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Index : Citrus and Other Fruits
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- 14. New Years Resolution for Gardeners - Grow Tropical Fruit - Top
- Why not start the new year off with warm thoughts of Summer and the opportunities that lay ahead in the coming year. Speaking of opportunities, I have a suggestion for all those gardeners looking for something adventurous to do in the new year. Why not grow tropical fruits!
Sounds absurd; exotic fruits in Tucson (Chinese Jujube excluded), but you can grow many successfully as long as their grown in containers! When frosty weather arrives you simply roll or dolly them to a protected location- outdoors or bring them into Arizona Room till warmer weather returns. Actually any roomy spot indoors will do.
Of course, the best tropical fruits for containers are the ones which are naturally smaller growing. Many of these fruits grow in shrub or small tree size, and lend themselves to confined container culture. Here are a list of some interesting ones to try:
Barbados Cherry - A large, densely branched shrub or small tree which can be pruned to a central trunk. Native to the West Indies, Barbados Cherry produces shiny light to deep green ovate leaves and soft, juicy ,thin-skinned, three-lobed fruit that are light to deep crimson when mature. The fruit has a sweet-tart taste and just one is high enough in vitamin C to meet the daily adult requirements.
Carambola - Star fruits, named because of their star-shape when sliced, are widely sold in grocery stores and have a distinctive citrus flavor. Grown commercially in Hawaii and South Florida, Carambola is a native to Southeast Asia. Fruit are 2 to 6 inches in length, are light to dark yellow when ripe, and are a good source of potassium. The varieties ‘Golden Star' and ‘Arkin' are self-pollinating.
Cherry of the Rio Grande - The fruit of this plant, as the name implies, tastes somewhat like cherries and can be eaten fresh or used for making jams and jellies. Fruit are oblong, about an inch in length, and orange ripening to dark red or purple. Like other Eugenia species it is an attractive plant with dark green, evergreen leaves.
Jaboticaba - This small bushy tree or small shrub has evergreen foliage and multicolored bark. It's slow growth makes it ideal for containers. A native of Brazil, Jaboticaba produces grape-like fruit, with a thick, tough dark-maroon color. Unlike most other fruit, these grow directly out of the trunk and larger branches, singly or in clusters from the ground up. Under the skin is a whitish, gelatinous pulp with a pleasant grape-like flavor. The skin is usually discarded, and only the pulp is eaten.
Miracle Fruit - This evergreen shrub grows to a height of 5 feet, under cultivation, and produces small bright red berries. Although not sweet itself, when the fleshy pulp is savored and allowed to coat the taste buds, everything eaten after that, even lemons, will taste sweet! The effects last some 30 minutes or more. You can really surprise your friends with this one.
Monstera - This plant is very similar to spreading philodendron in size and appearance. However the leaves are more rounded in form. The plant produces a flower cone that develops seeds and a sweet pulp that tastes like a cross between banana and pineapple. You won't get much to eat from the fruit of Monstera deliciosa, but what you do get is truly delicious.
Surinam Cherry - This evergreen shrub has ovate leaves which are wine colored when young, turning to a dark glossy-green at maturity. The fruits are attractive light red to nearly black, They have an unusual ribbed shape, about the size of a bing cherry. The flesh is orangish and has an aromatic, sweet and somewhat cherry-like, good for jams and jellies. The plant can be kept cut back on a regular basis and still produce fruit.
Other exotic fruits recommended for pot culture include; Banana, Carissa, Guava, Passion Fruit and Pineapple. In next weeks column I will discuss the growing of tropical fruits in containers and provide some additional references and resources on the subject.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
- Updated: January 4, 2004
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