North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Michael Nave <jmichaelnave@yahoo.com>]

As someone else mentioned, with regard to citrus, I
would be inclined to grow calamondins in pots and
bring them in the house in the winter. They stay small
and fruit year round.  

You could do the same with the Chilean guava which
also stays small.

Ponicirus trifoliata is not worth eating or juicing or
growing in my opinion--very nasty thorns.

There are pomegranates that will survive in the warmer
parts of zone 6 but I don't know about zone 5.






--- Geoffrey Tolle <Gtolle0709@wowway.com> wrote:

> Folks,
> 
>      I've been researching zone 5 hardy tropicals
> with an eye towards 
> trying to grow some within the next couple of years.
> I still have a lot 
> to research but I have a few questions that some of
> you pioneers may be 
> able to answer.
> 
> 1) Bamboo - Does anyone know if the physical
> characteristics of the 
> Canebrake Bamboo (Arundinaria gigantiea) compare
> with those of, say 
> Phyllostachys nuda? In particular, I am thinking
> about both use as 
> structural rods and the edibility of the shoots.
> 
> 2) Banana - The winter-hardy banana from Japan (Musa
> basjoo) is listed 
> everywhere as producing inedible fruit. Is this
> inedible inedible or is 
> this banana inedible but maybe plantain edible.
> Also, does the fruit 
> (even if inedible) mature in zone 5-6? I wonder in
> terms of possible 
> cross-pollination with a more edible species and
> selecting from 
> seedlings (not that I know anything about breeding
> bananas).
> 
> 3) Oranges - Ponicirus trifoliata is listed as
> having fruit that is 
> inedible (bitter, I assume) or lemon-like. What are
> people's experiences 
> out there? Is it worth growing as a lemon
> substitute? Does the fruit 
> mature in sone 5? Does anyone have experience with
> any of the other 
> winter-hardy hybrids out there?
> 
> 4) Palms - A number of palm species appear to be
> moderately 
> winter-hardy. Does anyone have any experience with
> the fruit? The 
> descriptions that I've read suggest that the flesh
> is thin but 
> potentially edible.
> 
>      I'm sure that many other questions will occur
> to me over the next 
> year or two but these are important for deciding
> where I want to direct 
> my attention. Thanks.
> 
> 
>                                                     
>                     
> Geoffrey Tolle
> _______________________________________________
> nafex mailing list 
> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> 
> Reproduction of list messages or archives is not
> allowed.
> This includes distribution on other email lists or
> reproduction on web sites.
> Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't
> claim you have permission!
> 
> **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
> Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed
> are discarded.
> No exceptions.  
> ----
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of
> this page (also can be used to change other email
> options):
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> 
> File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
> TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER
> VIRUSES!
> Please do not send binary files.
> Use plain text ONLY in emails!
> 
> NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/
> 



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. 
Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.
http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/features_spam.html