Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Alien Invasion

January 15, 2005

By Dale Norrington, Master Gardener

From exotic and far-away lands, tropical and subtropical fruits have staged an insidious, rather well-received invasion of the welcoming Mediterranean climate along California's central coast. They offer to delight the culinary palette, and add unusual forms and textures to the garden design palette. While avocados, figs, and citrus have long been favorites, many others, less often seen in the home garden, may also be worthy of consideration. Kiwi fruit, or Chinese gooseberry, litchi, guava, mango, white sapote, babaco, tamarillo, carambola and others have the potential to do well in many parts of our county. Named varieties are available, and seeds from purchased fruit can sometimes be germinated.

Broad-leaf evergreen macadamia nut trees, for example, may be considered in locations with full sun or part shade, and clay or sandy soils. With a tolerance to frost similar to that of citrus and avocado, they can tolerate a bit more heat. They will naturally grow to 40 feet in height with a 30 foot width, and can be pruned or hedged.

Cherimoya, described by Mark Twain as "deliciousness itself", are produced on 'nearly' evergreen trees with medium sized leaves and a soft, lime-green, tropical look to 20 feet in height. They will accept pruning and generally perform better in gardens with temperature-moderating ocean influence. Hand pollination is recommended to improve fruit quality.

Papaya plants are large-leafed, fast-growing, tree-like herbs. Papaya seeds from purchased fruit may be germinated immediately, or air-dried and stored for several months. January and February are preferred planting times. They may be started in pots or flats and set out after danger of frost has passed. Protection from cold is recommended, particularly as fruit is ripening. Stems are soft and break easily. Protection from wind is thus also recommended.

Searching the website http://ucdavis.edu using search terms "tropical subtropical fruit" yields a significant body of additional information.

Websites referred to may be outside the University of California domain. No endorsement is intended of products, services or information, nor is criticism implied of similar sites that are not mentioned.

University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers can provide additional gardening information upon request. Call the San Luis Obispo office at 781-5939 on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 PM, the Arroyo Grande office at 473-7190 on Wednesdays from 9 AM to 1 PM, or the Paso Robles office at 237-3100 on Wednesdays from 9 AM to Noon.  The San Luis Obispo Master Gardener website is at http://groups.ucanr.org/slomg/. Questions can be e-mailed to mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu.