BC don't take 5 years to start bearing fruits - at least not here in SoFL. I planted one that was 2 feet tall in the spring of 2015 and by October 2016 I was already picking my first fruits. Also, I may be wrong or I may not have seen enough BC trees, but I don't see a BC functioning properly as a hedge since no matter how much compact you keep them, they don't have a dense foliage to provide privacy.