I agree. None of the NZ varieties have bitter skin. But they don’t seem to have a strong Feijoa flavor which I really enjoy. They seem more mild.
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Has anyone tried growing any of Mark Albert’s varieties? I want to try Albert’s Joy or Albert’s Pride and I am unsure of which is better.
Im growing several Mark Albert varieties.
They are all good and I can’t really distinguish too much between them. That said, Abbadabba is very good. Alberts supreme might be the best but it is more a long season plant - so better for the south.
If you don’t have December freezes, Alberts supreme is a great one to grow as it ripens in December/January.
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last winter i put my potted feijoas in the greenhouse. i guess this winter i can just leave them outside? i am in zone 9a most years (sometimes 8b during colder winters).
you might be right, the best fruit came from a bush in the front yard and the rest were from the backyard and i water the backyard way more than the front (because most of my fruit trees are in the back).
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Most plants are happier in a greenhouse. But feijoas are definitely capable of handling some fairly cold weather. Last winter this region was high teens low 20’s without rising above freezing for 2 days straight. Despite such a cold only a couple of them had mild branch damage. The blooming was delayed for some in spring, but eventually they all made fruit.
ok, we are almost always above freezing during the daytime
I’ve never heard of a feijoa plant dying in 9a or 8b. That’s not say it can’t happen, but I suspect it is very rare. I’ve even left several small seedlings in pots outside with temps in the high teens and they did fine. They really are quite hardy. I’m very excited this year because one of my oldest seedlings finally made fruit, and the fruit is massive and very sweet.
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Different opinion here.i live in central Cali and it seems that high temps this year stressed out some young seedlings.the young leaves on top of the seedlings all got burnt.happened to about 100 trees.some got stunted,some are growing from suckers and few are regrowing from top.ones that had half sun n half shade still growing strong.so when growing in high heat first let them fully develop strong leaves before fully planting in full sun.
They are originally from relatively humid climates and very far south from the equator, so I’m guessing the combination of the hot, very dry summer and the more intense sunlight is what makes the difference.
Areas like this in far southern Brazil. Pretty different from the Central Valley.
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The feijoas are the shrubs, not the tall trees right?
I must have the most robust feijoa seedling around. The summer of 2021 after i first planted it out as a wee sapling we had a heat dome that created temps of 118 F for 3 days. Then the following winter we had an ice storm. Then last winter we had a deep freeze that was under 20 F for two days straight, never rising above freezing until the 3rd day. Through it all this seedling has been unfazed. Can’t say the same for the Coolidge and nakita, which received some minor damage from all those events. It’s now approaching 6 feet and creates huge 4” fruit that are phenomenal. Easily the best I’ve ever tasted. And in from coastal Southern California, so I’ve had my share of feijoas, I’ll definitely be cloning this one next spring so I can share it with people. Even though I’m not that far from California the climate is much harsher. This super robust hardy feijoa seedling is definitely one of the types to be growing in the PNW. I think this one would even be unfazed in zone 7. Only one way to find out.
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For those looking for Apollo Pineapple Guava, Planting Justice has them in stock!
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That sounds incredible, when does it ripen for you?
The first ones fell off the tree about 10 days ago. I didn’t expect such a great flavor, I’m eager to share them with people in this area. I see many massive feijoa plants around the neighbourhood that never have fruit and only a smattering of blooms each spring. I think a lot of people would much prefer these.
here are a couple pics:
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Are these the seedling fruit or a named variety?
seedling. Took 6 years to make fruit. Now that it has I’ll be cloning it. The skin is fairly thick and not as nice as some named varieties. But the inside is just phenomenal and loaded with yummy flesh.
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Anyone growing Kaiteri have a chance to taste the fruit?
I posted several times on this topic. Here’s the most recent. Sweet flavor, giant fruit. Tart skin but very palatable.
So far I’m not finding it superior to the best California varieties.
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