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Bongchitis

Best Fruit Varieties-Gardening Practices

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Hi All,

I have been motivated to set myself up on my 1000sq.m block with as many food bearing plants as I can look after in the hope to become semi self sufficient. It is my aim to have around 10 fruit varieties that spans the entire year so that at least 2 trees at any one time are bearing ripe fruit. Winter will be a bit slower obviously. I guess I am asking anyone who is interested as to how they would approach such a project?, critique the varieties I have chosen thus far or propose your own etc etc.

I am eandeavouring to use recycled grey water from my residence untill I have the ability to treat my sewage aswell for particular applications. My soil type is sandy loam with more sand than loam.

There is far too much good will and knowledge here for me not to ask and it will be another portion of my life that has been enhanced by this community.

My varieties are:

Apple: Staymans Winesap

Orange: Valencia cultivar, big fruit, great flavour

Lime: Tahitian

Passionfruit: Golden Panama Grafted

Strawberries: Hokowase and Sweetie

Blueberry: Southern Highbush of some sort, low chill

Grapes: Seedless sultana (cant remember the variety name atm)

Peach: Yellow fleshed, freestone, low chill

Cacti: Hurry up and grow guys! (Cereus and Trich)

.......and shit loads of veggies and herbs that I have been playing with for years.

Any info, thoughts and ideas would be much appreciated. Imagine not having to go to the shops for any 'fresh' produce. Making a complete 3 course meal from stuff you grew yourself, awesome!

Edited by Bongchitis

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Sounds great.

Have you thought about Avocado (Persea americana)? I think you need subtropical and tropical climate though would be nice to have your own tree...

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Yeah avocado and mango would be fantastic but I don't think I have the climate. I would love someone to prove me wrong though. It is amazing how many plants can grow out of their natural habitat using a little extra care, micro climates etc like p.viridis in Melbourne but these are trees.

Anyone grow either of these in Sydney?

Edited by Bongchitis

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Hi All,

I have been motivated to set myself up on my 1000sq.m block with as many food bearing plants as I can look after in the hope to become semi self sufficient. It is my aim to have around 10 fruit varieties that spans the entire year so that at least 2 trees at any one time are bearing ripe fruit. Winter will be a bit slower obviously. I guess I am asking anyone who is interested as to how they would approach such a project?, critique the varieties I have chosen thus far or propose your own etc etc.

I am eandeavouring to use recycled grey water from my residence untill I have the ability to treat my sewage aswell for particular applications. My soil type is sandy loam with more sand than loam.

There is far too much good will and knowledge here for me not to ask and it will be another portion of my life that has been enhanced by this community.

My varieties are:

Apple: Staymans Winesap

Orange: Valencia cultivar, big fruit, great flavour

Lime: Tahitian

Passionfruit: Golden Panama Grafted

Strawberries: Hokowase and Sweetie

Blueberry: Southern Highbush of some sort, low chill

Grapes: Seedless sultana (cant remember the variety name atm)

Peach: Yellow fleshed, freestone, low chill

Cacti: Hurry up and grow guys! (Cereus and Trich)

.......and shit loads of veggies and herbs that I have been playing with for years.

Any info, thoughts and ideas would be much appreciated. Imagine not having to go to the shops for any 'fresh' produce. Making a complete 3 course meal from stuff you grew yourself, awesome!

great idea mate ,nothing taste better than home grown

first off learn to graft this will enable you to fit a lot more into your space

check out the trees on this sight for ideas, bit pricey but yummm

http://www.fruitsaladtrees.com/

next get a copy of

'The complete book of fruit growing in Australia" by Louis Glowinski

(the author has an apple tree with 10 varieties grafted onto it)

post-1277-1159755104_thumb.jpg

dont give up on avocado the author of the aforementioned book says they grow fine in melbourne which definitely aint trop/sub-trop so get yourself a healthy plant and give it a go.

some of these links may prove useful, the sa rare friut growers have a list of varieties that their members have grown and if they have fruited here in Adelaide so Im guessing your local group(if there is one?) could have similar

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/

good selection here

http://perrysfruitnursery.com.au/

this site doesnt tell what actual varieties they have but if you drop them a line about what your after they are very helpful, I just purchased a cherry,lemonade,white shathoot,and mandarin from them and they are already setting fruit

As for strawberries just got some white alpine berries(alpine berries are reputed to be the original berry that todays strawberry was bred from) that i'm in the process of growing /dividing as soon as i got numbers up i'll send you over some,being white the birds wont bug them so much, the berry is quite small but absolutely delicious

best of luck :)

post-1277-1159755104_thumb.jpg

post-1277-1159755104_thumb.jpg

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Are you seriously not going to have a lemon tree? What are you going to put in your G&T- not lime slices, surely? :wink:

Pick one of the year-round bearing types if you do, otherwise you'll get a huuuuge glut at some really inconvenient time. Eureka I think bears year round, but check with your local nursery.

Lemon juice shows up in the weirdest recipies, pastry sometimes, tabouli definitely...

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Bongchitis, your choice seems like endless but here they are just to name a few:

Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana 'Duffy')

In spring, pretty red flowers are followed by fruit with a pineapple-strawberry flavour. They will grow in all areas of Australia. Mostly grown commercially in New Zealand.

Cherry guavas (Psidium spp.)

From Central and South America. They are hardy, cold tolerant and compact. There are at least 2 different kinds: the red cherry (P. littorale var longpipes) has red fruit and grows about 2m tall, and the yellow cherry (P. littorale var littorale) has yellow fruit and only grows around 1.5m tall. Cherry guavas grow everywhere in Australia, except for cold mountain districts.

Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis)

This large, evergreen shrub makes a good hedge. It grows to 2m tall and has white flowers followed by sweet, creamy, red/black fruit. Grumichamas grow in the warmer parts of Australia, including Sydney and the Perth hills area.

South American pawpaw (Carica papaya)

A really compact tropical fruit and it's at home in a frost free climate as far south as Perth and Sydney. The old fashioned varieties were either male or female and so it was important to have both to get fruit. However look out for a ‘Southern Red’, it's a modern bisexual pawpaw, which means only needing one plant for crops.

Davidson's plum tree (Davidsonia pruriens)

Fruits are delicious. It grows as a slender upright tree. It likes shade, some shelter, ample moisture and compost around its roots. There might be just 2 species on Earth and they occur in the rainforests around Murwillumbah in NSW.

Choko (Sechium edule) is really at home in Brisbane but it grows well in any frost free garden. All it needs is a support and a little bit of shelter from the wind. Chokos are as much a vegetable as a fruit. Originally from Mexico, they're cucurbits, which means they're related to cucumbers and melons.

The Ceylon Hill Cherry (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa)

It has very pretty pink flowers and produces thousands of delicious purple berries containing tiny, easily digested seeds. It has a taste similar to a blueberry and makes delicious jelly. It can be grown as far south as Melbourne, where it will fruit for about 5 months of the year, while in warmer areas like the Sunshine Coast, it will fruit for about 7 months of the year.

LillyPilly (Syzygium oleosum)

An Australian native tree with cherry-like white to red fruit. They grow in and around Sydney.

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

This species has adapted well to the Mediterranean climate. The Loquat is adapted to a subtropical to mild-temperature climate and will grow well in Australia and New Zealand. It has attractive, apricot-size, sweet fruit.

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki)

Native to China and Japan. The first non-astringent persimmon, variety Fuyu, was grown in Victoria. It is grown commercially in Australia (including NSW) and New Zealand.

Pepino (Solanum muricatum)

Native to the South American Andes, grown extensively in New Zealand.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera)

Most are planted along the Murray River across the borders of NSW, Victoria and South Australia but there are orchards as far north as Tamworth NSW and as far west as Western Australia. A good summary of growing pistachios under Australian conditions is a A Handbook for Farmers and Investors - Pistachios"

Macadamia Nut (Macadamia integrifolia)

So yummy....so much energy!!

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Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana 'Duffy')

In spring, pretty red flowers are followed by fruit with a pineapple-strawberry flavour. They will grow in all areas of Australia. Mostly grown commercially in New Zealand.

anyone know where i might find a feijoa tree in melbourne? ive had a craving for years now..

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skipped through this thread without reading your intro bongchitis.

you are doing somethig i really wish i could do. a nice block with lots of fruits and vegtables to become as self sufficient as possible is something i dream of. same with the grey water use etc.

check out some books on permaculture for some ideas.

Edited by Hagakure

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lycheeeeees :lol:

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"The complete book of fruit growing in Australia" get it. It has some fantastic stuff in it. My unkle has it and i devour it every time i visit them. There is a custard apple from peru that can grow in Tasmania!

As for apples graft as many varieties onto a healthy tree, I have gravenstien (my fav), golden del., Mutsu, fuji, lady of the snow (a REALLY good old variety), granny smith, johnothan, coxes pippin orange. and thats only a start. There are heaps of good apples out there. The idea is to have early mid and late fruiting varities so you can harvest for a long period.

avacados grow here in tassie, just keep them covered in winter for the first few years and when they are about a meter high they should be fine. They do grow slow. Mine is getting to 1.5m and is old, possibly 6 years. Its not in a very good spot for it, but hey its alive. There is a big avacado tree in St helens on the east coast which is fruiting.

Cherries are another great option, greeat for christmas celebrations

Cane berries, rasberries, loganberries, silvanberries, boysnberries, blackberries (go thornless). If you want any of these remind me next autumn and i'll dig you up a heap from my garden.

must have garlic, tomatoes and sweet basil in for vegie patch. I can't live through summer without these :)

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Hahaha......I knew I wouldn't be dissapointed asking the question :lol:

Yeah I forgot the thornless blackberries (from Scotland) with fruit as big as ping pong balls..apparently! ..and you need to sign papers as they are for restricted distribution and a weed hazard.

I did sort of neglect the more exotic species didn't I. But with the grafted 'fruit salad' trees that Moses put me onto I can cover more bases with one tree and fit more stuff in.....Avocado, Paw Paw, Macadamia, Lychee...............all things I previously thought may be too difficult for me wrt climate.

What is peoples experience with multiple graft trees? I know that pruning the more vigorous scions is very important for future balance of the tree but once a month? :blink: Just how hard are these trees to maintain considering I am semi-experienced and I would perhaps want an apple and a stone fruit with 3 varieties on each. Ultimately, sustainability is the key so anything that is 'low percentage' or really fidly I may steer clear of.

....and what do you guys use for mulch? My choice to date has been sugar cane mulch which seems to do the job but breaks down really quickly so you need to re-apply constantly to maintain a 100mm coverage.

Has anyone used minimally treated grey water in a drip style amorphous rubber watering system? Perhaps I should just use poly tube and dripper offshoots ala hydro to prevent clogging.

Anyway, keep the ideas comming please and Thankyou to all who have had input so far.

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My vote would go for Zizyphus jujuba aka Chinese date. The fresh fruit are delicious, nothing like the dried ones I've found in markets, and the trees are tolerant of tough conditions and virtually disease/pest free. Just make sure it's a grafted or layered selected cultivar, as seedlings are generally spiny with small fruit.

I can second the suggestion of Diospyros kaki "Japanese persimmon" as well. Few pests, minimal care. Astringent until ripe varieties often have the best flavor in my experience.

Make sure you select things you're willing to care for properly. In my climate, most apples, peaches, etc will be worthless without a prudent disease/pest management strategy.

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Has anyone used minimally treated grey water in a drip style amorphous rubber watering system?

Um, I had one here for three years. Gravity fed grey water down to two collection drums filled with bluemetal to get rid of a lot of particles. Then through a filter down to normal drippers.

It was a real pain, it used to clog like crazy at both filters and drippers. Maybe the pipe I used was too narrow, but filter needed cleaning twice weekly. Not to mention the ants getting into drippers cos a lot of the water was kitchen waste and so had food sediments that would get through the bluemetal and filter. A flush with tank water and reopening all drippers to full pressure then reclosing them would work, but was time consuming. Not to mention the hassle of trying to mow the lawn without catching up the lines etc.

Not to say it can't be done, but be prepared to experiment wildly :)

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Thanks Darklight,

....ohh I think I will grow a lemon for my GnT's

Looks like no kitchen waste then and possibly a fine screen pre the blue metal filter, or multiple stage filters that allow cleaning independant of each other ie the first stages will be the dirtiest and can be isolated????? Kitchen waste also contains fats and oils which wouldn't help the filtration process.

Laundry grey water contains lint etc that will also cause problems....or do I just not treat it at all, focus on using safe detergents and sound practices and just dump it all on my Native front garden, grass, or fruit trees. I will also never throw away another drop of urine....urea is great and piss from the source is sterile...and tastes great! Hahahaha :wink::slap::puke:

It would seem like a case of suckit and see.......better living through reckless experimentation!

I might as well make this a rolling diary or grow log if you like with updates weekly...get some pics to you guys if anyone is interested in the progress.

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Yes PLEASE keep us updated, this is the best thread Ive seen for ages. Hopefully the practical knowledge you gain will be able to be used by others in things like community projects and the like.

