fast fruiting plants

[Seananers]

I am looking for some fast growing fruit trees,bushes,etc.. that can be grown outdoors in USDA zone 6A and fruit within 1-2 years of being planted. Thanks

[applestar]

Well, I think berries would be fastest -- strawberries are possible in the first year if your order now and plant in early spring as soon as the ground thaws... raspberries and blackberries are likely next year but you might get a sampling this year if primocane or fall bearing varieties.... possibly blueberries if you buy larger, bearing age shrubs and plant as soon as the ground thaws.

...I guess you are not counting annual garden crops like melons...

[imafan26]

If you lived in zone 10 or higher papaya will flower in 5 months and fruit at about 9 months.


Otherwise you will have to buy most of the fruit trees already grafted and potted up ready to fruit.

[rainbowgardener]

We are in zone 7. We bought a well grown apple tree (sapling, not seedling) and planted it in the fall. The following year it gave a small crop - only about a dozen apples, but it did fruit.

[Seananers]

I'm probably going to buy a grafted Ficus tree or maybe a well started of papaya and keep it in a greenhouse during the winter.

[applestar]

If you are talking about edible figs, I'm not sure you need a grafted one. Trying to remember if I ever considered such a thing. They are easy to grow from cuttings and you can sometimes get cuttings or rooted cuttings very inexpensively.

How warm -- minimum temp -- is your green house in the winter?

I have two varieties of fruiting figs and am growing a third variety (new cheap but tiny rooted cuttings purchased last spring). Chicago Hardy is said to be winter hardy to zone 5 and can be grown in the ground outside without heroic overwintering protection. I planted mine in a protect area -- a little way off of the SW house wall nook with back of the attached garage wall to the NW. Other two are only hardy to zone 8 and need to be kept in containers indoors in a more protected area -- 20's°F or above.

[Seananers]

If you are talking about edible figs, I'm not sure you need a grafted one. Trying to remember if I ever considered such a thing. They are easy to grow from cuttings and you can sometimes get cuttings or rooted cuttings very inexpensively.

How warm -- minimum temp -- is your green house in the winter?

I have two varieties of fruiting figs and am growing a third variety (new cheap but tiny rooted cuttings purchased last spring). Chicago Hardy is said to be winter hardy to zone 5 and can be grown in the ground outside without heroic overwintering protection. I planted mine in a protect area -- a little way off of the SW house wall nook with back of the attached garage wall to the NW. Other two are only hardy to zone 8 and need to be kept in containers indoors in a more protected area -- 20's°F or above.

I'm talking about the edible figs. My greenhouse's minimum temp during the winter months is between 65-70 degrees fahrenheit.

[imafan26]

If you get a cutting from a fruiting fig it can fruit in a one gallon pot in less than a year. The trick is to find good stock. My brown turkey fig is unusual since it fruits almost continuously, but it isn't always the case with other figs. Most of them will stop fruiting in winter.