Low maintenance fruit varieties for the lazy gardener

General Fruit Growing
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Actually, I plant IN a rootbag. I buy them through Greenhouse Megastore, and they are very affordable. They are “bags” somewhat like the reusable grocery bags, but much sturdier and thicker and a rounded bottom. The larger sizes come with carrying handles. I use the brown ones because they are most durable.

Among the advantages are that I can move the plants to more appropriate areas as the seasons change, and give them different growing media than our clay based acid soil. One of the biggest advantages for me is that since the bag is breathable, the roots stay much cooler than they would in pots, since there is evaporation through them. Also, they can’t be over watered. I’ve found them to be a big help growing things that prefer cooler environments than our summers. (Which is probably everything. :smile: ) Plants may tolerate high heat, but not many prefer it.

I know Drew uses them extensively, too, but probably for different reasons.

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Thanks!

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I had a Brown Select satsuma, a meiwa kumquat, a bloomsweet grapefruit and an Arctic Frost satsuma. 2 years ago I protected with c10 Christmas lights and frost cloth but that was a pain but did work well. Last year I switched to overhead irrigation because it is easier for me to use but the bloomsweet and kumquat were killed and the Browns Select was killed back to the main trunk. The Arctic Frost is advertised as cold hardy to 10 degrees but has disappointed so far. I placed a 35 gallon trashcan over the tree on cold nights but it was still killed to the ground the last 2 years. It does grow on its own roots so it does come back but it don’t think it is any more cold hardy than any other satsuma.

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If you’re interested in trying to grow citrus in marginal climate zones (8a/7b), I would contact the guru of cold-tolerant citrus growing, Stan McKenzie of McKenzie Farms. He’s in S. Carolina, and he has made a business out of growing citrus in an area that really is quite marginal, temperature-wise. He can advise anyone in border zones what might work the best, and how to manage. One of the tricks is trying to find your warmest microclimate for your citrus. If you have a south-facing wall (your home is a great wall choice), that will provide maximum sun, radiant heat and protection from cold, dry winds, you will have a better chance of citrus surviving. And of course, picking the best cultivar. It’s not for the “low maintenance” gardener, that’s for sure, but many have been successful, with some specific winter care.

http://mckenzie-farms.com/

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Yup, those who live here and grow citrus know Stan. He knows his stuff. I haven’t talked to him since spring, but he said that the past winter had been hard on his orchard, too. Not as bad as Tiger’s, I’m sure, since his trees are rather long established.

I’ve linked to his site a few times because he’s a great guy who sells good stock at the best prices around. I’d recommend Stan to anyone.

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Ouch, Mark! How many years had you had those trees in the ground? I ask because I intend to keep overwintering my own in their grow tent until I’m comfortable with their size for winter outdoors.

Of course, every season is unique, but there were some weather occurrences the past two winters that made them more damaging. The freeze events in December and February this past winter came when plants weren’t hardened off and dormant. Both of them were precipitous drops following balmy weather. I was fortunate in that I had nothing harmed. I only had slight spotty damage compared to others in the area when that early morning freeze, dipping into the 20’s, in March during apple blossom. I actually had some old tulips come up and bloom this spring. That’s never happened for me before. They are annuals here.

The year before we had 2 bouts of colder than our normal coldest, but at least those were while the trees were at rest.

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I have had them 3 winters so far. The first winter I left them in the pots but it did not get cold enough to need to bring them inside. They stayed outside unprotected and took no damage. I then planted them in the ground along the south side of a concrete building, these last 2 winters really put a hurting on them. Hopefully the next several winters will be milder.

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Olives, figs, citrus and melons grown in an EarthBox.

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I’m in 7b and have grown rabbiteye blueberries for years. They used to be low maintenance, but I’ve gotten hit by the cranberry fruitworm(serious problem), mummyberry(minor problem), some unknown virus or bacteria (minor problem), and most significantly this season, birds. I harvested maybe 5 ripe berries all season long, and the birds must have gotten 5000. I need netting or cats, neither of which is low maintenance in my setting, though I guess the netting could be if I’d build a big enough frame for it.

