suggestions needed for New Orleans

[greenman62]

Hi all
i love tropical fruit.
i am turning my front and backyard into a food-forest (trying anyway)

i need suggestions as to what to grow in zone 9b
that will be tasty, survive an occasional freeze
(i can offer some small protections, and have a greenhouse for saplings)
i have been growing papaya for several years.
They usually last over-winter. They loose leaves and look like hell
but they normally survive and come back.
(this last year was abnormally cold and i lost most)

Summers get hot and humid here.
it also rains a LOT at times.
Sometimes raining hard for several days in a row.
http://average-rainfall.findthebest.com/compare/40-66-74-111/Los-Angeles-California-vs-Miami-Florida-vs-Atlanta-Georgia-vs-New-Orleans-Louisiana

Now...
what i currently have...

* papaya * - several

 * Mango  * - a Florigon about 3ft tall (large pot) i plan on planing in-ground in spring.
3 seedlings in-ground (in the wild hope that 1 survives the winter)
and 5 in pots.

 * Choc Sapote * -3 in pots abut 1ft tall

 * strawberry Guava about 10inches tall
hasnt been growing very fast ?

 * Mex Cream Guava  * 1 tree, 3 small in pots

 * Starfruit *  1 -4ft tall, has 3 fruits on it now.

 * Jaboticaba *  1 -3ft tall in large pot

 * Mulberry *  1 Red 20ft tall - only produces fruit a few weeks in spring
One Black about 10 inches tall

 * Loquat *  2 in-ground about 1ft tall - 5 in pots

 * Passionflower *  Incarnata - comes back every year, but rarely produces more than 2 fruit
(also 2 Edulis. did not produce fruit, but their first year)

 * Lychee *  4 in pots, 2 in-ground - all 1 or 2yrs ? about 8-10 inches tall
have been growing pretty slow. last winter they survived with little protection.

 *  jackfruit *  4 - about 2-3 ft tall. One in-ground.

Any suggestions as to adding to my list ?
Also, suggestions as to, what to plant next to each other,
how close etc...i have a general idea of how much sun they need,
but comments are welcome

thanks
Brad

[nullzero]

Would add some of the following;

Atemoya (Lisa, Phet pakchong)
Mango (Lemon Zest, and maybe a Cogshall or good condo mango if space is a problem)
Passion Fruit (Get a good giant selection)
Jabo (get a red hybrid and or paulista)
Avocado (Holiday)

How much room do you have? I would consider getting rid of the mulberry if room is tight.

[ClayMango]

Cherimoya, Cherimoya, and oh Cherimoya.


Mangos too.. Lemon Zest, Coco CreaM, Sweet Tart.....

[gunnar429]

brogdon avocado is good for guacamole and cold hardy.  might work for you.

What about persimmons (D. Kaki)?

not to be a smart ass, but what about figs?  LSU is like the mecca for improved fig breeding

Annonas

I love New Orleans--awesome that you can sample some tasty cajun cuisine, then come home and devour subtropical fruits!!  Keep up the good work!

[treefrog]

there are several avocado varieties that have been developed lately in texas that are hardy down into the mid teens (farenheit).  joey, brazos belle, mexicola, fantastic, lila, poncho.  these are hardy to fifteen degrees or so once they are established.  younger trees need extra protection (covering with a blanket with a light bulb under it on freeze nights.)  there are several varieties of bananas which can fruit in the florida panhandle and mobile, al area.  here's a link to an article in the mobile paper:
 
http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2011/12/guide_to_growing_bananas_on_th.html

there is a lot of work being done by the university of georgia on "veinte cohol," a short cycle variety of bananas.  if two foot pups are kept inside over the winter and planted out early spring,  they usually make a crop before frost.

http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/139284/2/Fonsah_42_1.pdf

http://www.caes.uga.edu/applications/gafaces/?public=viewStory&pk_id=3997

if they can raise bananas in tifton georgia, it's a good bet you can do it in nola.

[goosteen]

I too am wondering about the more rare ones.   .... I'm in a similar maybe slightly warmer zone than you.  To add to your list I have Lucuma, Black Sapote, Chico Sapote. 

Temps got to down to 31 last winter very briefly,  No damage to any of those.   Since then I've added a Green Sapote, Cannistel, and more bananas.   

[nullzero]

I too am wondering about the more rare ones.   .... I'm in a similar maybe slightly warmer zone than you.  To add to your list I have Lucuma, Black Sapote, Chico Sapote. 

Temps got to down to 31 last winter very briefly,  No damage to any of those.   Since then I've added a Green Sapote, Cannistel, and more bananas.

How about Mexican Garcina sp.?

[greenman62]

thanks for all the replies.
got a bit sidetracked the last couple of weeks
people from out of town etc...


I actually have a few  Black Sapote growing
the
y are only a foot or so tall
and i mistakenly left 2 of them out last freeze
and they lost their leaves.
they looked good for a few days, but now i am not sure.

