioecious, meaning they are either male or female with no hermaphroditic specimens known to be in the wild. It is not uncommon for a single American Persimmon trees to put out a number of shoots that become entirely new trees from its roots and thus forming colonies of single-gender trees. The problem with this is that if another tree of the opposite gender isn’t nearby, the trees you see will produce no fruit. In the field you will have to study the flower to determine which gender it is and plant the right match to ensure fruit. It is not uncommon for an American Persimmon to take upwards of nine years from seed to produce fruit. In our area you will find American Persimmons naturally in places like rich bottom lands such as the Mississippi river valley, at the margins of woodlands, in fields, rocky hillsides and if previously cultivated growing in former homesteads. On Fort Liberty we found the photographed specimens in Turkey Oak Scrub.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  

          While not toxic in the normal sense unripe Persimmon fruit are astringent until they have been hit with a frost. This can be quite unpleasant, but you can still eat them as long as they were frozen first, or for drying or baking.

 

When & What to Harvest:

          When it comes to American Persimmons, the fruit is often 1-3 inches wide/long and is ripe when it is an orange-rose color after a few frosts. You would start looking for the ripe fruit in the fall or early winter.

 

Related Plants:

          Japanese Persimmon (Diospyros kaki), Texas Persimmon (D. texana).

 

Recipe:

Here is a link to an excellent recipe with some great insights on how to make Persimmon Jam.          https://practicalselfreliance.com/persimmon-jam/

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/diospyros-virginiana/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://onegreenworld.com/product-category/fruiting-trees-shrubs/persimmon/american-persimmon/

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Fresh Foods

Hybrid Lemon Drop Peppers

Figs, Magnolia

 

Herbs

Basil, Sweet Genovese

Oregano

Prickly Pear, Spineless

Sage, Common

Thyme, English

 

Summer Plants

Calibrachoa, Caliburst

Coneflower, Pow Wow White

Cotton, Nankeen

Dahlia, Figaro Mix

Madagascar Periwinkle, Tattoo Blueberry

 

Garden Supply

Live Mushroom Compost, 1 Gallon

Live Mushroom Compost, 3 Gallon

 

Plants Coming Soon:

False Indigo

Milkweed

Calendula

 

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (2): Perilla, Tricolor Perilla

 

With all of the updates, blog posts, community announcements and the main topic handled remember that Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’s meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is June 20^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, or at North South Brewing on the same day between 1:00 and 5:00pm.

 

Fort Liberty Series – Deerberry

 Note from the Author: New wild plant!

 

 

 

 

Common Name: Deerberry

 

Other Common Names: Tall Deerberry, Highbush Huckleberry, Buckberry, Southern Gooseberry

 

Botanical Family: Ericeae (The Heather Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Vaccinium stamineum

 

Description & Habitat:

           Deerberry is a deciduous shrub that can be found in all parts of North Carolina and is related to the cultivated types of Blueberries you buy at the store. The ovate shaped leaves of this plant are borne in an alternate arrangement and its five-petaled white flowers typically hang on the plant facing roughly towards the ground. With both age and ideal growing conditions Deerberry bushes can grow to a height of fifteen feet however it is more common that you will find specimens that are less than five feet tall. The specimens photographed were perhaps two or three feet tall and growing in noticeably poor soil. The primary method of reproduction for this plant is through runners which expand the size of individual colonies of this plant. The berries this plant produces are purple colored and roughly pear shaped and the berries ripen in late summer. You can find this plant in oak-hickory woodlands in areas with full sun or partial shade and acidic soil. Deerberry supports several native pollinators as well as a wide range of wildlife including Deer which have been observed to eat the berries.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  

          No known toxicity.

 

When & What to Harvest:

          The berries are what you want here, and they are ripe roughly in late summer.

 

Related Plants:

          Rabbiteye Blueberry (V. virgatum), Highbush Blueberry (V. corymbosum), Lowbush Blueberry (V. angustifolium), Cranberry (V. macrocarpon).

 

Recipe:

          Generally speaking the recipes for this one only seem to be on Facebook and I’d take those with a large grain of salt. Most sources agree it’s good for use in jellies, jams and cobbler type pies.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vaccinium-stamineum/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

I could not find any reputable seed company selling the seeds or plants for this one.

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Spring Plants

Pepper, Ghost (hot!!, 1-1.2 million SHU)

Pepper, Carolina Reaper (hot!!! 1.5-2.2 million SHU)

Tomato, Cherokee Purple (last tomatoes of 2026)

 

Herbs

Basil, Sweet Genovese

Oregano

Sage, Common

Thyme, English

 

Summer Plants

Amaranth, tricolor

Anise-Hyssop, Arizona Sandstone

Balloon Flower

Black Eyed Susan, Denver Daisy

Calibrachoa, Caliburst

Coneflower, Pow Wow White

Cotton, Nankeen

Dahlia, Figaro Mix

Pumpkin, Blue

Tobacco Flower, Saratoga Purple Bicolor

 

Garden Supply

Live Mushroom Compost, 1 Gallon

Live Mushroom Compost, 3 Gallon

 

Plants Coming Soon:

Spineless Prickly Pear (available on 6-20-2026)

-Others TBA-

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Scarlet Bee Balm

 

With all of the updates, blog posts, community announcements and the main topic handled remember that Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’s meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is June 6^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, or at North South Brewing on the same day between 1:00 and 5:00pm.