Growing your own food.

[Lois]

I live in canada where we have hot summers and cold winters. Is there any fruit that I can successfully grow myself? I would love to try. I know you can grow veggies. I would love to have an orange tree.
Thanks, Lois

[Shivananda]

Hi Lois,

Welcome to the board. If you check in the Juicing, Sprouting, and Organic Gardening section you'll find previous threads on this very topic. Just read back a ways.

Short answer... orange tree???, I seriously doubt it. But a kumquat bush is possible inside. And many berries thrive in Canadian climes.

See you over on J, S, & OG!

[exurb]

I strongly recommend raspberries. They grow VERY easily, they grow well organically, and you can freeze them. The plants also rapidly multiply, so in a few years you can have a nice patch, and they're not a lot of work.

You could also grow stuff like certain canteloupes, melons, and watermelons. Also a nice little thing that is a sweet fruity relative of the tomatillo is the garden huckleberry, sometimes also called sweet ground cherry, or various different names. They grow pretty much like a tomato plant. Those seeds would have to be started now indoors, then transplanted out after the last frost date. They grow like a large berry inside a papery husk. Sometimes they are used to garnish desserts at fancy restaurants.

If you grow apples you should choose your variety very carefully as to what grows well organically, especially without fungicides. There are some nice varieties that are resistant to apple scab. A tree will take a while to bear fruit but the other options above will give you fruit right away.

I'm in Canada, I grow apples, raspberries, red currants, thornless blackberries, Concord grapes, a few strawberries, and all of the above others. If you're growing the melons, look at how many days until harvest, and choose the short season varieties, something like around 70 days, and success will be much more likely. Sugar Baby is a good watermelon for short seasons, and there are others.

It makes me happy when people want to grow their own food! ;)