Cherry of the Rio Grande, Sugar Apple and Atemoya, Pineapple, Sapodilla, Papaya, Mangos, Avocados, Citrus, Bananas.

Easiest to grow in containers: Barbados Cherry, COTRG, Citrus, dwarf Papayas, condo Mangos, dwarf Carambola, Pineapples. Sugar Apples and Atemoyas have fruited in containers for me too.

A good Fig is a must-have, but I don't know if they are considered tropical(G).

I have lots of other wonderful fruit trees, but they would not be suitable for containers (I think). Black Sapote, Jakfruit, Mamey Sapote and Longan are beauties, but too big to grow indoors.

Lisa

Mangos, White Sapote, A good Guava, Mangosteen, Rambutan, Cherimoya, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Bananas, and Poha.

Poha whould be very easy to grow as a perrenial in your greenhouse. You should also try a couple different varieties of guava, and some dwarf bananas aswell.

Jay in Ohio has his greenhouse filled with plants that will get to big, but remember you can always prune plants back to fit your greenhouse.

In my greenhouse I currently have lots of brand new baby seedlings. I have: baby sugar apples(30), baby custard apples(30), baby cocono(4), baby naranajila(3), dragon fruit, Kampong Muave Sugar apple, San Pablo Custard apple, 3 different bananas, Canistel, Sebulle(spelling?) White Sapote, Gennfer Atemoya, Seedling White Sapote(3), Unknown Passiflora, Monstera(2), Papayas(3), Seedling ingas(10), Small seedling Lychee, small seedling Caimito(3). Im pretty sure thats all. The seedlings really range in hight. The Caimito seedlings are 2-3 inches while the seedling White sapotes are about 2 feet. Good luck

GC-I already have 3 fig trees growing out side there going to fruit next summer finely! My greenhouse is 12ft tall so IÂm going to be able to grow lots of bananas and other tall plants. I donÂt know if I should get mangos even though they are my favorite fruit :( I seem to be allergic to them, ok here's the story... We got some mangos that were really cheap and I ate about 6-10 that night and later that night I broke out in a rash and got really itchy, it took about 1 week for me to get better, then the next week we got some more mangos from the same place, same kind ,and for the same price and I ate a few 1x1 inch pieces and later I got a mild rash, but IÂve eaten mangos all my life and never had this happen, only those from that place, so I was thinking that it could be a pesticide on those mangos. Do you think it could be that?

John

Hey John, so good that you already have Figs! I have enough varieties to keep me in figs most of the year. I love them!

I'm very, very allergic to Mango skin and sap. It causes a poison-ivy-type, oozing rash anyplace I accidently have contact. It lasts 3-4 weeks, and is horribly itchy and ugly. I climbed a big Mango tree as a child, and the lesions on my knees, elbows and face, were so bad I had to stay home from school until they healed.

But I can eat the fruit, no problem. I just wear latex gloves to hold the fruit to peel them. Once peeled, they are safe for me. I have "Condo" Mango trees, small ones, that I do not have to stand under to prune. I will keep them all short, and they are fenced so the dogs don't rub against them, and then transfer the allergens to me. The fruit is well worth it.

Your reaction sounds different. Talk to your Doctor. Maybe you are really allergic to them now, or maybe just that variety/source was the problem? You ate 6-8 Mangos at one time? WOW!

Have you tried another Mango from a different source since your reaction, to see if it happens again? Please be careful. A reaction that causes your throat to swell can be life threatening.. I never had that issue, my problem is just with the sap/skin. Mangos are related to poison ivy, oddly enough..

Lisa

some that haven't been listed:
jaboticaba, cabelluda, pepino dulce, natal plum, dwarf babaco, many eugenia species. I have not fruited any of these yet, just what I've read (hope it is true!). I have seen jab and np as bonsai plants w/fruit! Good luck,
Ethan
pesticide?: my sister developed food allergies later in life, the allergy receptors became "overloaded" and she had to obstain from soy for a while. Now in moderation she can have it, 6-10 mangos might have overloaded you and you weren't cleaned out before you next mango? A complete guess.

Durian, Rambutan, Mangosteen, Longon, Lychee, Langsat, Jackfruit, mango, sugar apple, wax apple (chompu), coconut, toddy palm fruit,...

These are the oneÂs IÂm getting, I think. What do yall say?

