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clarkinks

Types of unusual fruits to grow in zone 5

clarkinks
9 years ago

It never fails that I find out a great tree exists I should have planted 20 years ago. What are some of the unusual varieties that you know of that might grow here in zone 5 eg. Che, jujube etc.

Comments (60)

  • spartan-apple
    9 years ago

    Drew:

    We grow a lot of Cornus mas where I work. The fruit is
    too insipid for me. Definitely a spitter. Perhaps better when cooked and sugared?

    Jus for fun we tried growing 'Red Stone' Cornus mas. A selection for better fruit quality. From the Ukraine I believe?

    It really has much sweeter fruit as I can eat it raw without
    puckering up. Definitely a great selection for anyone interested in Cornus mas for fruit. Nice dark fruit color.

  • alan haigh
    9 years ago

    There are the seedling cornus mas used in landscapes and there are also the selected, grafted varieties available at specialty nurseries like Raintree. I've not tasted either one although I've planted both for customers.

    Years ago someone published an article in the former NAFEX magazine about amazingly delicious varieties grown somewhere in the former Soviet Union, but I've not heard of these strains since.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I bought my seedlings at Raintree. They have a lot of cultivars, or do from time to time. One Green World has a lot too, and so does Whitman's. It seems with the cultivars you can get bigger berries, but I think they all taste the same. I have the seedlings, and the yellow fruited cultivar. I have 14 seedlings in 3rd leaf. Probably will fruit in 5th leaf.
    Everything is slow growing at my cottage, the environment is super tough, wet, humid, cold, windy, and shady.
    I may add more, but I want to taste them first!! I never have! I want to make jam and syrup with them. If I really like them I may add a bunch more, but 14 seedlings will probably produce plenty!
    As soon as I prep the italian sausage stuffed peppers I'm making for dinner (home grown peppers), I'm making jam tonight as mentioned. I want to prep the peppers, chill and serve later. I need to cut the grass too! Busy day!

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    JStubbs yes we grow pawpaw here but technically we don't have enough water. I grow them at the shady side of my pond where it's always wet in the shade of other 40 foot trees.Drew51 I like the foliage and fruit concept as well! The Flat wonderful peach is something I think you would like since it's foliage is a purple color and it's peaches are like doughnuts. My experience with kiwi was frustrating. I got anne and a few other hardy varieties and watered them every day sometimes twice a day for 3 years and they died from lack of water during the drought. I will grow them again some place close to my pond again. They are very cold hardy but their weakness is their love for water. I grow juneberries, mulberries, persimmon, jujube, figs,nanking cherries, buffalo berries, western sand cherry, carmine jewell cherries, joel cherries, grapes, etc.. but one thing the last drought taught me was I learned to grow prickly pear eastern cactus. They are delicious and the only thing I could keep alive during the last drought practically. Elderberries etc. died during the drought. Cornelian Cherries I tried to grow once but they died as did the honeyberries which like most currants I suspect they are shade or water lovers more so than Kansas has to offer.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    cckw I know very little of high bush cranberries since I have never grown them. do they have a pit ? flavor similar to low bush cranberries? Many acid soil lovers such as blueberries, low bush cranberries etc. have a difficult time in this 8.0 ph soil. I use sulphur , compost etc to bring it down and have grown blueberries but it was a bigger choir than it was worth. Truth is I like juneberries better and they like our ph here with nothing extra needed. I got mine from http://www.byronnursery.com/BareRootPlants2.html at the same time I tried seaberries. My seaberries did not like it here and lived a few years and died for an unknown reason.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    too insipid for me. Definitely a spitter. Perhaps better when cooked and sugared?

    Yes, but so are currants, and I love them. Yes you need sugar. I would not eat them fresh. Currant jam tastes like candy, it's so good, but raw it is super tart, pucker time. But man when that flavor is tamed I like it better than strawberries or raspberries. I suspect i will love Cornus Mas. What I do is mix it say with mulberries which are super sweet, and that really makes it excellent the very best jam I made well right up there with wild black raspberry is currant-mulberry jam.
    My serviceberry died last winter, I want to get a few of them eventually.
    As mentioned above I like mixing the fruit. I can't wait to add peaches, and pluots to the mix. Next year I'll be able to! Yeah!! I can see currant-pluot scones in my future!! Peach-raspberry pie, yum!

