Statesboro's Marcus Toole is well known for his work with Habitat for Humanity of Bulloch County, but did you know he's also a botanist and home orchardist? His produce of choice is the plum.
"Chicasaw plum is our native wild plum," Toole explains. "The native peoples in our area domesticated them a thousand years ago and, just like with Europeans and Asians, improved them quite a bit. Americans came and grew them and they were popular among the colonists and farm families really up until this century, until refrigeration became a thing. Asian plums became available and people lost interest in our native plums."
Toole is committed to preserving the domestic plums that have flourished in Statesboro and surrounding southeast Georgia regions for centuries.
"The main thing I'm really interested in with plums is trying to find and grow local strains . . ." Toole says. "A lot of these varieties are just kind of persisting on at old farm sites and so I and some other people are trying to locate the various strains and identify them and pick out the best ones and make sure that the strains continue on because they actually are the best plums to grow in our area," Toole says.
Toole has 15 varieties of mature plum trees in his home orchard that he cultivates with care and diligence, and several more immature trees. He has hybrid strains as well, which are his best sellers.
Toole credits his father with his affinity for growing produce. The senior Toole grew up on a farm in South Florida, and bequeathed a plum strain to his son. This particular Chicasaw variety has been lovingly dubbed, "Toole's Heirloom," and has a fruit punch flavor. He sells his harvest in small quantities, and posts on his Facebook page.
"I don't really make any money off of them; it's just a way to help offset the expense of an expensive hobby," Toole quips.
He also educates the public through his YouTube channel. Topics include information about different varieties of plums, seedlings, and the damage local hoofstock can cause to backyard crops.
For the foreseeable future, Toole is going to continue to research, educate, and grow.
For more information about plums and other stone fruit, please visit Toole's Facebook group or subscribe to his YouTube channel.
