Hon, my ex grew up in your area (Elmer, Bridgeton area) around Seabrook Farms. His mama was an avid gardener. We discovered that we were in the same temp zone, zone 7 I believe it is. Here in SC, we can grow all kinds of fruits, trees, bushes and plants with ease. One hears of Ga peaches ... I don't know where there's a single peach grove in Ga that can rival the size of 2 that are close by in upstate SC. Apples do well here. Many places have pick-your-own strawberries.
Do some googling ... try something like fruit + mineral + organic ... early on in my quest for health, I came across articles on orgnaic mineral gardening ... done right, the plants resist pests themselves. There are also companion plants that help ward of these vicious critters ... hope MH gives us thorough nfo on this one myself!