Stretching Your Zones - How Far Have You Gone & How?

We've had a taste of building a food forest, and we've loved it.  We are now starting to get curious about stretching our zone (6).  We definitely have some new fig trees (in pots) and a new loquat (also in a pot) which we will be trying to "stretch the zone" for.  With the figs we can store them and bring them out when it is warm.  The loquat we will try and protect (it's in a fenced corner area.  We've tried oca and failed miserably.  I'd love to try more "zone stretching", we are planning on buying a cheapish greenhouse, and trying to grow yacon (if we can find some tubers) in there to see if they will survive with a few others that are just out of our zone.  

I'm wondering, what ways have you extended your growing zone?  What have you managed to grow, what failed?  Any tips or tricks?  Thanks so much!

I harvest ripe fruits from two different types of muscadine grapes, they didn't get any protection/babying other than I made their arbor at 3ft vs the usual 8ft. I also harvest ripe fruits from chicargo FIGs, these I do nothing to and it dies back to about 18inches, or a throw an old ladder on it and bend to the grown without breaking and it come spring there is no die-back and it ripens a month earlier.

I also have a few other fruit tree species/cultivars that survived but the fruits never ripen so I got rid of them. [I am esp thinking of you pomergrante]

I also have a passionfruit (Maypop) that is native and it does fine, and a die back. There is also pawpaw that is native to our zone, but all the other species in the family is tropical. There is also hardy kiwi, which is native to our zone, so it will do well for you. I also have a flying dragon trifolate plant that is in the citrus family it is only good for jams thought, but it still pretty cool to have.

I have been thinking about growing a pistachio nut tree but I know that it is too humid for the actual nuts to be any good, so its a no.

I have also grown sweet potatoes and pigeon pea and gotten good harvest. I want to retry doing sugar cane. Supposedly if you chop it down to the root , it will come back the next year. I just left mines and it dies to the roots and never came back. But maybe if I cut it down to the roots before 1st frost. It will come back the next year.

Great response thank-you!  This year I've actually put a Chicago Hardy & a Brown Turkey in the ground, good to hear that you've had luck with the Chicago.  We did try Maypop last year, but it never took, it just started out beautiful, then looked sad...then sadder, then disappeared.  They seem to be rather pricey in my area so I've been reluctant to try again.  They are so beautiful though!

We do have about 9 different hardy kiwi varieties planted (just started all but 2 this year lol), no fruit yet but the 2 older plants Isaai look like they might fruit this year (so excited).

No paw paws yet, I think they are super cool but nervous about the smell thing...and needing 3 of them (we are pretty much sadly out of space for trees).  

A pistachio tree would be amazing, I hope you get one, I would love to see pictures!  I dream of having nut trees, but not until we get a lot with more space one day.

We've never tried sweet potato, regular potatoes yes...also jerusalem artichokes yes.  Are they easy to grow?  I wonder if there are any perennial varieties for my zone (6).

We haven't tried pigeon pea either, very curious thanks for the suggestions!  I'd love to have sugar cane one day, so delicious and cool.

I'm trying to stretch but in an opposite direction. I'm growing plants that normally would not fare too good in California climate, but due to my microclimate within already microclimatic foothills I'm able to grow plants with high chill requirements.
My chilling hours are between 1500 and 2000 here, compared to around 900 in San Joaquin Valley. I can not grow Mediterranean classics like figs (they seem not to grow and I already had 15 of them, May frosts do not help either), almonds (bloom too early, but may try late bloomers) or even pomegranates (they usually drop flowers before further development), so I decided to grow currants, gooseberries, high chill apples, pears, European plums and sour cherries.
So far they love it here. I have planted 13 various gooseberries this year and all of them are doing fine except Invicta, but it has not been hotter than 95F either, so I will see. If they survive I will add more and will also add my beloved black currants. I only have Consort and Crandall currents now and they are not bothered by the sun and drying winds.
I'm going to try aronia.