Unfortunately, i am allergic to banana's
unless they are over-ripe (black)
and i dont really like the taste of avocado
Cannistel is a good idea, i thought Lucuma was more cold sensitive ?

i never used to like figs from my fathers tree
but, its been 20 years since i have tasted one
and , i know theres lots of different tasting varieties now.
will have to try some



i love mango however
and think i will buy some from Pine Island in the spring.
I heard that GLENN is a bit more cold-hardy than others ?
Claymango
is there a reason for the ones you selected ?
Lemon Zest, Coco CreaM, Sweet Tart.

i had actually planted a couple of seedlings in the ground just for grins and kicks
one of them survived the 27F temps the other night.
i might just start planting mango seeds all over the yard, wait,
and the ones whose fruit doesnt taste good
i can just graft to

thanks
Brad

[gunnar429]

thanks for all the replies.
got a bit sidetracked the last couple of weeks
people from out of town etc...


I actually have a few  Black Sapote growing
the
y are only a foot or so tall
and i mistakenly left 2 of them out last freeze
and they lost their leaves.
they looked good for a few days, but now i am not sure.

Unfortunately, i am allergic to banana's
unless they are over-ripe (black)
and i dont really like the taste of avocado
Cannistel is a good idea, i thought Lucuma was more cold sensitive ?

i never used to like figs from my fathers tree
but, its been 20 years since i have tasted one
and , i know theres lots of different tasting varieties now.
will have to try some



i love mango however
and think i will buy some from Pine Island in the spring.
I heard that GLENN is a bit more cold-hardy than others ?
Claymango
is there a reason for the ones you selected ?
Lemon Zest, Coco CreaM, Sweet Tart.

i had actually planted a couple of seedlings in the ground just for grins and kicks
one of them survived the 27F temps the other night.
i might just start planting mango seeds all over the yard, wait,
and the ones whose fruit doesnt taste good
i can just graft to

thanks
Brad

Yes, because they are amazing!!  He chose based on reading the reviews.  It all depends though.  If you need to keep it short inside a greenhouse or something, LZ isn't going to work, as it's vigorous and upright grower.  Definitely look into some of the reviews for the newer zills varieties if you love mangoes, as these are some of the best available.  You may want to check some of the lists of what others are growing (in their profile) and go from there researching the varieties.  Good luck!

I thought LA was good for satsumas.  Do you grow citrus?

[ClayMango]

Greenman,

My top 3 picks are based soley on reviews found on this forum and Garden Web. From numerous opinions and tastings held by forum members, which all seemed to be unanimous on these 3. These 3 Mangos are in a Tier group of their own....The God Tier if you will... looking down on all the othe rMango Varieties.


Again Based on the Majority feedback that I have found on this forum.

[greenman62]

Greenman,

My top 3 picks are based soley on reviews found on this forum and Garden Web. From numerous opinions and tastings held by forum members, which all seemed to be unanimous on these 3. These 3 Mangos are in a Tier group of their own....The God Tier if you will... looking down on all the othe rMango Varieties.

Again Based on the Majority feedback that I have found on this forum.

great to know
Def will look into those 3
i want to buy at least 2 plants

what do you think of Glenn and Nam Doc Mai ?
I read somewhere that Glenn was more cold hardy ?
http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Glenn-Mango-Tree.htm

Also, our summers are fairly wet
i heard mango like dry summers,, is this a problem ?

thanks for the responses...
Brad

[gunnar429]

Greenman,

My top 3 picks are based soley on reviews found on this forum and Garden Web. From numerous opinions and tastings held by forum members, which all seemed to be unanimous on these 3. These 3 Mangos are in a Tier group of their own....The God Tier if you will... looking down on all the othe rMango Varieties.

Again Based on the Majority feedback that I have found on this forum.

great to know
Def will look into those 3
i want to buy at least 2 plants

what do you think of Glenn and Nam Doc Mai ?
I read somewhere that Glenn was more cold hardy ?
http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Glenn-Mango-Tree.htm

Also, our summers are fairly wet
i heard mango like dry summers,, is this a problem ?

thanks for the responses...
Brad

Glenn is a great all-around mango that is given ho-hum treatment from mango snobs because it isn't exciting enough.  I like Glenn (though my opinion may change after several years of intensely flavored mangoes).  Glenn is a good start because it is a mango most beginners (and wives it seems) like.  It tastes like mango--lol.

NDM is a good selection for those that prefer sweet sweet sweet. It is very popular in Asia.  I prefer a tart/sweet balance in my fruit, so to me the NDM is just ok.  It tastes like honey, but who wants to eat a bowl full of honey? 

As far as wet summers, I am not sure where you read that.  FL is one of (if not THE) mecca for mangoes, and I doubt you have wetter summers than we do.  Either way, they are grown well in FL and CA so I don't see that as a problem.  Definitely no expert though.  Hope that helps.

[nullzero]

Lemon Zest may work to the advantage, if you need to pug the tree after a freeze event. If you have a thick main trunk you can wrap insulation and potentially save the tree from a nasty low 20s freeze. After the freeze event you can unwrap the insulation and prune back all the dead unprotected branches. Since LZ is a vigorous grower it will bounce back and have a crop of mangoes much faster.

Just make sure you find a suitable spot with some distance away from the house and other plants. Even if LZ grows to fast, you can always aggressively prune. I think LZ is a great choice if you have a 8x8 spot at least for it.