Unusual and Exotic Fruit to Grow
Dragon fruit, donut peaches, nashi, persimmon and more, plus how chill hours decide what will fruit for you
There is a lot more you can grow at home than the usual apples and oranges. Dragon fruit, donut peaches, nashi, persimmon and feijoa are all within reach of an Australian backyard, as long as you choose fruit that suits your climate. Get that match right and the tree will thrive for years. Get it wrong and you can wait a lifetime for fruit that never comes.
The single most important factor for many fruit trees is winter cold, measured as chill hours. This guide explains chill hours in plain terms, then runs through eight unusual fruits worth trying, with the climate each one wants and a one-line how-to.
What are chill hours?
Many deciduous fruit trees, including peaches, apples, pears and nashi, need a spell of winter cold before they will flower and fruit properly. Chill hours are the number of hours below about 7 degrees Celsius a tree gets over winter. The tree uses that cold to break dormancy. Without enough of it, it leafs out poorly, flowers patchily and sets little fruit.
Each variety has its own chill requirement. Warm regions such as Brisbane and the tropical north get very few chill hours, so in those climates you must choose low-chill varieties bred to fruit on little winter cold. Cool regions such as Melbourne, Tasmania and the tablelands get plenty of chill, so they can grow high-chill types that warm gardens never could.
Eight unusual fruits to try
Dragon fruit (pitaya)
A striking climbing cactus that loves warm, frost-free conditions, so it is at its best in subtropical and tropical zones and warm coastal gardens. It needs no chill at all. Give it a sturdy post or frame to climb, full sun and free-draining soil, and protect it from frost in cooler spots.
Donut peach (Saturn peach)
A flat, sweet, low-acid peach that is a deciduous stone fruit and does need winter chill. Low-chill donut varieties suit warmer areas, while standard types need a properly cold winter. Plant a bare-rooted tree in winter, pick the chill rating that matches your region, and prune each year for an open, fruitful shape.
Nashi (Asian pear)
A crisp, round, juicy pear eaten firm like an apple. It is deciduous and needs winter chill, so it is best in cool-temperate regions, though low-chill nashi exist for milder areas. Many crop better with a second pear nearby for pollination. Grow much as you would a European pear.
Persimmon
Comes in astringent types, eaten soft, and non-astringent types, eaten crisp. It is widely adaptable across temperate and subtropical Australia and needs only modest chill, so it fits a huge range of gardens. The autumn fruit and fiery foliage make it spectacular as well as productive.
Fig
One of the easiest fruits there is. Figs suit warm temperate to subtropical climates, need only low chill, and crop heavily once established. They thrive in large pots and against a warm sunny wall, which also helps ripen the fruit. Tolerant of dry conditions once their roots are down.
Papaya (pawpaw)
A fast tropical and subtropical fruit that is frost-tender, so it suits only warm, frost-free gardens. It needs no chill and grows quickly from seed, often fruiting within a year or so. Give it the warmest, most sheltered spot you have and free-draining soil, as it hates wet feet.
Feijoa (pineapple guava)
Hardy, reliable and popular. Feijoa handles everything from cool temperate to subtropical climates, needs only low chill and doubles as a handsome evergreen hedge. Some varieties fruit better with a second plant nearby. One of the most forgiving fruits for a new grower to start with.
Mulberry
Very hardy and adaptable across most of Australia, with low chill needs and heavy crops of sweet berries. The main thing it asks for is space, as a tree can grow large. Plant it where falling fruit will not stain paving, give it room, and it will crop for decades with little fuss.
Find the right fruit for your climate
The Planting Season app estimates your chill hours and the Fruit Tree Varieties and Chill module shows which low-chill and high-chill varieties will actually fruit where you garden.
Open the App →Frequently Asked Questions
What are chill hours?
Chill hours are the number of hours below about 7 degrees Celsius that a deciduous fruit tree gets over winter. Many fruit trees, such as peaches, apples, pears and nashi, need a certain amount of winter cold to break dormancy and flower and fruit properly. Each variety has its own chill requirement, measured in chill hours.
Can I grow stone fruit in a warm climate?
Yes, but you must choose low-chill varieties. Warm regions like Brisbane and the tropical north get few hours below 7 degrees in winter, so a high-chill peach or nectarine will grow leaves but barely fruit. Low-chill stone fruit, including low-chill donut peaches, are bred to fruit well with very little winter cold.
What fruit grows with no winter cold?
Subtropical and tropical fruit need little or no chill. Dragon fruit, papaya, figs, feijoa, mulberry and many persimmons all fruit happily without a cold winter, which makes them good choices for warm coastal and northern gardens where stone fruit struggles.
Is feijoa easy to grow?
Feijoa, also called pineapple guava, is one of the easiest and most reliable fruits to grow. It is hardy, copes with everything from cool temperate to subtropical climates, needs only low chill, and makes a handsome hedge as well as cropping heavily.
Do I need two trees to get fruit?
It depends on the fruit. Many are self-fertile and crop with a single tree, but some, including a number of feijoa and persimmon varieties, fruit far better with a second tree nearby for cross-pollination. Always check whether the variety you buy is self-fertile or needs a pollinating partner.
See also: How to Grow Persimmon and How to Grow Mulberry