Caimito
Carambola- Please help with variety
Cherry of the Rio Grande
Cacao Tree-Please help with variety
Guava
Lychee-Please help with variety
Miracle Fruit
Papaya -Please help with variety
Passion Fruit-Please help with variety
Sapodilla-Please help with variety
White Sapote-Please help with variety
Atemoya-Please help with variety
Barbados-Cherry

Secondary Choices
Longan-Please help with variety
Mango-Please help with variety Maybe once I check to see how allergic I am to them

These are the ones I think sound good. How do you like them?

Sounds Good

Abiu
Custard Apple
Sugar Apple
Black Sapote
Jakfruit sounds really good. PIN"The ripe fruit tastes like a combination of mango, banana, pineapple, and cantaloupe."

These three sound the same.
Malay Apple
Akee
Wax Jambu Though this sounds like the best

These are all coming from PIN.

John

Your first choises sound great, but maybe an abiu and jaboticaba also? As for the Atemoya, I would have graft wood sent to you from California to graft onto cherimoya seedlings, if you have any. Also you can get White Sapote graft wood from California to graft onto seedlings, if you have any. In my opinion that would be best for you, beacause of shipping costs and ou can practice grafting.

As for the mango, many people I know have allergys to fruit once they have to many at one time. A friend of mine no longer can eat kiwis, and I can no longer eat cantalope for this reason. Also mangos are in the poisen oak/ivy family and that too could be a problem. As for the variety I would go with Mallika.Out of the last three go with Wax Jambu.

I have tasted very few varieties but my 2cents,
Lychee-Hak Ip
Longon-Biew Kiew
Mango-Ice Cream
Atemoya-never tasted, gcmastiffs has a mauve one that looks real neat though.
White Sapote: Suebelle suposedly insect issues, McDill very very sweet and big, wanted to find Michele (small tree), I own a Vernon, no fruit yet. Have fun deciding,
-Ethan

Also do I need 2 trees for pollination of any of those fruits?

John

Most of these plants will get more fruit with cross pollination from other trees. I think cacao will need hand pollination or a second tree.

I wouldn't try Passionfruit inside. It is a very vigorous vine that can easily take over a building. Mine covered a 30' turkey pen easily. The amount of fruit produced is not worth the space alotted, IMHO.

My choice for Atemoya-4826. It is superb! But, I have not tasted the Golden Variety yet. I have eaten Geffner and others that I'm not sure what they were. All good, but 4826 is wonderful.

You will want a "Florida Sweet" Barbados Cherry. They are prolific and fruit most of the year here.

The Alano and Makok Sapodillas are supposedly smaller than most. I have several Sapodillas, all young, all under 7' tall. The ones I see fruiting are much larger. I've never eaten a Sapodilla that wasn't delicious!

Longans get HUGE! I've seen them locally with trunks at least 10' in diameter.

There are many low-bearing Papaya varieties that stay small. I bought seeds from a nursery in Hawaii,(very inexpensive), and they all grew. Lost all the tags in the hurricanes, so now am enjoying eating Papayas that I do not know the names of(G).

I have a dwarf Hart Carambola. Don't get one unless you really, really like the fruit. They waaay overproduce.

Mallika is a very good Mango choice. Ice Cream are slow growers here, and suffer more from fungal issues than my Julie does.. Cogshall is also excellent.

Lisa

I think if you had a small trelis in the greenhouse and trimmed a passionfruit back you would have no problem.

Lisa where did you get your 48-26 Atemoya? Do you have a tree you could send graft wood from?

Plummy you can get 48-26 from PIN.

John

Oops. I didn't relize that. Maybe I will have to order one!

Lisa, you've seen a longan with a trunk 10' in diameter? In Fla? If it's Bill Whitman's Kohala on his property, I can understand since it'd be 50 years old. Otherwise that's amazing, or amazing regardless.
Longan: Biew kiew, see chompoo or Kohala (in that order)
White Sapote: In Florida Redlands is about best.
Carambola: Fwang Tung, B-10, Sri Kembangan, Kari
Mango: I like Lisa's choice of Mallika, a cross of Indian mangos Neelum and Dashehari (sp?) which is excellent.
Papaya: Solo or caribbean red
Barbados Cherry: Long as its not a seedling it should be fine.
Lychee: Sweetheart, Hak Ip, Ohia, No Mai Tze (low production, excellent taste)
Jakfruit: Gold nugget has bowling ball sized fruit which are excellent.
Passionfruit: Purple
Guava: Get a pink/red type unless you've tasted and like the white kind (I don't).

Good luck!

Gary

Sugar Apples: I have Green And Mauve. Have never tasted the Mauve. Bought this one after seeing Lisa's in a picture.

