“Extension’s Successful Gardener”
GROWING UNUSUAL FRUITS

By: Kevin Starr
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service

I want to make you aware of a book that might be of interest to some serious home gardeners. The book is Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden by Lee Reich. Reich is a former researcher with the U.S.D.A. and Cornell University. He is now a gardener, writer, lecturer, and consultant on gardening. The book is readily available on the internet and I’m sure bookstores can order it if they don’t have it in the store.

The author discusses some of the more unusual fruiting plants we can grow in the garden. One of my favorites is the persimmon. This native is often underappreciated because it bears a small fruit and must be completely ripe before it’s good to eat. But there’s nothing quite like persimmon pudding. An easier way to become a persimmon lover is to try the Oriental persimmons which are sometimes sold in the store as “Sharon Fruit”. If you choose to grow them, remember that they can sometimes be cold-damaged in our climate but, in my opinion, they are worth the risk.

In all, Reich covers 23 different fruits in the book. They range from the seldom-used fruits such as mulberry and pawpaw to almost unknown fruits such as the jujube (Chinese date). He gives a lot of good, detailed information. Reich also provides a great list of plant sources in the back of the book for each type of fruit he mentions. Many of these nurseries have websites. If you’re ordering by mail from a nursery for the first time, I suggest you check out “Garden Watchdog” (http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd}on the internet to see how customers have rated that nursery. This service is part of the “Dave’s Garden” website. No company can satisfy every customer. But if a vast majority of the ratings are either positive or negative, that should help you decide whether to order from them.

If trying to grow unusual fruits appeals to you, check out the North American Fruit Explorers website (www.nafex.org) . They also have a list of fruit nurseries.

Speaking of sources of fruit plants, the Lincoln County 4-H program will begin taking orders for blueberries, strawberries, and several other fruits in early January. Look for more information soon.

Please call us at the Cooperative Extension Service at 704-736-8452 if you have questions.