My Edible Fruit Trees: Berry Vines WA

Guava - Strawberry (Cutting) ^10/10

Comments: - Compact, hardy as hell, delicious.

Height 1 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 2

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Autumn and Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

When I Fertilise: When Fruiting

Organic Status:Organic

Midyim Berry (Seedling) ^7/10

Comments: - Stunning growth colours and delicious fruits.

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Strawberry Tree ^8/10

Comments: - Highly ornamental, fruits have pleasant grittyness with classic mango flavour, what a surprise!

Height 1.6 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 2 Months from Purchase in Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Autumn and Winter

Pollination: Self Pollination

Blueberry - Sunshine Blue (Cutting) ^8/10

Comments: - Sunshine blue is a good tasting blueberry that is a little tougher than most. It provides plenty of berries in spring and summer. Although the berries have good flavour they are smaller in size than newer varieties.

Fruiting Months January, February, November, December

Planted: 2017

Height 1 metres

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 2 kilograms per Year

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pest Control: None

Organic Status:Partially Organic

Guava - Strawberry

Planted: 2019

Height 1 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 2 Years from purchase in pot

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Orange Berry

Pollination: Self Pollination

Berry - Elderberry

Comments: - Removed. Way too weedy for this location, near bush. Easy to grow, deciduous in winter but not very attractive looking when naked. Suckers pretty badly. Flowers are lovely though and I used them to make elderflower vinegar.
Can be hard to source varieties that will actually produce berries and might benefit from cross pollination.

Height 3 metres

Growing: In the Ground

First Fruited: 2 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Low Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Slow release organic chook manure pellets

English Gooseberry

Comments: - Removed. Grew fine but there was nowhere near enough chill to ever get flowers. Probably very few, if any, places in WA that might get fruit from these.Not sure why the nurseries keep selling them here. 

Blueberry - Misty (Cutting) ^9/10

Comments: - This variety seems to be more tolerant of our sandy soils here in WA - and I have found it performs the best in our heat and with the slightly limey bore water. It is a Californian bred variety so perhaps that is why. Fruits very well. I apply sulphur (sand-grain size) in late winter, to help keep an acid pH in the soil. Sometimes I use iron sulphate during the year also. We have one Sharpe Blue to assist with cross pollination and it prefers to be in a more shady spot, I have found I have trouble getting them to push vigorous new canes - to replace the old growth.
No Nitrates for blueberries - as they have limited nitrate reductase enzymes to break it down. I use ammonium forms - which are also acidifying, which is what blueberries like also.

Fruiting Months November

Planted: 2012

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 3

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Balanced Acid lovers, little and often. Sulphur in spring and iron sulphate when needed.

Question: How can I force them to push new vigorous canes?

Midyim Berry ^8/10

Comments: - I like these fruits - strangely. They are like little Tic Tacs. 

Pollination: Self Pollination

Mulberry - Hicks Fancy (Cutting) ^3/10

Comments: - Removed this one as I didn't like the tree or the fruit much. Get's huge and looks ugly if pruned. Didn't handle storms well. Fruit inspid, I thought. Very dissapointing tree.

Fruiting Months January and February

Growing: In the Ground

First Fruited: 2 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Slow release organic chook pellets

When I Fertilise: Spring

Jostaberry

Comments: - Removed. Not enough chill here for fruit.

Guava - Strawberry (Seedling) ^7/10

Comments: - Some selections seem to be way too fruitful and set so much fruit that they will literally kill themselves. So fiddly to thin them. The Yellow variety seems to be mroe prone to this? I prefer the red one in our cooler climate, but prefered the yellow in our hotter climate up north. 

Planted: 2012

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Slow release organic chook manure pellets

Ugni ( Tazziberry ) (Cutting) ^2/10

Comments: - Also called Chilean guava. This is just a generic cutting. It's only a novelty fruit here. It requires more chill than we get here, to get more than a cup of fruit from 3 bushes. The fruit is really tasty though. Maybe don't bother if you have limited space and/or anything less than med-high chill.

Planted: 2012

Height 1 metres

Growing: In the Ground

First Fruited: 4 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Low Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: A general balanced fruit tree fertiliser. Little and often.

