Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

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Eric in Japan
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Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Eric in Japan »

I love to try new things in my garden. So four years ago I planted an avocado in a sub‐irrigated planter. I just thought it would look cool and tropical.
Image
Sorry about the small size, but that tree has 6 tiny avocados on it. I hope they will grow to maturity.

Anyone else have unusual fruits or garden experiments?
"... so, the cucumbers said to the cabbage, `Lettuce Go.`"

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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by iamsen »

Are avocados that unusual?

Planting avocado seeds in jars seems to be a new trend among the ladies these days.
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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by paradoxbox »

I have also done the toothpick-avocado thing, they seem to have nearly 100% germination rates.

Unfortunately though I'm not sure those are avocadoes - doesn't it take 2 or 3 years before a tree starts to produce them? I think most growers graft Haas avocado branches onto existing root stocks.

Sure would love to have an avocado tree here. I'm not sure if there is a variety that can withstand the cold though, I'd need something that can handle around -7 or -10 degrees. I think the hardiest one I've seen only goes down to about -3 or so.

As for interesting fruits, I have a hyuganatsu tree from seeds that I got from a friend living in Miyazaki. Hyuganatsu is a fairly rare fruit that only seems to be available in Miyazaki prefecture. It seems to be a cross between yuzu and maybe lemon or mikan? It is eaten by sprinkling sugar on it, and man is it ever good.

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Zasso Nouka
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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Zasso Nouka »

I'd love to grow our own avocadoes, do you grow your's outside all year round Eric or bring it inside during the winter ?

Like Paradoxbox I'd need a fairly hardy one to get through the winter here.

My list of attempts at exotic fruit and veg reads more like a catalogue of failure :(

Pawpaw - Died
Pineapple - Died
Decapon - Died
Dragon Fruit - Died
Figs - Died

All succumbed to the cold winter here, that doesn't mean we're giving up but has prompted me to think about heating one of our vinyl houses with a rocket mass heater.

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Eric in Japan
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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Eric in Japan »

The toothpick avocado trick is unnecessary. It works, no problem there, but it is much easier to just plunk it an inch down in a pot. And my toothpick avocados didn't do as well when I transplanted them to a pot.

I do take the avocado in in the winter, but I don't know if I would have to. They say if you can grow a mikan tree, you can grow (a cold hardy) avocado. I grow it on the roof/patio of my Eikaiwa. And since we are just one Km from the beach, it doesn't get that cold. -2 or -3. My mountain is much colder, we have had -10, but -5,-6 are more usual.
I think it has reached a size where I could maybe grow it espaliered against a rock wall. But if the fruit is any good, I will keep bringing it in for winters rather than risk it.

If you have a chunk of change to spend, you can buy grafted, cold hardy avocados from
http://yusumura.com/avocado.html
The Mexicola and Winter Mexican avocados are hardy down to -6C!!

I also grew pineapple (in a pot in the house- it didn't do much.)
I have a pawpaw in the garden- they are quite cold hardy, growing all the way up to near Toronto I believe. Lots of blossoms all over it now, so soon the garden will smell faintly of rotting meat.
I had a mango tree in a pot about five years ago, but some sort of grub ate all the roots and killed it.
Dragonfruit I planted some seeds from a supermarket dragon. It grows, but I get no fruit. If it ever does, would that make me "Father of Dragons...?" It is a nice looking cactus though.
Figs- I have killed so many figs... the only one that grew decently was the 日本種. And even it died after 6 years.
Passionfruit- I have two tropical and one passiflora incarnata (maypop) that is hardy. That one doesn't fruit however. The flowers are stunning though.
I grow an heirloom Indian Blood Peach I got from Bountiful Gardens 10 years ago. It is fabulous. And it breeds (relatively) true, so if anyone wants seed, let me know come Sept.
My jujube (なつめ) doesn't seem to do anything much.
And my pomegranate.... also seems to be in suspended animation.