    High bush cranberries are NOT cranberries. They are viburnums.

    Here is a link that might be useful: viburnum info including ph

  • JesseSt
    9 years ago

    We have the highbush cranberry, viburnum trilobum, at our place. Flavor-wise, it is quite similar to lowbush cran, but with a bit of a funky flavor my wife calls 'socks'. I find that the flavor is mostly dispatched by cooking or adding orange peel to a sauce. Quite tart- put the sugar to it, baby! Nice looking bushes, would make nice screening, blooms great for the native pollinators. Also really good in a fruit wine by itself or in a blend.
    Got to try our first arctic kiwi fruit this year, from a 2nd year 'Red Beauty' . Good enough for me to want more kolomiktas- I'm looking at some of the larger fruited selections for next year.
    I've been planting some cornus mas-'Golden Glory' and some seedlings. I'd like to find some scion of the ones selected for edibility.
    Started some fig plants this year- these will be going inside for the winter for a couple years before I plant them out.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Flat wonderful is now put on my list of desirable peaches, thanks for the info!

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    9 years ago

    Here is close-up of cornus mas/cornelian cherry fruit growing in my aunts garden (Georgian Bay area-Canada). I don't have name since she grew them from seeds brought from Europe.
    I like sweet-tart taste of preserves, jams.
    Rina

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    9 years ago

    She grew them all as trees, usually they are loaded with fruit. This is almost picked.
    Rina

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    Here's a pic of 3 of my hardy kiwi, a couple So jujube...and a Fondante de Moulins Lille pear for good measure. I picked all 3 earlier today, but only the jujubes have been eaten. Both the pear and the kiwi are rock hard and need some storage. I'm still trying to figure out when they will be ripe, so every week or so I pick a few, then try them a week later when I pick more.

    Kiwi (from left): Fortyniner, Issai, and Geneva. Jujubes are on bottom (and very tasty).

    I'm not sure that the Geneva is actually a Geneva though, as I though that it should be bright green fruit

  • JesseSt
    9 years ago

    Nice ones, Bob!

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    You guys have posted some great pictures on here and a lot of information. Good to see so many people growing rare plants! I'm looking forward to when zone 5 jujube are available that are great jujube varieties. I've noticed many cherries, peaches etc are now available here and when I was a kid no one grew any fruit except apples and pears. Maybe we can grow some of these varieties in the shade of others.

  • Tony
    9 years ago

    Clark,

    You can visit Powell Garden in Kansas City and see their orchard for fruit varieties that do well in your area. They had Figs, Hybrid persimmons, Jujubes and more....This is a good time to go and see. You probably can sample some of the fruits also.

    Tony

    Here is a link that might be useful: Powell Garden in Kansas City.

  • Tony
    9 years ago

    More photos of Powell Garden.

    Tony

    Here is a link that might be useful: Powell Garden in Kansas City.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Tony I had never heard of Powell Garden! The link http://www.leereich.com/books/landscaping-with-fruit
    looks interesting.

  • skyjs
    9 years ago

    One big difference is that some people like sweet and tart fruit and some people like fruit that is only sweet. Many of these fruits are better for people who like sweet and tart fruit. Lee Reich is the man on this topic.
    John S
    PDX OR

  • fabaceae_native
    9 years ago

    I would modify Drew's take on unusual fruit way up at the top of the responses to:

    "most unusual fruits are not well known IN THE US, or not very good RAW"â¦

    Things like Persimmon and Jujube are incredibly tasty and are very popular in Asia (probably more so than apples there), but are little known here. Many of the rest of the unusual fruits are just not for fresh eating, but make exceptional preserves, pies, wine, etc⦠things like elderberry, sea berry, aronia, chokecherry, sand cherry, currants, come to mind.

