sub tropical plants

[Wil]

Hi, I've visited Extremadura in Spain a few times now and contemplating buying a smallholding there. Could anyone tell me if it's possible to grow sub-tropical tolerant fruit trees there. Thinking of mangoes, avocado, papaya etc
Thanks :
Wil

[!potatoes!]

the info I'm seeing suggests that while frost is relatively are there, it does happen periodically, which could set long-lived sub- and tropicals back a fair bit. i have my doubts about how well it would work.

[rainbowgardener]

Thinks of what grows in California. I think it is a pretty similar climate. So you can grow citrus, pomegranate, olives, figs, almonds, as well as more cold hardy fruit like apples, grapes, berries. But probably not mango and papaya. But it is a whole country with a range of climates/ habitats, just like anywhere else. There are parts of Spain, like Canary Islands and Malaga in southern Spain, where they are growing mango and papaya: http://www.foodsfromspain.com/icex/cda/ ... _0,00.html

And of course, with global warming that may change. They are now growing olives and figs in parts of England where they never grew before:

environmental scientist-turned-farmer Mark Diacono planted 120 olive trees on his 17-acre farm five years ago. He’s one of a growing band of British farmers who are profiting from the warming climate to grow new crops that were traditionally grown in southern Europe ...There are other goodies on the farm too: Mark is also growing apricots, peaches, persimmons, grapes, pecans, pomegranates and Szechuan peppers. It’s quite a departure from the grass pasture and cows that Devon is traditionally known for, but as he’s not from a farming background, Mark was not bogged down by notions of what could and ought to be grown. And he realised climate change was here to stay. http://www.countryfile.com/news/british-olives-anyone

[tomc]

I will make a cuppa coffee wager that there is a USDA (style) hardyness zone map for the entire EU if you rummage around a little. And it and USAin model could be used as a template to see what might grow where.

I'm about sure I saw citrus growing in-near some of the La Frontera cities, of the reconquista.

Useless history trivia keeps me happy.

[imafan26]

Japan grows mangoes in Hokkaido. But they are grown in heated greenhouses. You could probably grow sub-tropicals in a greenhouse or conservatory. I would skip the avocadoes, unless you like pruning most of the fruit off. Mangoes can stay short for a while, papaya can also be kept short or replaced every couple of years. Persimmons will grow, they like cooler spots anyway and lychee that also likes to grow upland where it is cooler.