Natural living, food forest gardening in New Zealand

Spring grafting season for fruit and nut trees August - October

Wood is cut and graded in June for dispatch in July – August. On receipt, scion wood will need to be stored refrigerated until the appropriate local grafting time.

Length: 150 – 170mm with 3 - 4 buds

Diameter: 5 – 12mm

Grafting is the process of adding part of a known, desirable tree onto existing, growing roots of a similar species. This process offers many benefits such as having many types of apple on a single tree or influencing the characteristics of the tree such as size, soil requirements and disease resistance.

May June July August September October

graft fruit trees

Watch Scion / bud wood for grafting All about Fruit Tree Grafting

Plum - Purple King scion / bud wood

Details Large, rounded, yellow fleshed fruit with red-purple skin. Sweet and juicy with a tendency to go dry and mealy when over ripe. Heavy cropper performing well in warmer areas. Cross pollinates with most other plums.

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags plum scion stone fruit

Harvest January February

Watch Learn More Order

Nashi - Hosui scion / bud wood

Details Absolutely delicious to eat, Nashi Hosui pears are renowned for their sweetness, juiciness, and perfect balance of acidity. Their large, golden-brown fruits boast a distinctive russeted texture, and their fine consistency adds to their appeal. Additionally, Nashi Hosui trees are partially self-fertile, simplifying the pollination process for growers.

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags fruit graft scion

Harvest February

Watch Learn More Order

Shiro Plum

Botanical name Prunus domestica

Details A Japanese variety, this tree produces medium sized golden yellow fruit with dense sweet and juicy flesh that clings to the stone.
Early to mid season
Supposedly best pollinated by Santa Rosa although I have been getting good yields despite not having Santa Rosa

Flowers White

Edible

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Shade / Sun Full sun

Tags plum fruit

Rating

Learn More

Luisa Plum

Botanical name Prunus domestica

Details This plum variety boasts large, red-yellow skinned fruit with a vibrant yellow flesh and a unique dimple on its cheek, taking on an elongated heart-shaped form. Notably sweet and juicy, it offers an exceptional taste experience. The tree yields heavily, exhibiting precocious and consistent cropping year after year.
It is self-fertile, though cross-pollination with 'Billington' can enhance fruit set.
The plum is nearly freestone, making it easier to enjoy.

Typically ripe for harvesting in January or February.

Diameter 1.00

Flowers White

Edible

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Shade / Sun Full sun

Tags plum fruit

Learn More

President

Colour Purple skin, gold flesh

Harvest February

Details Late season, large to very large, dark purple/blue skin, oval, sweet when ripe, juicy
Grafted to seedling tree along with many other plums, east of driveway

Diameter 1.00

Tags plum fruit

View map

Large fruited thornless hawthorn seeds

Common name Chinese Hawthorn

Botanical name Crataegus pinnatifida

Details A deciduous tree or shrub that can grow to heights of 5-10meters. Grown widely in China for its edible red fruits, these seed come from a tree planted in 2013. This specimen is thornless and produces large quantities of big dark red fruit after white flowers. This is the only type of hawthorn we grow and there are no wild ones in close proximity (that I am aware of) so seed should be pure.

Tags berries deciduous edible fruit perennial

Price $4.20 20 seeds

Watch Learn More Only 4 in stock Order

Red cherry guava seeds

Common name Strawberry guava

Botanical name Psidium cattleianum

Details Small evergreen tree or shrub slowly growing to 6 meters. Native to Brazil. Red fruit, up to 3cm in diameter, with numerous hard small seeds. Rich in vitamin C

Edible

Evergreen

Frost sensitive

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Tags edible evergreen fruit perennial red tender tree

Price $3.90 20 seeds

Watch Learn More Only 2 in stock Order

Quince root stock for grafting dwarf pear and loquat

Botanical name Cydonia oblonga

Details Quinces are used as a root stock for producing dwarf pears, loquat and other quinces.

Root stocks can be created from root suckers, stool bed or seeds from overripe fruit planted in late autumn.

Flowers White

Fruit / berries

Tags graft dwarf fruit tree pear

Benefits

The primary benefits are smaller trees that fruit sooner

Negatives

Many cultivars of pear are not directly compatible with quince and require double grafting with a compatible interstock
Pears grafted on quince have shorter lifespan than on seedling grown root stocks
Quince trees are prone to suckering, sending up growth from around the base of the tree and near damaged roots. These can be used as rootstocks.

Watch Variety compatibility

Picking Loquat Fruit

Loquats are typically harvested in New Zealand from late spring to early summer, around November to December, depending on the climate and variety.

How to Tell When Loquats Are Ripe

Colour: Ripe loquats turn a vibrant yellow-orange or deep orange, depending on the variety. Avoid greenish fruit, as it’s not fully ripe.
Texture: Ripe loquats are slightly soft to the touch but not mushy. A firm fruit might still need a few more days.
Taste: Fully ripe loquats are sweet and tangy with a mildly floral flavour.