    For me in New Mexico the winners in this category are: jujube, autumn olive, sand cherry, mulberry, Mexican elder. I still have hope for Am persimmon, pawpaw, and goumi, but have given up on fig and hardy kiwi (due to cold, and watering needs, respectively).

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Fabaceae_native aronia seem to grow best on the wet parts of my property but they are drought tolerant. Sand cherry have always been our standby fruit but I am slowly starting to graft them over to better tasting plums and leaving 6-12 inches of sand cherry at the bottom. Has anyone eaten akebia and know the flavor? The plants I plant to grow next are Schisandra chinensis http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Schisandra+chinensis. I will also grow hardy kiwi again in a wet place on my property once I build a stronger support system. When I bought my original plants I knew they were drought tolerant and they are to a degree but nothing like the droughts we have here in Kansas http://ediblelandscaping.com/products/vines/KiwisHardy/AnnaHardyFemaleKiwiAnanasnaya.php. I also plan to grow http://www.hhwildplums.com/Prinsepia_sinensis.html in the spring. We are having good luck here with crandalls clove currants aka Ribes odoratum. They are similar to yellow clove currants or common black or reds but the berries are larger. Clove currants can be grown in the open and are very drought tolerant.

    Here is a link that might be useful: akebia

  • JesseSt
    9 years ago

    I've also gotten started with goji berries this year, some seed grown, and another pair from Proven Winners. I bet those would do good for you in KS if you have alkali soil.
    I'd like to get some clove currants as well, what's your source on those? I have some nice red ones that have been doing well for me, and just started some Riverview black currants last year, should get some fruit next year on those.
    I planted schisandra a couple years back as well, purchased from Oikos. Also acquired a 'Eastern Prince' that hasn't quite caught yet. I think need to shade it's root zone, and that's something to remember with the kiwi as well. So far, I'm liking our kolomikta variety better, since it's fruited earlier than the arugata I've got- I need the kolomikta selections that were selected for fruit size now, since all I have is the 'red beauty' with it's small(but tasty) fruit.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    JesseSt the only place I know of to get crandalls is http://www.hhwildplums.com/Products.html. Goumi seedlings aka Elaeagnus multiflora I have are doing great and should fruit a little next year since it's their 3rd year. I had one send out a few blooms this year. kolomikta grow pretty well there? I have not tried those type of hardy kiwi and wondered if the males were hard to grow. I might have to try an 'eastern prince' https://www.onegreenworld.com/Schisandra%20Vine/EasternPrince8482/2112/. Thanks!

  • JesseSt
    9 years ago

    Goumi, goji, sound the same but are different red berry beasts.
    I'd like to try grafting some goumi onto the locally invasive autumn olives. Male pollinator kolomikta 'Artic Beauty' seems pretty easy to grow for me in a semi-sun location, as long as that root zone is kept moist and shaded. Easily propagated with dormant wood....

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I misread goji. I planted goumi instead of autumn olives because I had heard they are invasive in some areas. Since they are both elaeagnus species I suspect you could graft one onto the other. I might give 'Artic Beauty' a try. My understanding is they produce in summer and Actinidia arguta produces later in the year.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I realized we were talking about a lot of rare fruits and not mentioning where to get some of them. I get hardy kiwi from edible landscaping typically. The link below will have jujube, kiwi, persimmon, pawpaw etc.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Edible Landscaping

  • skyjs
    9 years ago

    I have to agree with Drew that many fruits are not worth growing if you grow the species. You must have the selected varieties. For example, my Garretson American Persimmon is simply delectable, whle the species are just kind of tolerable. Some pawpaws I don't like that much. Some are super yummy.
    John S
    PDX OR

  • fabaceae_native
    9 years ago

    Here's an old seaberry shrub (tree) between a major road and a parking lot in Santa Fe, NM. It looked much better a few years ago, since the past 4 drought years have taken their toll, although there is still a modest crop of berries that are not really visible in my low quality snapshot.

    Clark: I hear you on the clove currant. I grow the local variant Ribes aureum, which does incredibly well for me, going from seed to masses of berries in three years, and 8 feet high if you let it. The aronia seedling I planted this spring has done quite well, but I have struck out twice so far with Serviceberry (First had horrible fruit, second attempt has barely grown an inch all summer).

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Juneberries aka service berry don't like heat much past zone 4 though I do grow them here in zone 5. Mine came from Byron nursery which is a wholesale nursery with some great plants. I tried 5 years to grow them before I tried that variety and every plant lived.

    This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 23:58

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    Ribes aureum, which does incredibly well for me, going from seed to masses of berries in three years, and 8 feet high if you let it.
    So many variations of this currant! From seed? I would like to try that!

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Carmine Jewell cherries are another variety of uncommon bush cherries that are a definite winner. There are more and more being grown every year as the word gets out about their excellent fruit and hardiness.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Aronia are very prolific here as mentioned but they need diluted with apple or pear juice to be very palatable.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I would like to try aronia sometime, but with limited space, I'm full. Once I move I should have unlimited room. I really need to work on that and make it happen.
    I had a couple of the other Romance series, but they didn't make it. I have 2 Carmine Jewels, right now.
    Myself I'm pretty happy with what i have. It's beginning to be a lot of work to harvest everything! It's a daily chore, but still it's nice to be loaded with fruits! Different kinds even better! It's a long winter, I'm freezing as much as possible.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Drew51 it would be great if there was more info available on many plants because like you we try to time our harvests to come in at different times. Are you finished picking for the year? We are working on the very last of the harvest now. The harvest is early this year for some trees and late for some grapes. We still have some grapes that are green. Grafted some Ben Davis and Arkansas blacks this year in hopes to have apples that will keep through the winter to extend our fresh fruit supplies. Carmine Jewell is one of the hardiest cherries so I'm not sure if we can grow all the others here very easily. All The romance series I've heard rumored will all be available soon enough. I've heard Evans is a good cherry and though it's not part of the new romance series is equally as good or better in some areas.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ribes aureum I would think would produce over a 4-6 week period for you. Glad to hear those are working well for you. They are likely a plant that could be grown as a you pick operation.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I'm harvesting raspberries and strawberries and will till frost.
    Harvests are good with about 60 berries a day. I still have tomatoes, peppers, and ground cherries ripening too.
    Yeah ground cherries are very cool and will be grown every year from now on. One plant yields hundreds of fruits. I harvested so far around 800 ground cherries. Otherwise I'm done. Yes, in the future I may have grapes too. I'm experimenting with trying to graft some new cultivars on established grape vines. What sucks is I have to move. And it's not for 3-5 years. So that sucks even more. I will have to restart everything. I'm not getting any younger!
    Adding new plants is a waste, I have added stuff in pots! But I'm hating this. I'm going to try and accelerate the move this winter. So I can start over sooner than later.
    Part of it is work related and out of my hands. Part of it is getting this house ready to sell! I can do that ASAP anyway!

  • Bradybb WA-Zone8
    9 years ago

    Clark,
    Akebia is an interesting looking vine,especially the fruit,kind of other worldly,but one taste was all I needed to not want to grow the plant.Fairly bland gel. Brady

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Brady I'm glad you saved me the trouble of finding out! Drew my family have and plant fruits on it but live at a separate location. Nothing says you cant buy an acre somewhere and plant it up. Land in Kansas is cheap but I've heard that's not the case everywhere. I think it's even less expensive in parts of texas that are dry which would be perfect to start a nopal orchard.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is the type of nopal hardy to stay outside during the winter. They are called eastern prickly pear cactus but in Texas you can grow the big ones and sell both petals and huge delicious fruit. I considered buying some of that cheap couple hundred dollars an acre land with no water and planting 20 acres of nopals. I bet someone is doing it! These eastern prickly pear were what I planted during our several years of drought. The petals and fruit are delicious but much smaller than those grown in Texas and Mexico.