What has so far been very little trouble are red raspberries. I got a very nice crop in the early summer on primocanes from Polka raspberries. It’s odd that they fruit on primocanes in early summer, but they do in my area. They need thinning once or twice in the spring and some sort of trellis, but after that I did nothing. My winter maintenance plan is to cut them to the ground. The birds never bothered them, probably because they were eating my blackberries and blueberries.

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Are we talking about your current Z8 or your planned relocation in 6 or 7?

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I would agree with mulberries, Persimmon, both American and Asian, American labrusca grapes, figs, pawpaws, feijoa/pineapple guava, raspberries and blackberries here, and add medlar, cactus, autumn olive, goumi, silverberry, himalayan honeysuckle, honeyberry/haskap and plums for here.
John S
PDX OR

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I’m interested in everyone’s response for their zone, but yes, especially 7b/8a for the edible landscape I’m putting in.

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I am in Georgia, 7b/8a. I only planted low maintenance fruit for my garden and can report the following have done well with nothing other than mulch and fertilizer a couple times A year:

Asian Persimmon (Makawa Jiro)- it’s a beast and consistently fruits. Third year and has maybe 20 fruit on it now.

Celeste Fig: Does ok, I have gotten fruit for the past 2 years, but does seem to die back a bit each winter so isn’t that big.

Feijao_ No winter die back. I have 2 of these. It flowered after 2 years but I was unsuccesful at the hand pollination.

Thomasville Citrangequat- Unprotected in the open. Has now fruited with maybe 8-10 fruit on a 2 year old plant. Some die back each year but does better than the fig.

Jujube- This is SO variety. Thought it was dead and dug it up and sent it to the back corner, but it recovered and has fruited for the first time. Looks like 2 or 3 fruit. I will try and move it back to a good spot this winter.

Pomegranate- This is Suhr Anor. Dies back every year but looks to have turned a corner now and is thriving and growing well.

All of these are unprotected, in the open, with no spraying.

On the South side of my house. I have a Yuzuquat that is growing decently, and a Meyer Lemon that seems impossible to kill. I almost dug the stump up, but got side tracked. It’s recovered, with no Winter protection and gave fruit last year.

The Yuzuquat and citrangequat should probably be on the South side if you’re trying citrus. I have no explanation for the Meyer Lemon which should be dead and gone…

I also planted pawpaws this year, but they are just sitting with no growth. Hope they survive the winter.

I also have wild blackberies, and I know people who grow muscadines, but both of those will require work to tame them.

Pineapple Guava and pawaws need 2 different varieties for pollination iirc… Pears also need two, so if you want a self fruitful tree, you should probably avoid them…

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Arctic Frost is overhyped. Mine died stiffer than a board, yet I have a Meyer lemon coming back. I have a couple seedling Changshas that can take its place…

I have seen what I think is SWD on the blackberries, so you may want to think about that.

I have leaf footed stinkbugs ruin my tomatoes, but nothing on my tree fruit so far.

Only major pest on tree fruit are the birds which will descend on figs and persimmons with a quickness the day before you go to pick them.

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your list is as ‘lazy and low maintenance’ as mine :+1:

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citrus

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Stan said he was disappointed in his AF also.

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No mention of pears from anyone?

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Pears tend to grow too large for a lot of backyard growers. Their vertical growth means lots of pruning, and many varieties are vulnerable to fireblight. Add in that you usually need two, and they’re not quite as low maintenance, unless you’re resigned to ladder work for picking and just letting them reach for the sky…

They’re the most low maintenance of the popular fruits though…

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+1 on Asian persimmons.
In addition, in the coastal valleys of California, the loquat fruits unstoppably and has no meaningful insect, bacterial, or fungal pests. The fruit tastes great, but the seeds are a bit too big to make it a supermarket fruit.