Cape Gooseberry (Seedling) ^10/10

Comments: - This is a superior seed from Thailand. The fruits are much bigger than our usual backyard varieties. Love this fruit because it tastes great and also comes in it's own fruit fly proof case. It fruits over winter also - providing variety when there is not much else. 
Reasonably regular feeding and watering gives better tasting fruit. I plant in semi-shade in summer and full sun in winter. 

Planted: 2017

Height 1 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Mostly slow release organic chook manure pellets, sometimes a regular fruit tree fert with higher N and K. Little and often

Comments

Could you describe the taste of the larger variety you are growing? Would you be willing to sell me some saved seeds to try growing in Adelaide please?

Mulberry - Black English ^8/10

Comments: - Was planted by previous owners. A gnarly looking tree that fruits well. Lovely complex mulberry flavour and is my favourite of our types. Very messy fruit though - and the birds love them too. 

Fruiting Months February and March

Planted: 2012

Height 5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Slow release organic chook manure pellets

When I Fertilise: Spring

Dwarf Mulberry - Red Shahtoot (Grafted) ^8/10

Comments: - Fairly easy going to grow although needs support when young, and a sheltered spot -  and to manage the top growth via pruning as it tends to grow faster than the roostock. Fruits prolifically so tends to drop a fair amount to compensate. Can get second and thrid flushes of fruit in summer, after the main crop - especially after some tip pruning. Fruit is very tasty - but quite sweet. A drier fruit than the Black English type - so very little staining. 

Fruiting Months January, February, November, December

Planted: 2014

Height 3 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 3 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pruned By: 10% in Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Acid lovers, balanced

When I Fertilise: When Fruiting and Spring

Mulberry - White Shahtoot (Grafted) ^9/10

Comments: - A big vigorous deciduous tree with a lovely arched branching habit. Fruits prolifically and holds it's crop well. Large fruit that are very sweet, I think they taste a bit liek honey. Too sweet for some folk but if they are picked when still a touch green then more tolerable. Can get further flushes of fruit over summer - especially after some tip pruning.

Fruiting Months January, February, November, December

Height 6 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 3 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Slow release organic chook manure pellets

When I Fertilise: Spring

Kiwiberry - Issai (Cutting) ^8/10

Comments: - The fruit is lovely and so far has not had fruit fly strike. The birds don't notice it either. I find our homegrown fruits sweeter than the shop bought fruit - perhaps because it's not picked as early. It's a very vigorous deciduous vine and likes to twine around things. Needs a sturdy trellis. Doesn't not like hot winds and needs plenty of water in summer. Does not tolerate our hot summer sun so our vines are planted facing east and/or under some shade. They get morning sun only and have a cool root-run. They don't like alkalinity - either in the soil, the water or the fertilisers.
They are self fertile but it's helpful to have more than one vine, or a male kiwifruit vine that flowers simultaneously, for increased fruit.

Fruiting Months January and February

Qty: 3

First Fruited: 3 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Low Sun

Pruned By: 90% in

Pollination: Self Pollination

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Acid lovers balanced general fruit tree fertiliser, little and often during growing season.

Dwarf Mulberry - Red Shahtoot (Grafted) ^9/10

Comments: -

I love the fruit they are always nice, sometimes fruits 2 times yum. likes perth climate.

Fruiting Months October and November

Planted: 2008

Height 1 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Fruit Harvest: 0.5 kilograms per Year

First Fruited: 1 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pruned By: 20% in Spring

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: dynamic lifter

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Pest Control:

hand removal of slugs

Organic Status:Organic

Comments

possums broke the tree this year grrrr think it might survive.

Berry - Elderberry (Seedling)

Comments: - Had a small plant growing and flowering in the ground in Perth. Flowers were unscented and fruit never set. Transferred it to a 100 L planter bag with a submerged teracotta pot to supply constant moisture. Flowered almost contantly but only recently set a small amount of fruit. 

Fruiting Months March and April

Planted: 2016

Height 2 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 2

First Fruited: 3 Years from purchase in pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Strawberry - Lowanna

Kiwiberry Seedling

Marionberry

Berry - Boysenberry

Silvanberry

Blackberry - Waldo

Raspberry - Autumn Bliss

Mulberry - White Seedling

Mulberry - Black Seedling