megany
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Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:32 pm
Location: Maryland (Zone 7a)

Plants that produce fruit in the first year in zone 6b?

We are hoping to grow some fruit this year, either in a raised bed or, if possible, in pots on the patio.

Ideally, we'd like something that will produce fruit in the first year (maybe strawberries?), but from researching, it looks like very few plants do?

We'd love to have blueberries, but it looks like those don't produce fruit till year 3 or 4, and they seem fairly expensive to buy when they are that old.

I was wondering if anyone had any other recommendations for what we could grow in our zone? Either from seed or as a seedling. We'd be open to buying a plant as well, if it wasn't going to be $15-$20 per plant!

Thanks!

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Kisal
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Location: Oregon

I'm guessing that you're looking for a "sweet" fruit, because tomatoes and peppers are fruit, too. They will bear for you the first year, even if you start them from seeds. They also grow quite well in containers.

You're right that most fruit plants won't bear a crop the first year. Strawberries, if you start with dormant bare-root plants, might produce a berry or two the first year, but it's better for the plant if the first year berries are not allowed to develop.

megany
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Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:32 pm
Location: Maryland (Zone 7a)

Kisal wrote:I'm guessing that you're looking for a "sweet" fruit, because tomatoes and peppers are fruit, too. They will bear for you the first year, even if you start them from seeds. They also grow quite well in containers.
Good point -- should have clarified that I was looking for a sweet fruit! We're planting plenty of tomatoes and peppers.

DoubleDogFarm
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TriStar and SeaScape strawberries will give you a good harvest the first season. They are about $9.00 for 25 bare root plants.

Raspberries. A variety like "Heritage" ( everbearing) will give you a crop first year fall and probably two crops a year after that.

Eric

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

You're getting some good suggestions.

The ones that DON'T fruit the first year -- if you don't plant them THIS year, you won't get them NEXT year.... Just sayin' :wink:

I'm experimenting with espalier -- apples, pears, cherries, persimmons... plus "bush" trained peaches, and nectarines. In addition to space-saving qualities, they do fruit at younger age because the branches are trained down to 45º angle or even lower, which triggers the flowering and fruiting hormones.

megany
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Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:32 pm
Location: Maryland (Zone 7a)

Thanks Eric! Those all sound perfect.

And applestar, you're definitely right. We'll probably plant a few this season for future years, but we'd love to have some to eat in the meantime!

gumbo2176
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Location: New Orleans

I recently put in 4 thornless blackberry plants that will cane this year and produce fruit on those canes by summer 2012 if all goes like it should. I love blackberries and spent a lot of time last year picking wild ones=======and paying the price in thorn pricks, pouring sweat, mosquito bites and the occasional snake sighting. I think I'll prefer picking mine in my back yard next year.

cynthia_h
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Location: El Cerrito, CA

Ground cherries, also called choke cherries. I found this description at Johnny's:

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5883-goldie-og.aspx

Don't worry that somehow Johnny's has them catalogued under "Tomatoes"; they're absolutely NOT tomatoes. They're a sweet fruit used in pies, jams, etc.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

DoubleDogFarm
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Closer to tomatillo. :D



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