Stonefruit grows in any part of Georgia. Apricots can be hard to fruit because they blossom early and then a freeze comes and kills the blossoms. Macon is probably 7b/8a. Many people have to spray stone fruit because of diseases.

Low Maintenance for GA: Rabbiteye blueberries, paw paws, mulberries, figs, Asian persimmons, muscadines, blackberries and some others.

You say not close to Macon, if you are 9a you can grow some citrus in ground and pomegranates, pineapple guava, loquat. Lucky you!

Finding out your chill hours will be more important than what zone you are in. There are peaches and plums that do well in low chill, but bloom too early in higher chill hours.

Tropic Snow peach is a very good tasting peach but only has a chill requirement of 250. There is a gulf series of plums put out by Florida that does well in low chill hours. The best tasting is suppose to be Gulf Rose. Methley, Mariposa, and Santa Rosa have a chill hour requirement of around 400. Satsuma citrus should do well in 9a.

I would be looking at what varieties come out of Florida. Most should do well in Zone 9a.

I agree, apricots will be tough in that area. I planted a Flavor Delight Aprium this year to see if it will make. I guess I will know in 3 or 4 years if it is adapted. My area is in the northern part of 9a.

Rabbiteye blueberries will do well if the soil is acidic(4.5 to 5.5) and well drained.

cool, thank you both for the suggestions.

The area is on the coast, about halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, Fla. I assume coastal areas don't get as cold as inland? That's how it works on the West Coast, anyway.

I had a low-chill apricot when I lived near San Francisco. I only got a few fruits, and not every year. Even just a few every year would be an improvement!

It should be like San Francisco except for more pressure from insects and diseases. The soil should be more acidic also. With the humidity comes brown rot and plum curculio (worms that burrow inside the fruit.) Stone fruit growing in the west is much easier.

Apricots also have the problem with split fruit. I am about 30 miles from the gulf coast.

Satsuma's and Lemons are common. This year everyone's citrus made well. People were giving it away and still some of the fruit rotted.

Peaches and plums are rare and multiple spraying is pretty much required. Our soil is a tight clay and is lack of drainage is another reason we have problems with stone fruit. That may not be the case with your area. Just a little north and east of us have areas that are well drained with sandy soil.

We can grow muscadine grapes and fire blight resistant pears. I have not seen anyone able to grow apricots here. Certain blackberries also grow well. Some blackberries have a higher chill requirement and do not set berries

You are correct, the further inland the colder it gets. We stay warmer due to the gulf breeze warming everything up. It may get cold for a couple of days but will then warm up again.

Sounds like the same problems I have here, but just a little cooler and drier.

Acid soil, check (I'm on the side of a live volcano--acid soil, air, AND water). Hard soil, check (it's lava about 3" down, we have to bring in truckloads of mulch to give us something to plant in). Humidity, check (170" of rain a year). Bugs, OMG check!

But what is this "freeze" thing you're talking about? I was on a hill in the Bay Area, we almost never got a freeze (and it hasn't gotten below 42F here in the last 10 years). Maybe that's why my apricot tree didn't produce.

Um, will it actually snow in southern Georgia? Sorry to be so uneducated--this is a new thing, and I'm trying to grasp the implications of this move.

Zone 9a shows an average annual low of 20 to 25 degree F. It normally does not get that could where I am at, more of a low closer to 25 degrees. Some years it only gets in the upper twenties. This year we had 2 days, back to back, with a low of 26. The other 2 days had a low of 31 degrees, back to back. This has been one of the warmest winters on record. 2 cold snaps, not much in between. I have lived here 16 years and only one year has the top of the soil frozen.

I don't know about your area in Georgia, but in SE Texas get a measurable snow about every 20 years.

Your soil may in Georgia may or may not be acidic. Soils can change a lot over even small distances.

I have bell of georgia for 3 years .produce good.Tried apricot and cherry and quince with no luck fungus disease destroyed them...