Nearly all the large plums found in grocery stores are Japanese-type plums grown in California (or grown in Chile during the winter months). But there are hundreds of plum varieties that grow well in North Texas. Here, we must plant varieties adapted for our soils and temperatures. My favorite is the Methley, which ripens between late May and early June. It is good to eat and makes great jelly. It is one of the best early plums.
The Santa Rosa was developed by Luther Burbank in California and gets rave reviews from consumers. Morris is grown a lot in the Charlie area and is an excellent commercial plum. A researcher named W.R. Okie (that's really his name) writes that the breeding programs in Georgia and Alabama are coming up with many new varieties that will do well for growers in North Texas.
Some plum varieties are self-pollinating, but to be on the safe side it is best to plant more than just a single tree of a given variety in your yard or orchard. Plums are usually eaten with their skins on, so it is best to wash them before eating. Note that the plum will stimulate bowel movement because of a substance in the skin of plums. Consumers can peel the skin off of a plum to avoid this, but that sure is a lot of trouble.
There are European type plums that are normally freestone and the Japanese type plums. European plums are smaller, denser and less juicy than Japanese varieties. European plums are the ones made into prunes in California. There are more than 140 varieties of plums sold and planted in the U.S. A plum is a "drupe" - a pitted fruit related to the nectarine, peach and apricot.
