CoolClimate1's Edible Backyard

Joined: 02/12/11 Updated: 14/05/14 Frost:
Location: Yass

About My Edible Backyard

I'm aiming for a suburban food forest, where there's something to eat in all corners of the backyard. We have a medium yard (853m terraced block with a 3BR house), and our climate is cool (up to -7 deg frosts) so I enjoy the challenge of growing as much food as I can in those conditions. I have two kids and I love producing chemical free food, and watching them learn where food comes from. I also just like growing weird and unusual stuff!

We moved house in Dec 2013, so I am now establishing a new garden. Room for a few more edibles!

Comments

Pear - Corella (Grafted) ^6/10

Comments: -

Mine is on dwarf rootstock. Bought because my kids love pears, and the size of the fruit is perfect for small children. I also have a Faccia Rosa for pollination. Growing beautifully this year, in a spot where it's competing for light with bigger trees. No blossom or fruit yet.

Inevitably, set fruit the year we left that house... so I still can't review the fruit!

Height 1.8 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: sheep manure/lucerne hay

When I Fertilise: Spring

Plum - Santa Rosa (Grafted) ^7/10

Comments: -

Bought this on dwarf rootstock. Growing more strongly in it's second year, flowered this year but no fruit yet. Bought because it's self pollinating.

Fruited in year 3, lovely little sweet fruits. Got leaf curl badly in year 4.

Planted: 2009

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: sheep manure, lucerne hay

When I Fertilise: Spring

Passionfruit - Banana (Seedling) ^8/10

Comments: -

Grew this from seed as a cool climate alternative to black passionfruit. It has grown so well, easy to germinate and is growing strongly since I put it in the ground. I'll update when it fruits.

Grew very vigorously, but still hadn't fruited when we moved in Dec 2013. Will be planting another one at the new house though, as it grew so well.

Planted: 2011

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: sheep manure, lucerne hay

When I Fertilise: Spring

Kiwiberry (wild Kiwifruit) (Seedling) ^8/10

Comments: -

I bought this because it's self fertile, small size, hairless fruit, and because I wanted an edible climber for one of our sheds. It's growing really well, deciduous in winter. Flowered spring 2011 and appears to have a few small fruit.

Continued to fruit each year, not huge yields. Kids adore the fruit, even when it was "overripe" to my taste.

Planted: 2010

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Sheep manure

When I Fertilise: Spring

jostaberry (Seedling) ^6/10

Comments: -

I love unusual fruit, so the name of this drew me in. It's a cross between a blackcurrant and a gooseberry. It's growing in a very hard spot (heavy soil, full sun, frost, small area between concrete) but is looking good. First flowers 2011, no fruit yet.

Fruited in 2012 - I love it. Tart, wine flavoured fruit. Kids & husband don't like it though, so the fruit's all mine! Will be planting one in the new garden.

Planted: 2008

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Sheep manure, liquid compost

When I Fertilise: Spring

Mandarin - Fremont (Grafted) ^5/10

Comments: -

Bought because my kids love mandarins. Planted Spring 2010, basically has not grown at all. I'm hoping a warmer summer will make a difference (last summer was quite mild). Had a water tube around it all winter for frost protection. No leaf yellowing or loss - just no growth!

Follow up - it finally sent out some new growth in  2013, flowered, and started to fruit. Unfortunately we moved away from that house so I'll never know if the fruit matured

Planted: 2010

Qty: 1

Pollination: No

Comments

How is your tree growing? We are also in the Wagga region and have been contemplating this variety. Kids cant get enough mandarins!!

Would you believe - we moved! So I have no idea how it's going for the new owners.

Wild Strawberry (Seedling)

Comments: -

Grew these from seed - great idea as they fruit literally all year, even through huge frosts. Very pretty mounding plant too, growing in very little sun.

Fruiting Months January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Height 0.15 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 2

First Fruited: 6 Months From Seed

Sun/Shade: Low Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Appleberry

Comments: -

Australian native, needed another climber and I always prefer edible to decorative! Very pretty, delicate looking plant. Growing well up a trellis on a fence.

Planted: 2011

Qty: 1

Pollination: No

White Sapote - Seedling (Seedling) ^6/10

Comments: -

I don't know what variety this is as I bought it from Diggers and they didn't say. I've read that it will survive down to -5 when mature, and the fruit sounds amazing, so I thought I'd give it a go. Doing well in the ground so far, planted in early spring and protected with an empty water tube, so we'll see how it copes with winter.

Planted: 2011

Height 0.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Sheep manure, lucerne hay

When I Fertilise: Spring

Avocado - Bacon (B) (Grafted) ^8/10

Comments: -

It's a beautiful looking tree and I'm so pleased that it's surviving... we get -7 degree frosts here! Flowered for the first time 2011, so I'm hoping for fruit next year. I'm putting a seedling avocado I've grown in a pot next to it, in case that improves pollination/fruiting.

Planted: 2010

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Sheep manure, lucerne hay

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pest Control:

Blueberry - Blue Rose ^5/10

Comments: -

Lovely bush, best of my blueberries, none of which are growing with much vigour. Trying some iron chelates to see if that improves things.

Died. I just seem to have no luck with blueberries!

Planted: 2010

Qty: 1

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: No

Passionfruit - Black (Grafted) ^6/10

Comments: -

I love passionfruit so bought this in 2009. Did nothing in a pot for a year, so I decided to bite the bullet & put it in the ground. Immediately took off. Badly knocked by the frost by the end of winter (we had a bad winter for frosts), but coming back nicely now. First fruit this year - just one, picked in early June - absolutely delicious, can't wait for more!

Died the following year - from root rot I suspect. It was in very heavy soil.

Fruiting Months June

Planted: 2009

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 3 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: sheep manure, liquid compost

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pepino - Kendall Gold ^5/10

Comments: -

I was so intruiged by the description of the flavour of this fruit, I decided to give it a go. It grew very strongly in the ground, and produced three fruit within months. However, our first frost for the season was unusually severe (-7) and the plant wasn't covered... and that was the end of it. I'm trying again this year but will have a permanent shelter on it this time. The kids loved the crunchy, juicy fruit!

Pollination: No