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Fruit Trenches: Cultivating Subtropical Plants in Freezing Temperatures

lowtechmagazine.com

101–103 of 103 posts

Re: Fruit Trenches: Cultivating Subtropical Plants in Freezing Temperatures

#101
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

with regards to the olives, are you using water or brine to treat them?

neither - the two trees I have don’t produce more than a handful of fruit, so they are mainly ornamental. I don’t think the growing season is long enough for the olives to grow to a reasonable size

Is a different problem. Olives need very specific temperature conditions to flower well. Not too warm, but not too cold, either.

Re: Fruit Trenches: Cultivating Subtropical Plants in Freezing Temperatures

#102

The most hardy citrus is the ornamental Flying Dragon Citrus, which produces fruit, but the fruit is poor tasting. But can be grown in zone 6 Niagara Falls http://www.eattheweeds.com/hardy-orange/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold-hardy_citrus The most tropical fruit that can be grown in cold climates in North America is the Paw Paw. (Survives -30 degrees) "It belongs to the genus Asimina in the same plant family (t…

Flying dragon or Poncirus is a must if you want to grow Citrus in cold places. Is the only decicuous Citrus.

The fruits are non culinary, but is an excelent rootstock

In any case the "lemon" of cold places is Chaenomeles (and not all are able to bear fruit).

Re: Fruit Trenches: Cultivating Subtropical Plants in Freezing Temperatures

#103
post #99
post #13

I grow a few things in a (relatively small) suburban garden in London. My experience so far with fruit normally associated with warmer climates: Grapes - grow very well outside, lots of tasty fruit, sensitive to mildew Figs - grow well outside, fast, but not much fruit yet Citrus (lemon, lime and kafir lime) - Any frost is damaging, can only grow in pots and bring in during winter. Grows slowly and doesn't produce mu…

> Citrus (lemon, lime and kafir lime) - Any frost is damaging, can only grow in pots and bring in during winter. Grows slowly and doesn't produce much fruit Lime and kafir lime are very tender. If lemons do not work, I would suggest you to choose hardy rootstocks (Poncirus can stand -40C for a short time) and try Yuzu instead. They are seedy, spiny (as lemons or limes), and less interesting as fruit but more hardy. T…

Yes, I have arctic kiwi growing. It's very nice. Small sweet/sour fruit, I find them tasty. It's grown commercially in France now too, I've seen the fruit being sold a couple of times at Lidl late summer.

Stauntonia - it's an evergreen vine, with fleshy leaves, originally from Myanmar/Korea/Japan. In Japan I think they eat both young shoots and the sausage shaped fruit. It hasn't born fruit yet in 3 years - I think I might need another one for cross-pollination - but grows like crazy and has lots of very fragrant jasmine type flowers in the summer.

Tangerines are a good idea, will try!

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