I only have two pawpaw, and I don't see why you would need 3 of them vs just two for cross pollination. I actually put both of my pawpaw in the same hole, about 12inches apart and they have done wonderful. The 1st year I made a trash bag roof for them because they were in full sun. And then once it blossomed I made a compost pile underneath in hopes that the flies would help to polinate the fruits. But the next year. I didn't and they cross polinated each other without any problem and zero effort from my (STUN). Also the flowers don't really have a smell that I would call noticeable. However if you pick and crush a leaf it does have a very unique smell. The two cultivars that I have are Prolific and Sunflower, they are both dwarfing. I also heavy prune Sunflower because it is the taller of the two and I really only want it for its pollen.

I also love the smell of hardy kiwi blossoms.  Its wonderful when it is in bloom. Right now there is a good amount of elderberry blossom outside.

I am also low on space so I usually try to get the dwarf cultivars/species. For example I got Regent and Prince Edward Juneberry. (on another note, I am not a big fan of it even though its native, the berries gets heavy infected every other, but maybe in your area it will be better).

Speaking of Nuts, try Sweet Kernel Apricot from Strakbro, it gives both a fruit and a nut. There is also yellowhorn. It's a shrub.

Jujube is another fruit tree that you should try out. Again plant two trees in one hole. then you can try out alot of different cultivars. Actually for my currant shrubs and gooseberry shrub. I have three different species in each hole. I have a early , then mid then later-season cultivar. They even come in different colors. So its easy for me to tell the difference. LOL.

@Cristobal Cristo

Don't sleep on Jostaberry, both the red one and the black one. They are tasty. Also check out some of the russian pomergrante cultivars. I think that Chicargo Hardy figs might do well for you. One you try jujube you will love it.

I am glad that your apples and pear are doing great. My pear usually bears in bunches and it makes me think that I am looking at a cluster of grape. It makes me happy seeing them. The columnar apples that I have aren't doing too fine but the semi-drarf apple is heavily loaded this year so I am happy about that.

Another fruit that I have is Weeping Mulberry, I bought it from onegreenworld. They are doing nice, and I love that it's not a huge 30ft tree and that it is sitting at 6ft even after 10yr+

Cristobal Cristo wrote:I'm trying to stretch but in an opposite direction. I'm growing plants that normally would not fare too good in California climate, but due to my microclimate within already microclimatic foothills I'm able to grow plants with high chill requirements.
My chilling hours are between 1500 and 2000 here, compared to around 900 in San Joaquin Valley. I can not grow Mediterranean classics like figs (they seem not to grow and I already had 15 of them, May frosts do not help either), almonds (bloom too early, but may try late bloomers) or even pomegranates (they usually drop flowers before further development), so I decided to grow currants, gooseberries, high chill apples, pears, European plums and sour cherries.
So far they love it here. I have planted 13 various gooseberries this year and all of them are doing fine except Invicta, but it has not been hotter than 95F either, so I will see. If they survive I will add more and will also add my beloved black currants. I only have Consort and Crandall currents now and they are not bothered by the sun and drying winds.
I'm going to try aronia.

That is really interesting, I've always wondered if it was possible the other way and you are living proof!  That is really impressive what you've managed to grow, it sounds amazing!  I would love to hear who the tastiest gooseberry is!  We have 4 varieties and this is the first year we might have fruit on them (fingers crossed).  Thanks for sharing.

S Bengi wrote:I only have two pawpaw, and I don't see why you would need 3 of them vs just two for cross pollination. I actually put both of my pawpaw in the same hole, about 12inches apart and they have done wonderful. The 1st year I made a trash bag roof for them because they were in full sun. And then once it blossomed I made a compost pile underneath in hopes that the flies would help to polinate the fruits. But the next year. I didn't and they cross polinated each other without any problem and zero effort from my (STUN). Also the flowers don't really have a smell that I would call noticeable. However if you pick and crush a leaf it does have a very unique smell. The two cultivars that I have are Prolific and Sunflower, they are both dwarfing. I also heavy prune Sunflower because it is the taller of the two and I really only want it for its pollen.

I also love the smell of hardy kiwi blossoms.  Its wonderful when it is in bloom. Right now there is a good amount of elderberry blossom outside.

I am also low on space so I usually try to get the dwarf cultivars/species. For example I got Regent and Prince Edward Juneberry. (on another note, I am not a big fan of it even though its native, the berries gets heavy infected every other, but maybe in your area it will be better).

Speaking of Nuts, try Sweet Kernel Apricot from Strakbro, it gives both a fruit and a nut. There is also yellowhorn. It's a shrub.

Jujube is another fruit tree that you should try out. Again plant two trees in one hole. then you can try out alot of different cultivars. Actually for my currant shrubs and gooseberry shrub. I have three different species in each hole. I have a early , then mid then later-season cultivar. They even come in different colors. So its easy for me to tell the difference. LOL.

Thanks so much for the info on the paw paws, I'm not sure why I was thinking one needed 3...definitely a really amazing plant!  Perhaps they could go in my driveway lol

Totally agree on the kiwi blossoms, I love the look of the centre of their little blossoms, they look like tiny kiwis

I have been seeking a Jujube, no luck so far finding one.  They seem like such a fantastic plant.

Never heard of Sweet Kernel Apricot before, we do have an Apricot limb on a combo fruit tree, but it is Puget Gold (I don't think we could or should eat the seeds on that one lol).  Thanks so much for the recommend, I am definitely curious!

Juneberry....I think that's the same as Saskatoon Berry?  We have a Northland planted and it hasn't done much honestly, it seems a bit bigger year 3 but no fruit, and only a few leaves.

I also never would have thought to plant 2 trees in one hole, great tip!  Thank-you so much for the amazing help :)

Heather,

Only Hinomaki Yellow had few fruits - they were just planted in March. I will report my taste bud findings here next year if I remember.
You were wondering about pistachios. They need tons of sun, heat and summer aridity (summer rain may kill them) which I all have so in 2014 I planted five Kerman females and one male and still no nuts. I read an article by some commercial grower who said she was waiting 10 years for the first crop and she was probably babying them, because it was a large area planting and I did not baby them at all. I just gave them good pruning this year, fertilized with manure, wood ash and boric acid. I hope to see bloom in a year or two.

S Bengi,

I did have Russian cultivars: Desertnyi, Favorite, Parfianka. Favorite died and the other two hardly produce any flowers and they are 9 year old. I lost few pomegranates and olive trees due to 2017 and 2023 rains - the soil became too wet for too long and killed the trees.
Trying jujube is on my list.
I also have black Persian mulberry and it loves it and Pakistani (black version of Morus alba) and it loves it less. Walnuts like it, blue elderberry so so, persimmons I will know later. Peaches always want more water than I want to give them and I consider them to be disposable trees - they don't live too long. Quinces really love my climate.
I have all tress on standard rootstock.

There has been very little cultivar selection but just like regular almond there is sweet(safe to eat almond) and there is bitter(not safe to eat almond) Russian Almond they only get to about 5ft. https://www.treehugger.com/nut-trees-recommendations-for-cooler-climate-zone-gardens.
At one point these guys had started the process to create an improved cultivar. http://www.nuttrees.com/specials. So if you reach out to them and want to give it a try you can just say that you know the risk and you are trying to do a mini-breeding program, so you just want a few of their sweet/semi-sweet kernel Russian Almond aka 5ft  Northern Almond.

Here is the Apricot I was mentioned. https://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/apricot-trees/stark-sweetheart-apricot

I do have two bitter almonds that I grew from seeds: one from Israel and the other from Albania. They grow slowly, accept droughts, animal abuse. When they grow little bit bigger I will try to graft them. There do exist almonds developed in Ukraine and I may try them as long as they are on deeper rootstock.