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UPDATE:

Purchased Chilli's: Czechoslovakian Black, Mulato, Scotch Bonnet Chocolate.........I love brown/black/purple fruit and flowers such as pansies, chillis, Black Russian tomato, cherries etc

Planted: Grosse Lisse Tomato, Leb cucumber, Scarlet runner beans, Burkes Backyard Thai Chilli, Mint, Strawberries, Passionfruit, mushrooms :devil:

Seeds/bulbs ready: lettuce mix, Rocket, Garlic, Ginger, Lemongrass, Basil, Lavender, Chives, Rosemary, potato, carrot, corriander, spinach

Revised list of fruit trees: Valencia Orange, Tahitian Lime, Eureka Lemon, 3 variety grafted apple, 3 variety grafted stone fruit, Grapes, Blueberry, Blackberries, Avocado, Macadamia Nut, Lychee, Paw Paw

I am also going to build a glass house for my modest cacti collection that may be able to accomodate some tropical species......and doesn't have to be fruit!.......hello Mrs Viridis, how are you?

This is going to take me years to get right aside from the fact that I have 6 largish trees in my backyard that needs to go ASAP, 2 gums (stunning but dangerous, jusk ask my fence!), 2 turpentines (Last forever, keep the stumps for my passionfruit to climb and to hang my punching bag from) and 2 pines...enough said!

The upcoming weekend involves sourcing some of these fruit trees, preparing beds for veggies, investigate grey water collection options and drawing up a schematic of my water delivery system...and then I will know if I need a pump!

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You can grow almost anything in coastal influenced NSW

ive found working backwards works very well

if you want to meet your needs then know your needs first

do you like brazil cherries? i dont

but i love avocadoes

also think of how you will cook all the produce.

for exampel a thai garden is an excellent investment

lemon grass

chillies

ginger

turmeric

galangal

(grafted) thai eggplant

(grafted - trifolata) Kaffir lime

Coriander

very compact but will supply you with deliecious food

likewise research what you need to make good mexican food, or mediterranean - or whatever

whereas unless you want to raise rabbits be wary of filling your space with arrowroot and leucaena

spend time buying and eating wierd things before you plant too many as you have limited room

make sure you get ur citrus on flying dragon rootstock so they are dwarf trees

u can get dwarf avocado, mango and mulberry as well

And beware of taking most permaculture experts serioousl - theyl load u up with lots of shite plants youll never use!

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If your after cherries or any other stone-fruits I have a mate here with the best of the best.He even developed his own varieties which fetch a very good price via cherry-ex to asia.

He's busy as a bees bum atm but I see him every month or so....which reminds me he was going to bring over some cherry wine and cherry port...BASTARD!

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u can get dwarf avocado, mango and mulberry as well

Exactly what me and my mum did today :lol:

Also got one of those multi grafted apple trees with 3 varieties. Weve been informed by my grandfather that usually one will take over and produce much more but its still looking good.

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UPDATE:

OK, It's been a while and work has been killing me but I have some progress. I now own a White Muscat Grape vine, Feijoa, The complete book of fruit growing in Australia and several new special cacti.

The recent wind, heat wave and cold snap (at the same time over here :scratchhead: ) along with my unforgiving gum trees has put to rest some of the more delicate seedlings that I had....lettuce, corriander, rocket and some of those chilli varieties above.

I have however applied to council to gain advice on the trees and will have a game plan in a week or two and I have made a make-shift nursery for the next wave of seedlings. The vege/fruit patch atm consists of grape toms, Black russian toms, Leb cucumber, scarlet runner beans, pontiac potatoes, Pimiento Capsicum (squat), Flat leaf parsley, some letuce, some corriander, some rocket, mint, rosemary, basil, Golden panama passionfruit, chocolate scotch bonnet chilli, BBB Thai chilli and once the trees go there will be hopefully 1 addition per week of the above list until satisfied (never!).

I am starting to plan the glass house for my cacti and tropicals and wanted to ask people here what sort of diffusive or tinted material you would use to cover the frame such as shade cloth, polycarbonate etc and what are the specs (70% heat reduction, 99% UV reduction etc etc) you have found most beneficial for the plants in question. The K-mart mini greenhouses seem to have just clear plastic and 1 minute in the sun turns it into a blast furnace.

I am getting my hands on a camera in a day or so, so obviously I will post relevant pics or diagrams for perusal/critique and post other relevant pics in other sub forums.......until then,

Cheers..................Bongchitis

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