Mamey Sapote: These do not fruit in California so I opted for a Green Sapote which has the same flavor but smaller fruit.

Purple Mombins

Guavas: Pink and White

Atemoya: I have a Gefner with fruit right now. Waiting to be ready to check out the flavor. In the hunt for a 48-26.

Suebelle White Sapote: There are bigger ones but this one is probably the best for home culture as far as tree size.

Sapodilla: I have the Alano variety.

So what do you think about getting fruit from a jakfruit in a pot?

John

Which Wax Jumba do I want? Varieties: Red, Pink, White, and Green.

For Papaya PIN only has Red Lady it sounds like a good variety so thats probably the one i'll get.

For Carambola they have... Varieties: Arkin, Fwang Tung, Kari, Sri Kembangan ... Which one is best?

Which Cacao do I want? Varieties: Red and Yellow

These are all the varieties PIN has which one is the best? Varieties: Homestead, Redland, Smathers, and Younghans

Plummy that would be nice to start a plant from seed and then graft the variety on to it but how long would it take to get fruit from it?

Still wondering about Jaboticaba, it sounds like it just like a grape. Is it really a lot better then a grape?

This is what I figured out so far that i'm going to get.

Caimito
Carambola--Please help with variety
Cherry of the Rio Grande
Cacao Tree--Please help with variety
Guava--Pink
Lychee--Mauritius
Miracle Fruit
Papaya--Red Lady
Passion Fruit--Purple
Sapodilla--Alano
White Sapote--Please help with variety
Atemoya--48-26
Barbados Cherry--Florida Sweet
Wax Jumba-- Please help with variety
Black Sapote
= $410

John

Time from graft to fruit might be 2-3 years. Maybe more. I would go with the trees from PIN.

Gary, the huge Longan is in Stuart, Florida. I hope I've estimated the size correctly. I'll find out from the owner. I saw another large one in Boca Raton last month. It is growing between 2 houses in a gated community. The ID was confirmed by the owner. The top was damaged by the hurricanes, but the trunk is massive.

I'll ask for permission to post the photo of the big Longan. It is gorgeous!

John, I have the Red-Pod Cacao. It is getting awfully tall and much harder to move around. It flowers nearly constantly, but no fruit have formed yet.

Jaboticaba is an okay fruit. But the tree itself is really pretty. I much prefer a fig over a Jabo fruit. They are like a very thick-skinned grape, but the flesh is not as tender or as sweet as grapes. You kind of have to chew them a bit. I pick them right off the trees at Excalibur. I have to admit, that a mature Jabo covered with fruit, is very attractive!

Lisa

I have some passionfruit going inside the greenhouse right now in a huge container with two trellis anchored in. They are taking over the trellis. My plan was to only keep it around until it fruits...just to prove it can be done I guess, then dispose of it. I also thought about rigging some supports to let it climb across the top of the greenhouse in back. Would look pretty neat but like Lisa, I'm not sure it's worth the effort to make it all happen. Besides...it's taking up valuable space for more important specimens! It's approx 1 1/2 years and if it doesn't flower by next summer, it's out of there! Too soon to expect flowers?

Ok then i'll cross out the passionfruit from my list and replace it with a sugar apple.

Thanks

John

John, cross out akee too. Its a fruit used more for cooking and if not cooked right, will kill.

The most popular Jambus is probably 'Black Pearl' which is a red skin variety. Usually white/green skin jambus are sweeter than the red skin ones but I hear 'Black Pearl' is excellent though.

I am not familiar with papaya varieties. But I recently seen a papaya that bloom and fruited at about 4 feet in Long Beach. I will be getting seeds from it, hopefully I'll be able to share them with everyone.

Eggo, if you somehow don't get those Papaya seeds, check out the seed source below. I purchased lots of low-bearing, named varieties from them, and the seeds all germinated. I am now harvesting the delicious fruits. They are even fruiting in pots, since I procrastinated about planting some of them(G).

I could send you fresh seeds, but I don't know the varieties, since all my tags were lost.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Papaya seed source

So sould I just get Papaya seeds instead of plants? It seems like they only take about 9 months to fruit from seed. So I might just get some seed.

What do you think about me getting fruit from a jakfruit in a pot? Do you think its possible?

PIN is all out of Abiu :( It sounded really good. Maybe next year.

John

John, I'd go with seeds. They are really easy to grow. Mine took nearly 2 years to fruit though, because the hurricanes beat them up so badly, and I did not care for them very well. I mostly ignored them. This year, with watering them and planting most in the ground, they have done fantastic!