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    9 years ago

    I grow cacti and always wanted to collect a bunch of hardy ones for here. I have one, numerous cacti that are hardy to zone 6 or lower exist. Most are Opuntia genus.
    Mine looks similar to the one Clark posted.
    I think mine though is native to Michigan. Not positive on species? This one has grown in a small spot for over 25 years. I at one time was forced to remove it. My wife was complaining about the kids getting spines all the time. A couple years later a volunteer appeared, and I cultivated it.
    I think it was 1987 when I first obtained it from a local gardener who told me it was from Michigan.

    This post was edited by Drew51 on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 22:22

  • skyjs
    9 years ago

    Bush cherries almost always have problems here in our wet springs in the PNW. Nopal cactuses are a medicine against diabetes. I grow them in gravel here. My wife also complains about spines. SHe'll complain more if we're stuck on the couch and can't move when we retire due to diabetes.
    JohN S
    PDX OR

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I pick them with salad tongs and burn the thorns off using my gas stove. They are great for inflammation as well.

  • milehighgirl
    9 years ago

    Regarding cacti, I got Mesa Sky and one other (OP033, and OP034) from Kelly Grummons. The fruit was wonderful and coon-proof too!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cold Hardy Cactus

    This post was edited by milehighgirl on Wed, Oct 1, 14 at 14:06

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    OP033 looks very interesting milehighgirl does the fruit taste like melon? I think OP034 may be similar to what Drew and I have. Mesa Sky sounds like a winner as well! Are the fruit all similar in taste? Great link I never heard of Kelly Grummons. Thanks!

    This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Thu, Oct 2, 14 at 4:53

  • fabaceae_native
    9 years ago

    I have straight up O. engelmani and O. macrocentra for fruit production. Both are very good⦠I will post a pic later.

    I will have to try burning off the spines, up until now I have only really used them for processing (syrup and jelly). The large Mexican types are typically cut in half and spooned out, the skin and the mucilaginous layer underneath discarded. This leaves just the seedy pulp to be eaten, which has the best flavor and texture. Unfortunately in many of the smaller fruited types this is less than half of the fruit!

  • spartan-apple
    9 years ago

    Prickly pear sounds neat! I recall seeing some native plant
    registrars for Wisconsin done in the 1920's-1950's. Some
    counties in WI had stands of native prickly pear cactus.

    I always wanted to someday try and find them assuming they still exist. Supposed to be some in Adams county as
    quite dry/sandy. I have family there but never did find a cactus.

    When I was in grade school, a classmate had prickly pear
    at their house. How amazed I was as a 3rd grader seeing
    cactus surviving the cold/snow of Wisconsin. It blew
    my mind.

    I have never eaten them but did see how they burn the pads on some of the Mexican cooking shows on T.V. (hooray for PBS or I would have nothing decent to watch).

  • curtis
    9 years ago

    Clark

    where at in KS are you?

  • milehighgirl
    9 years ago

    Clark,

    Yes, they taste like melon. I can't wait for mine to grow bigger. The two Kelly chose for me are early ripening.

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Cckw fairly close to Kansas City. Milehighgirl I have some 5x5 beds I made for wild sage and prickly pear that are doing great. I am surprised how tough and drought tolerant they are.

  • meredith_e Z7b, Piedmont of NC, 1000' elevation
    9 years ago

    Cornus mas is also really good for diabetes.

    Y'all should try eating the pads of the cactus. Some are great as vegetables, a lot like sweet green peppers in the dish I like.

    If anyone wants akebia cuttings, I have ten billion of the white-flowered form. It's an ornamental for me; I don't have a pollinator for it. It smells wonderful from mid-winter into spring here, almost too strong :) And my resident black snakes love hiding in it up on my portico behind the house, lol. They hang in it and pretend to be tree branches! Excellent mice patrol :)

  • clarkinks
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Meredith I love the pads fried up with steak and onions for fajitas. They also remind me of bell peppers and a little bit of okra