Help filling out a hedge

[TheVeggieProfessor]

Hi all. I was in need of privacy along my fence, so I planned to plant a hedge of fruiting plants. However, my neighbors have a mosquito spray that the wind carries over to my property, so I didn't want to plant anything with edible skin. Along most of the hedge, the space I am working with is pretty narrow (about 9 feet or so until you reach my pool fence). I decided to plant bananas along the hedge, which worked great for a while, until a disease showed up, which has been spreading to many of my bananas. I am in the process of diagnosing and treating the disease, but it has underscored to me the importance of avoiding a monoculture. This would be much easier to treat if it didn't spread so rapidly down my hedge. So I am going to pull out some of the bananas that appear to be too far gone and replace them with other plants. However,  am still not sure what to choose, given that I need a plant that will grow to at least 8' to provide some privacy, but also that won't encroach too much on the pool fence. I still need to be able to walk around there. I am going to do some pigeon peas, but I am looking for additional ideas. I thought that araza might be a possibility.
This spot along my fence gets full sun. It is along the east of my property, running from north to south. Thanks for any ideas.

[Aiptasia904]

Elderberries and Pomegranates are what i'd suggest. They both grow in that height range and are bushy trees. Pomegranates would probably be the better of the two options if you need a fruit tree with a protective skin. Citrus will also work fine as a hedge but it will take them a little longer to fill in.

[CarolinaZone]

Are pomegranates evergreen in Florida?

[TheVeggieProfessor]

Are pomegranates evergreen in Florida?

I believe it is deciduous, so not ideal. Also, my understanding is that the varieties we grow here are pretty poor. I could erect a few trellises here and there and try passionfruit and granadilla. It would be as much privacy as the bananas, but could be a good option.

[1rainman]

I would plant some sugar cane. Black preferably.

[TheVeggieProfessor]

I would plant some sugar cane. Black preferably.

Thanks. Doesn't sugar cane require a lot of water? I'd also need to invest in a juicer for it I guess. It's an interesting suggestion.

Some other ideas came to mind, but not sure if they're viable given the space constraints. Makok sapodilla and soapberry.

[Draak]

Feijoa is rather low water, and generates a very tasty evergreen hedge in a few years.

[eez0]

you could also have a look at the lilly pilly family. They area ideal for hedges, fast growers and good coverage.

[Fruit Jungle]

Alot of Eugenias make great hedges, Pitangatuba is slow growing, but the foliage looks amazing, even if the fruit if not good at all.

[skhan]

Regular guava should be good.
Dwarfish mango, manalita is an upright dwarf.
Lemon Drop or similar vigor garcinias
Maybe dwarf Sapodilla would work too.

Jabos and Eugenias as mentioned before is an option but the lower vigor might be an issue
Yellow Jabo seems a good degree faster than the rest (at least in my exp)

If you need something fast I'd plant some fast trees (mangos, Jackfruit, Soursop) at 12-foot spacing and fill in the space with flowering gingers for privacy

[TheVeggieProfessor]

Regular guava should be good.
Dwarfish mango, manalita is an upright dwarf.
Lemon Drop or similar vigor garcinias
Maybe dwarf Sapodilla would work too.

Jabos and Eugenias as mentioned before is an option but the lower vigor might be an issue
Yellow Jabo seems a good degree faster than the rest (at least in my exp)

If you need something fast I'd plant some fast trees (mangos, Jackfruit, Soursop) at 12-foot spacing and fill in the space with flowering gingers for privacy

These are all really great suggestions. I just measured and I have 11 feet between the fence and the pool gate. So I suppose if I went with some of these options (guava, compact mango, lemon drop mangosteen etc.), I would put them, what, 5 feet off the fence? And then I'd have to keep the canopy opposite the fence elevated so I can still walk around over there. Is this what you were thinking?

[Galatians522]

Not sure if you like cassava, but a double row of cassava that alternated plant times by 6 months would give you an 8' hedge in a short period of time. The roots would be protected from spray underground and would be peeled before consumption anyway. Dragonfruit or even opuntia cactus would be options with peels that would be discarded. I throw out my jabo peels, but I stick the whole fruit in my mouth first. So, I am not sure if that would accomplish your purpose.