I also have boysenberries, am trying tayberries, and slowly expanding my true black raspberries as well as the usual red and yellow raspberries.
"... so, the cucumbers said to the cabbage, `Lettuce Go.`"

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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Thanks for the info on figs, I'll try and locate one of those.
Eric in Japan wrote:Dragonfruit I planted some seeds from a supermarket dragon. It grows, but I get no fruit. If it ever does, would that make me "Father of Dragons...?" It is a nice looking cactus though.
Bad joke I know but how about 'Dances with Dragons' :oops:

This year we bought some unusual sansai from Joyful Honda, so are experimenting with

Hatake Wasabi - Apparently it's proper Wasabi Japnonica but you can grow it in hatake rather than a mountain stream.
Chokeberries - Hoping this one doesn't live up to it's name
Edible Hosta - Didn't know you can eat hosta's.
Wild Garlic - Perhaps not all that unusual or exotic but Joyful seemed to think it was unusual given the price they were charging.

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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Inakappe »

Hey,
How are those avocados going? I tried putting one in last year from seed but it died after about three months. I was reading that they take up to 10 years to fruit but it looks like it might not take that long according to posts above.

Living in Gifu we get -5C max and up to 40C and hot and muggy.
I've got jujubes, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, elderberry, rhubarb, feijoas, dekopon, persimmons, passionfruit, sweet navel oranges, manderins, yuzu, lime, chinese hawthorn (さんざし), pommegranites, nectarines, apricots, cereja (Brazilian cherry or something), Gojiberry, kiwiberries, plus a few watermelon.
Some are producing fruit, some are still (hopefully) a couple of years away.

Am thinking of also adding paw paws, figs and maybe loquats or olives. Have you guys had any experience or recommendations for these? or another kind of fruit? I probably have room for about another 4 trees.

Oh, and my raspberries are getting big and yellow and then dropping off before they mature. The bush looks healthy, and they are a red variety. Any ideas on why? Need more water/fertilizer maybe?

Those Indian Red Peaches mentioned above sound awesome. Had never heard of them before.

Cheers!

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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Inakappe »

Chokeberries - Hoping this one doesn't live up to it's name

Oh, and how did these go? アロニア in Japanese right? Was thinking of trying to plant some too.

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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Inakappe »

Zasso Nouka wrote:
Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:01 pm
Chokeberries - Hoping this one doesn't live up to it's name

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Eric in Japan
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Re: Unusual fruit and experimental plantings

Post by Eric in Japan »

Inakappe wrote:
Tue May 26, 2020 2:02 pm
Hey,
How are those avocados going? I tried putting one in last year from seed but it died after about three months. I was reading that they take up to 10 years to fruit but it looks like it might not take that long according to posts above.
Avocados got touched by frost and perished. :cry:
Living in Gifu we get -5C max and up to 40C and hot and muggy.
I've got jujubes, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, elderberry, rhubarb, feijoas, dekopon, persimmons, passionfruit, sweet navel oranges, manderins, yuzu, lime, chinese hawthorn (さんざし), pommegranites, nectarines, apricots, cereja (Brazilian cherry or something), Gojiberry, kiwiberries, plus a few watermelon.
Some are producing fruit, some are still (hopefully) a couple of years away.
Sounds like my garden! I still need some feijoas and elderberry though.

Am thinking of also adding paw paws, figs and maybe loquats or olives. Have you guys had any experience or recommendations for these? or another kind of fruit? I probably have room for about another 4 trees.
Pawpaws are nice but you don't need more than a few fruits a year. Figs are awesome if you can keep them alive. Loquats are good- I have tried the Motegi variety but my goats ate all the leaves and then sharpened their horns on the trunk, girdling and killing it. (Have I told everyone not to get goats yet?) Olives might do better in Gifu than a coastal mountainside like my area. My trees seem to be in suspended animation. not dead, but not any taller or bushier than when I planted them 3 years ago.
Oh, and my raspberries are getting big and yellow and then dropping off before they mature. The bush looks healthy, and they are a red variety. Any ideas on why? Need more water/fertilizer maybe?
That is a puzzler. Sounds like when my mulberries get popcorn disease, but raspberries... hmmm...
Those Indian Red Peaches mentioned above sound awesome. Had never heard of them before.
Drop me a message come October and I can send you a few (dozen) seeds and instructions.

Eric
"... so, the cucumbers said to the cabbage, `Lettuce Go.`"

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