Full of flavour
Easy-care feijoa trees produce bucket loads of healthy autumn and winter fruit - year after year.
In New Zealand we love our feijoas. They’re easy to grow organically and fit easily into the average backyard. Compact varieties can be grown in large containers, and as quick growing evergreens, feijoa trees are fabulous for screening and shelter.
The fruit is ripe and ready to eat when it falls to the ground or when it can be easily pulled from the tree. To fill the family fruit bowl with sweet natural goodness every autumn for many years to come all you will need is a sunny planting site and a feijoa tree, or two.
Some feijoa varieties are self-fertile, but even these will produce their most bountiful crops if pollinated by another variety. So unless your neighbour has a feijoa tree you’ll want to plant at least two varieties. This way you can enjoy the subtle differences in flavour and extend your harvest season as different varieties ripen at different times.
Most fejoas fruit best in warmer parts of the country, but with careful selection of varieties can be grown in warmer parts of the South Island. Early ripening ‘Apollo’, ‘Kakariki’, ‘Unique’ and ‘Pounamu’ are ideal for cooler climates. The fruit is frost sensitive but the tree itself is frost hardy down to minus 8°C.
Tips:
- Watering is important for young trees especially during long dry periods and when the fruit is developing.
- Birds are important pollinators for feijoas. Planting brightly coloured flowers around trees helps attract them.
- Prune to maintain an open tree structure to allow bird pollination, wind movement and sunlight for fruit ripening.
Feijoa varieties
Feijoa |
Hedge |
Small garden or container |
Cool climate |
Warm climate |
Big fruit |
Ripens |
Anatoki |
|
|
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Early |
Apollo |
|
|
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Early |
Kaiteri |
|
|
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Early |
Kakariki |
|
|
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Early |
Pounamu |
|
|
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Early |
Unique |
|
|
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Early |
Kakapo |
|
✔️ |
|
✔️ |
|
Mid |
Wiki™ Tu |
|
✔️ |
|
✔️ |
✔️ |
Mid-late |
Opal Star |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
✔️ |
|
Late |
Triumph |
✔️ |
|
|
✔️ |
|
Late |
Feature article from Waimea Nurseries, Nelson. For further information and more inspirational planting ideas, visit www.waimeanurseries.co.nz
7-Mar-2017
Feijoa Kaiteri
In the Garden