[Plantinyum]

I think that the passionfruit suggestion from above would work great. If u have a net for ut to grow on it will cover it on a 100 percent, they wont be able to see trough. It will stay also juite compact, other than some vines going ro the sides which u will have to cut from time to time.
The peel is not edible so u are safe from whatever chemicals your neighbours are using....
U should aim towards the purple fruited passiflora edulis, the fruit is way better that the yellow form flavicarpa. Ive never eaten it ,but u can also plant the giant granadilla, passiflora quadrangularis ,for it giant fruit and big aromatic flowers.

[TheVeggieProfessor]

That's for the recent suggestions. I may be overthinking this, but my concern with cassava (or other root crops for that matter) is if the pesticides could potentially be uptaken by the root. For instance, I know that cassava absorbs pesticides pretty well. I wonder if the safety of the root can be compromised. I'm probably being overly paranoid, but it is a thought that I have. I generally don't like to grow roots along property lines because of all of the poisons people spray on their lawns; I don't want it getting into the roots of my plants. Maybe unreasonable concern, though.

Based on these discussions and my desire for access, I'll probably keep the bananas that aren't diseased, throw in some pigeon peas, and put up some trellises for passionfruit and granadilla (I've never had the large ones before, but I love the other variety that I have tasted). If space permits I may work in a dwarf sapodilla or slow growing mango (e.g., pickering).

[skhan]

Regular guava should be good.
Dwarfish mango, manalita is an upright dwarf.
Lemon Drop or similar vigor garcinias
Maybe dwarf Sapodilla would work too.

Jabos and Eugenias as mentioned before is an option but the lower vigor might be an issue
Yellow Jabo seems a good degree faster than the rest (at least in my exp)

If you need something fast I'd plant some fast trees (mangos, Jackfruit, Soursop) at 12-foot spacing and fill in the space with flowering gingers for privacy

These are all really great suggestions. I just measured and I have 11 feet between the fence and the pool gate. So I suppose if I went with some of these options (guava, compact mango, lemon drop mangosteen etc.), I would put them, what, 5 feet off the fence? And then I'd have to keep the canopy opposite the fence elevated so I can still walk around over there. Is this what you were thinking?

Since you need something that goes up to 8' then i think trees would be the easiest.
What you mentioned above should work just fine.

Passionfruit is a good suggestion however to get it to 8ft you'd need to start driving some post and stuff in the ground.
If you are up to the task this will be an easier maintenance item in the longer term.
I have a 8 ft pergola in the back and i let passion fruit grow on top. Maybe you can do a similar structure that spans the length of the fence line with passion fruit.

[JF Paso]

Chewing sugarcane varieties are pretty fast growers.  The downfall for me is that their leaves are sharp (think sawgrass, brromeliads) and they are messy looking.  I did like the look of Pele's smoke because the leaves as well as the stalk are purple, but you still need to occasionally clean it out.
Simpson stopper is a Florida native and I love the scent when I  brush against the leaves.  Nothing really bothers it and it fills in nicely.  The fruits are ok.

[TheVeggieProfessor]

Does anyone with familiarity with soapberry trees think they would work in this space? Or will they want to grow too big? I'm intrigued at the idea of growing my own soap, but all of my space for larger trees are taken up by fruiting cultivars.

Similarly, anyone with familiarity with macadamia think they would work in this space?

[Galatians522]

I don't think Macadamia will work there. The trees get huge and many cultivars have prickly leaves. I supose that you could limit size some by pruning, but I don't think you would get many nuts if you did that.

[1rainman]

Sugar cane will grow with zero care in Florida once established. It will look rough in the dry season but watering is optional. You just cut it with a machete and suck the juice out which tastes like candy it does get dead leaves and stuff that you might want to trim up. We just have it growing wild basically here. I never been cut by the leaves but I guess it's possible. It's just a giant piece of grass basically similar to bamboo.

There's some black or purple ones that look nice and have unique flavor. It's almost exactly 8 feet tall and makes a good hedge though kind of wild looking if not trimmed of dead leaves. Passion fruit will also grow wild in Florida once established though it's a vine. Beautiful flowers.

Sugar cane is no more messy than bananas. They get dead leaves and stuff too. But sugar cane is more hardy and not invasive like banana. It just stays growing in the same clump unless you spread it. Easy to just cut a piece root it and make more though.