There are a few worthwhile fruit trees that ripen their fruit in the autumn/winter period after most other fruits are finished for the season.
The best fruiting trees or plants are the ones that have little or no problems from pests and diseases, so don’t require spray programmes, to ensure a good crop of lovely fruit.
Another big plus in my book is fruit that do not attract birds or if they do, can be picked and ripened off the tree, avoiding losses to our feathered friends.
One fruiting tree that I grow that has all the above aspects and produces so many fruit, that once established will produce big crops will likely be wasted if not given away.
The fruit is the Feijoa and for good large fruit you need a special cultivar such as Mammoth.
The common Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana) only produces small fruit but does make an ideal screen or hedge.
I have never had to spray my Feijoa for any pest or disease and the birds do not touch the fruit until it falls onto the ground. Even then most of the crop can be picked up, which is the right time to harvest.
You don’t normally pick the fruit on the tree as the fallen ones are the ripe ones.
My sole tree produces fruit from the size of a golf ball up to about nearly the size of a tennis ball. (Not round like a tennis ball of course)
The answer is lots of manure and regular applications of Fruit & Flower Power as they are hungry plants.
There is a window of about 2 months of ripe fruit at this time of the year and the only problem that I note is that the fruit need to be used within a few days of collecting or they tend to rot.
I like making a lovely chutney out of the fruit to use up the surplus that we don’t give away.
Persimmons are another favourite fruit of mine which ripens in late autumn and winter dependent on the season.
The only problem with the fruit is birds do tend to peck them before they are ripened properly on the tree. As soon as I notice the first damage I pick all the crop and ripen the fruit indoors.
Now with the bird repeller gel I can leave them to tree ripen which is always the best flavoured fruit.
The variety that I currently have is the astringent type which means the fruit must be very soft to the touch to be ripe and ready to eat.
The advantage is that the picked fruit slowly ripen off the tree and don’t all come ready at once. If you do have too many ready for eating, pop the surplus in the fridge, it holds them longer in the cold. (They don’t taste as good as the non fridge ones)
A very attractive tree and the autumn colours make persimmon worthwhile in any setting even with your ornamentals in the front garden.
The non-astringent types are ready to eat earlier and don’t have to be very soft to be ripe.
You need to order persimmons trees from your garden centre or by mail order as they are not easy to come by. But more than worth any trouble in obtaining one or two.
I checked by Googling and yes currently there are some nurseries in NZ but expect to pay about $150 for a grafted tree.
Tamarillos are another fruit that I am proud to have two specimens of, growing in a drum under the protection of a Macrocarpa looking north.
You can grow under the eaves by the side of your house. This is an ideal spot for them as they will have some protection from frosts.
Being under the eaves and gaining the warmth of the radiated heat from the house at night, in winter.
If they get hit by frosts in winter they will lose their leaves and unless badly damaged they just sprout new foliage in the spring.
Use the new Wallys Spray on Frost Protection.
Wind can break heavy branches so some cutting back, support and shelter from prevailing winds is needed. The tree can be prone to a few pests such as aphids and a spray of Wallys Super Neem Tree Oil maybe needed if this happens.
Powdery Mildew is another aspect which can be controlled with a spray of the same Neem Oil.
The birds have never touched the fruit which is starting to ripen now and will be ready to use in winter.
You can either buy a tamarillos from a garden centre or later when the fruit is available just take a few seeds, dry them and germinate in the spring.
You will have as many plants as you could possibly use for nothing and they will produce the first crops about the age of 2 years.
Citrus trees is the last one that I am going to mention and these too are fairly free of problems but an occasional spray with Wallys Liquid Copper will ensure diseases don’t affect the tree or fruit and if scale insects become a problem, along with any other pests, just sprinkle Wallys Neem Tree Granules from trunk to drip line and within about 6-8 weeks any pests in the tree will be gone.
So quick and easy to do.
Now you can grow any of the above without too much of a problem but will you obtain good sized fruit? Water and food are most important for good juicy fruit of a larger size.
I use chicken manure on all my fruit trees and it certainly gives them the power to produce. Just spread the manure under the trees, especially around the drip line.
If you don’t have access to chook manure then use Sheep Manure pellets and Blood & Bone.
DON’T USE NPK FERTILISERS like Citrus fertiliser. (They harm the soil life and will only cause pest or disease problems you can do without)
Apply Wallys Fruit and Flower Power every month from flowering to harvest for the potassium and magnesium that they need. Ensure that you keep a reasonable moisture level in the soil also during this period.
A reasonable deep watering about every week is ideal. I find a wet spring into summer produces bigger better fruit of any type which indicates we don’t water our fruiting plants enough when in fruiting cycle.
For additional enhancement you can spray the foliage and soil with Mycorrcin and Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL) mixed together every 2 to 4 weeks.
Doing this actually reduces the possibility of a number of diseases as well as enhancing growth and fruiting.
Citrus trees don’t like wet feet in winter so if the area is prone to surface water, make a mound to plant the tree into or place a planter box on the prepared soil and plant the tree into this. The top roots will be well above any wet soil and the trees will do well, wet or not.
Its a good idea to spray any plants such as citrus with Wallys Perkfection now and repeat once a month for next 3-4 months. Perkfection helps prevent wet weather diseases and root rots in wet soils.
If you have Buxus hedge or plants Perkfection will prevent or cure the plants from the dreaded Buxus disease.
Plant out Tamarillo in the spring when all frosts are past and the ground has warmed up.
Plant your Persimmons as soon as you receive them in a suitable situation.
If you want big Feijoa fruit ensure you buy a tree that produces large fruit and if only one tree is required make sure its a self-fertile type.
Image credit: Jerry Wang