On the cost side, $2.50 for 10 plants (seeds) sure seems better than $25 for one! Plus, you can have several varieties and give some away if you like. I gave lots of mine away. It is fun to know that they are making others happy.

Lisa

What do you think about me getting fruit from a jakfruit in a pot? Do you think its possible?

John

Didn't Eggo have a small fruit on his Jakfruit in a container???? Not sure how this panned out for him. The tree was really small to begin fruiting...but that's Eggo for ya! The guy seems to pull plant miracles out of his backside more times than I can count!!

hehe, thanks Jay. When you kill enough plants like I have, you will eventually find that one or two seedlings that just won't die.

It wasn't quite a container grown jackfruit. I planted out 3ft(its around 2yrs old) seedling and that same year it bloomed. Its bloomed about a dozen time already this year, nothing held though. The oddest think is the bloom is on the exact same stem. It has a bloom on it as I'm typing right now, with another one pushing out. But the tree is like only 4 1/2 foot and its a stick, there's nothing I would call a trunk.

John, I wouldn't recommend attempting to fruit a seedling jackfruit in a pot. Grafted would be your best bet, I've seen some pictures of some grafted specimen fruiting in large pots before, but these were large pots!

Thanks Eggo, I will get a grafted Jakfruit from PIN. So here's my final list...

Caimito
Carambola--Please help with variety PIN
Cherry of the Rio Grande
Cacao TreeÂRed Pod
Guava--Pink
Lychee--Mauritius
Miracle Fruit
Papaya--Red Lady
Sugar AppleÂ
Sapodilla--Alano
White Sapote--Please help with variety PIN
Atemoya--48-26
Barbados Cherry--Florida Sweet
Wax Jumba-- Red
Black Sapote
Jakfruit--Gold Nugget
= $445

And having it on a large pot is no problem because my greenhouse is 12ft at the peak.

I think I'll take some pics today of the greenhouse.

John

At least a gold nugget produces somewhat smaller fruit, which may be helpful for potted culture. I have a small one. Be extremely careful with jakfruit roots when repotting. One false move and it might die. I mentioned some good carambola vars above.

Gary

John,

You probably have to consider two red cacao trees if you want some cacao pods. I have been keeping a 9 feet tall cacao trees for two years now, it grows like crazy in my sunroom, has a big canopy, flowers frequently, but no single cacao pod so far. I tried all kinds of had pollination, finally I consulted Montreal Botanical Garden, they told me I need two trees for the pollination. I am running out of space, but still want to keep it since the flower is quite fragrant.

Gary, where did you obtain your Gold Nugget? How old, how big? I've been kicking around getting one but was wondering about the particulars of this variety. Thanks

Yellowthumb, are you sure? I'm bummed if it is true you need two Red-fruiting Cacao trees to get fruit. I bought mine from Pine island Nursery, and have seen lots of fruiting trees locally. But, there were many trees in one area, so cross pollination was very likely.

I found the info below when I seached online. But I don't really understand it. There is a link that talks about self-incompatibility.

Can someone explain this in layman's terms please?

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Cacao info

Lisa,

Sorry that I am not sure at all, I really hope that it's not the case. But people from Montreal Botanical Garden told me so. Obviously I am very disappointed if I can't have any pods.

If there are many trees in one area, the cross polination is very likely by insects flying around, they obviously don't just rely on one flower to feed themselves. I have been trying to be a smart insect for two years, but no success so far. It's quite disappointing that after a flush of flowers, then all brown up and fell off.

I might add if you have any extra money try and but a few Rheedias sp. and Garcinias. I would get Button Mangosteen, Charichuela, and mabye another. They both are low growing and have IMO delicious fruit.

Solitary cacao fruit trees will produce fruit, at least they do it here in Mèxico. I guess cross pollination will enhance production.

Ohiojay,

My gold nugget I bought middle of last year. Its grafted. It got frosted to just above the graft last winter. Thought it was dead. Looks great now, a small but spreading shrub. It was from Pine Island nursery, as many of my plants are. Supposed to have excellent taste, bowling ball sized fruit.

Gary

Lisa,
Self-incompatibility means it needs a genetically different plant to provide pollination. I'm pretty sure any other plant of the same species which was grown from seed would do. Seed would be sexual propagation, introducing a certain amount of genetic variance. If you grew a cutting from the same plant, it would not work. I have native pawpaws which are like that.

Gary

Where can I buy the haysa variety of sapodilla in southwest florida?