FALL FRUITS

By David Alosi U.C. Master Gardener

 

The shorter days and longer shadows that signal the end of summer also bring us the beginning of a long harvest season that continues into November, long after the peaches and plums have disappeared from the farmers markets. There are several crops you can grow in the home garden that are both ornamental and delicious and which stretch the harvest season into winter, providing a nutritious diet of fresh fruits.

Pomegranates, persimmons, kiwis, quince and pineapple guavas are all easily grown trees, vines or shrubs that perform well in Napa County. A bowl of these fruits in your home will not only make for great eating but they can also become a colorful and fragrant holiday table decoration. Additionally, a few fruits left behind in the garden will encourage visits from a wide variety of wild birds feasting on the leftovers.

In the coming months, Master Gardeners are offering a series of workshops to be held in Napa and St. Helena offering great information on selecting, planting and caring for fruit trees. You can check our calendar on our web site or look for announcements on our TV show, MGTV, on local cable channel 28

PERSIMMONS

Originally from Asia, persimmons are very ornamental as the trees

put on their autumn show with extremely colorful foliage which, after falling, leave behind the colorful orange persimmons hanging on the bare branches. They are also delicious.

The most common trees in our area are both varieties of Japanese persimmons (Diospyros kaki). There are two basic types - the oval ones with the pointed tip (Hachiya) are very astringent until they are soft and are often used for baking cookies and breads and the flatter, round persimmons (Fuyu) which are edible as soon as they turn bright orange and are eaten fresh and crisp like an apple. There are several different varieties of both of these basic types. Soft Hachiya types can be frozen and eaten like sorbet and the Fuyus are great sliced and dried.

Persimmons are an excellent fruit tree for home planting but avoid planting them where the fruit could fall on a patio or parked cars. They will tolerate wet soil in winter and dry conditions in the summer. The trees and fruits are almost pest free.

POMEGRANATES

Also native to Asia, pomegranates are also a great ornamental tree with showy flowers, colorful fall foliage and distinctive red fruit. Information from the University of California lists five varieties that all ripen in October in Napa including the most common named "Wonderful". They are easily grown as large shrubs or small trees, tolerate heavy soils and are resistant to oak root fungus, a common soil disease in our area. They should be planted in a sunny and warm area of the garden.

QUINCE

Quince fruits grow on a small tree or shrub (8-12 ft tall) that blooms in late spring with large, light pink flowers. Quince grows well in a lot of areas of California and can tolerate the heavy soils that many of us have in our Napa gardens. Several varieties are available that differ in size, shape, flavor and fragrance. Quinces are susceptible to fireblight, a fungus disease that also affects apples and pears which members of the same family.

The fruits are used in cooking and make excellent jams and jellies. When brought indoors a bowl of quince can perfume your entire house.

PINEAPPLE GUAVA

    Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) is simply one of the best drought-tolerant landscaping plants available in our area. This evergreen shrub from South America has beautiful gray foliage and showy, edible, pink flowers which are followed by delicious green fruit in the fall. In the landscape it makes an excellent tall informal screen growing from 18 - 25 feet tall. It can be pruned heavily into a hedge or grown up into a small tree which will show off its beautiful bark. There are several named varieties, some with larger fruits than others.

KIWIS

     Kiwis grow on large vines that are dioecious, meaning that they have male and female flowers on separate plants. Only the female vines bear fruit, but they need a male around for pollination. O0ne male vine to 8 females is enough. Kiwis ripen off the vine and are harvested in October and November. They can be ripened at room temperature but will keep a long time if refrigerated. Ripening can be hastened by placing them in paper bags containing an apple.
    

Kiwis are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of fiber. University of California information lists four fuzzy varieties and two smooth-skinned varieties with the most common brown fuzzy one called "Hayward". They are handsome and pest-free vines that need a lot of space.
    
      Many of these trees will soon be available as bare-root plants in our local nurseries.  You can prepare planting sites now if the soil is not too wet and have everything ready for planting in December or January.

     Additional information is available on-line from the University of California at the following sites: Napa County Master Gardeners (http://groups.ucanr.org/mgnapa/), The University of California Fruit & Nut research and Information Center (http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu), and The California Backyard Orchard (http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu).