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I think if we get a lot of input from everyone here, this could be a super valuable resource for figuring out which fruit trees and berries will grow best in your area.

You are in the right spot if you are in a Tropical Climate Hardiness Zone 11- hot and humid, average temperatures are greater than 64°F (18°C) year-round and there is more than 59 inches of precipitation each year.(source)

If you think you are not in the right spot or you want to check your climate zone and hardiness zone for sure, click on the main thread to find out and get additional information Fruit Trees and Berries that Grow Best in Your Area Naturally and it will have a link to your specific climate zone and hardiness zone for you to post!


Familiar places in this area...

Honolulu, HI, USA


(source)

This list won't be perfect, as there are so many different factors that affect a fruit tree's growth, but it should be a good help by seeing which trees do well for others in a similar area who have had success with a particular variety. By growing trees that are already slightly adapted to your area, saving the seeds, and growing new fruit trees, you could help create many more new varieties that are very adapted to your specific area!

Hardiness zones are one important factor and show the average annual minimum temperature for a location. You can click on https://garden.org/nga/zipzone/index.php?zip=27822&q=find_zone&submit=Go+%3E to find your exact hardiness zone, and there are also links to lots of other good information.


(source)

Fruit tree nurseries usually list hardiness zones for their fruit trees, but I've often found they tend to exaggerate the growing zones and are often unreliable.

They often leave out one very important aspect... climate zones.

What is a climate zone you may ask?

A climate zone takes other important things into consideration, such as humidity and rainfall. There are many different subsets and climate zones, but I believe this website does a great job of simplifying it into a few main climate zones of A-D below, and I'm adding Oceanic/Mediterranean due to their unique climate...

A) Tropical- hot and humid, average temperatures are greater than 64°F (18°C) year-round and there is more than 59 inches of precipitation each year

B) Dry- dry (not humid) and little precipitation

C) Temperate- warm and humid summers with thunderstorms and mild winters

D) Continental- warm to cool summers and very cold winters. In the winter, this zone can experience snowstorms, strong winds, and very cold temperatures—sometimes falling below -22°F (-30°C)!

E) Oceanic/Mediterranean- more average temperatures, not too hot in the summer or cold in the winter, usually has rainy winters and dry summers (source)



If you live in the US, you should be able to tell your general climate zone based on the map below and the descriptions above of what it should be like there.

I couldn't find a great general map for Canada and other countries, but you should be able to generally tell from the descriptions above. If you want to find out your exact climate zone, you can check out a cool map here World Climate Zones to find your zone with links at the bottom of the page based on the color, that you can click on with detailed information of your climate zone.


(source)

This should be a huge help to others with that same climate and hardiness zone to help them decide what to plant!

If you could post your general location in your state or country with your reply, that would be an awesome help!

The trees should be able to grow well naturally without extensive disease or pest control.
COMMENTS:
 
pollinator
Posts: 2157
Location: Big Island, Hawaii (2300' elevation, 60" avg. annual rainfall, temp range 55-80 degrees F)
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My homestead farm is located between Naalehu and Oceanview, Hawaii. Elevation is 2400'.  Elevation is extremely important in my location, because many trees are elevation sensitive. So even though the zone is identical, many fruiting trees will not produce at the elevation of my homestead farm, but will produce at my seed farm location 5 miles away at 900' elevation.

Fruit trees and berries that are growing & producing at my 2400' elevation farm.....
Macadamia nut
Coffee
Papaya
Citrus, all types
Sapote
Tamarillo
Banana
Guava
Loquat
Peach
Jaboticaba
Surinamin cherry
Persimmon
Avocado
Thimbleberry
Strawberry
Ohelo berry
Mulberry
Lilikoi (a vining plant)

Fruit trees growing and producing at my 900' farm.....
All of the above listed for 2400', but in addition ---
Mango
Breadfruit
Allspice
Clove
Eggfruit
Bartlett pear
Soursop
Cherimoya
Longon
Lychee
Abiu
Cashew
Tamarind
Mangosteen
Jackfruit
Coconut
Rambutan
Noni

Most of the trees that produce at lower elevations will grow ok at higher elevations, but they either don't produce fruit or they fruit poorly. And while apples (Anna variety) will grow and produce, they suffer significant pest problems.

There are other fruits for the list but I don't have experience with them yet. Hopefully other growers will be able to add them.
 
steward
Posts: 2879
Location: Zone 7b/8a Southeast US
1108
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Su Ba wrote:My homestead farm is located between Naalehu and Oceanview, Hawaii. Elevation is 2400'.  Elevation is extremely important in my location, because many trees are elevation sensitive. So even though the zone is identical, many fruiting trees will not produce at the elevation of my homestead farm, but will produce at my seed farm location 5 miles away at 900' elevation.

Fruit trees and berries that are growing & producing at my 2400' elevation farm.....
Macadamia nut
Coffee
Papaya
Citrus, all types
Sapote
Tamarillo
Banana
Guava
Loquat
Peach
Jaboticaba
Surinamin cherry
Persimmon
Avocado
Thimbleberry
Strawberry
Ohelo berry
Mulberry
Lilikoi (a vining plant)

Fruit trees growing and producing at my 1100' farm.....
All of the above listed for 2400', but in addition ---
Mango
Breadfruit
Allspice
Clove
Eggfruit
Bartlett pear
Soursop
Cherimoya
Longon
Lychee
Abiu
Cashew
Tamarind
Mangosteen
Jackfruit
Coconut
Rambutan
Noni

Most of the trees that produce at lower elevations will grow ok at higher elevations, but they either don't produce fruit or they fruit poorly. And while apples (Anna variety) will grow and produce, they suffer significant pest problems.



Awesome list Su, great information! It's interesting to see the difference elevation can make!

Are you in hardiness zone 11, if so I can request this be moved to that thread when it's created?

Do you have a few stand out types or specific varieties that are really easy to grow and resistant to pests?
 
Su Ba
pollinator
Posts: 2157
Location: Big Island, Hawaii (2300' elevation, 60" avg. annual rainfall, temp range 55-80 degrees F)
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<<<Do you have a few stand out types or specific varieties that are really easy to grow and resistant to pests?>>>

All the things I listed are easy to grow. Real easy....just dig a hole and stick it in the ground. Give it water if you're in a dry area. Then sit back a wait for fruit.

In the tropics, pests are a given. And if it isn't pests, then it's disease or wind. Pests depend a lot upon location, elevation, wind, and moisture. But when it comes to the fruits I listed, pests are fairly easy to live with or seldom seen. Easy to the point that most gardeners tend to ignore them. For example, banana pests in my area include the banana skipper (a leaf roller caterpillar) and aphids. But I seldom see banana skippers and usually on only a few trees here and there. And aphids are hit and miss. So I don't need to spray for them. I will hand pick off a banana skipper if I spy one. Aphids I ignore unless they are obvious. Then a hose spraying a sharp stream of water will blast them off the trunks. Quite honestly I haven't done that for years. But keep in mind that all of zone 11 may not be the same. Some areas around the state have bunchy virus and banana beetles, which are serious problems. But generally it isn't a problem everywhere.

The only three things on the list that may need pest control (other than getting to the fruit before some animal or neighbor eats it first) around most of my island are coffee, macadamia, and mango. But that depends upon your location. With coffee, while I have some coffee borer in my area, it isn't excessive. Commercial growers will spray their trees, but home gardeners do not. Macadamia farms spray their trees for mites and borers, but home growers do not. With mangos the problem is fruit fly. Some areas have high populations of the pest and see plenty of damage. But other areas only a couple miles away see none.

I guess the bottom line is......nothing is really pest free in the tropics. But everything on my list can be grown just about anywhere on my island without spraying it or taking more than casual efforts.

Next, an addition to my list. I forgot to list ......
Malabar chestnut.

There are plenty of difficult fruits to grow in zone 11 due to pests and disease, but I didn't include them on the list.
 
Steve Thorn
steward
Posts: 2879
Location: Zone 7b/8a Southeast US
1108
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Awesome info Su!
 
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