How to Harvest Loquats

Choose the Right Time: Pick the fruit when it has fully changed colour and softened slightly on the tree. Loquats do not ripen well after being picked.
Use Scissors or Pruners: Cut the fruit clusters with a small length of stem attached. This helps prevent bruising and keeps the fruit fresh longer.
Be Gentle: Handle loquats carefully, as their thin skin is prone to tearing.

How to Eat Loquats

Raw: Rinse the fruit under cold water, remove the stem, and peel off the skin if desired (though it is edible). Split the fruit to remove the seeds, which are not edible.
In Recipes:
- Use loquats in fruit salads, smoothies, or desserts.
- Cook them into jams, jellies, or chutneys.
- Add them to baked goods like tarts or muffins.
Preservation: Loquats can be frozen, canned, or dried for later use.

spring fruit harvest loquat

December

Picking Banana Passion Fruit

Typically ready for harvest from summer to early autumn, depending on your region and local growing conditions.

How to Tell When Banana Passionfruit is Ripe

Colour Change - The fruit changes from green to a bright yellow or golden-orange hue (depending on the variety). The colour should be rich and uniform.
Softness - Gently squeeze the fruit; it should feel slightly soft but not squishy.
Separation from the Vine - Ripe fruit often falls from the vine on its own. If it’s still attached but shows the above signs, it may still be ready to harvest.

How to Harvest

Manual Picking - Use sharp pruning shears or scissors to cut the fruit from the vine, leaving a small stem attached to prevent damage. Handle the fruit gently to avoid bruising.
Collect Fallen Fruit - Check around the plant regularly for fallen fruit, as these are often at peak ripeness.

Tip: Avoid eating the skin as it is not palatable and may contain compounds that can be slightly toxic in large quantities.

summer harvest fruit vine

January December February

Harvest Figs

Harvesting ripe purple figs in January in North Canterbury, New Zealand, is a delightful experience, as the height of summer offers warm days and plenty of sunshine, perfect for ripening figs to their full potential.

The figs on the tree are usually plump, slightly soft to the touch, and emit a faint sweet aroma when ripe. Their purple skin might show slight cracking, a good indicator of peak ripeness. Harvesting is best done early in the morning when the air is cool, and the fruit is at its freshest.

To pick them, gently twist the fig at its stem or use a pair of clean garden shears to snip it off, taking care not to damage the fruit or the branches. Wear gloves or long sleeves if the sap from the tree irritates your skin, as fig sap can be sticky and mildly irritating for some.

Once picked, the figs are ready to be enjoyed fresh, their juicy and sweet flesh making a perfect summer treat. Alternatively, they can be preserved in jams, dried, or baked into desserts. In North Canterbury’s warm climate, this is a rewarding seasonal activity for home gardeners or orchardists alike.

January 22, 2025

harvest figs summer fruit january

January

Female oak leaf papaya cutting

Common name Oak leaf papaya / pawpaw

Botanical name Carica quercifolia

Details Grow your own papaya plant from cutting. Handles temperatures down to -5°C
This species is dioecious, having separate male and female plants. You will need at least one of each to get fruit.

Use rooting hormone: Dip the bottom end in a rooting hormone to improve success rates.
Provide warmth and humidity: Keep the cuttings in a warm and humid environment (20–25°C), preferably in a greenhouse or under a plastic cover.
Well-draining soil: Use a mix of sand and peat or a light potting mix to prevent rot.
Water regularly but avoid overwatering: Keep the soil moist but not soggy.
New roots should develop within a few weeks to a couple of months. Once established, the young plants can be transplanted into their final location.

Wind tolerance poor due to big leaves

Frost sensitive

Edible

Fruit / berries

Tags cutting subtropical fruit

Price $3.90 15 cm stem cutting

Watch Learn More Out of stock

Male oak leaf papaya cutting

Common name Oak leaf papaya / pawpaw

Botanical name Carica quercifolia

Details For successful pollination, plant at least one male Oak Leaf Papaya within 5–10 metres of female trees to ensure effective pollen transfer.

Male Oak Leaf Papaya (Carica papaya var. ‘Oak Leaf’) trees are essential for pollination in dioecious papaya varieties, where male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Since female trees only produce fruit when pollinated, having a nearby male tree ensures fertilisation.

How Male Oak Leaf Papaya Helps with Pollination:

Pollen Production – Male papaya trees produce flowers that generate abundant pollen but do not bear fruit.
Wind and Insect Pollination – The pollen from male flowers is carried by wind or pollinators (such as bees and butterflies) to the female flowers.
Fruit Formation – When pollen reaches the stigma of a female flower, fertilisation occurs, allowing the flower to develop into fruit.
Continuous Pollination – Since male trees bloom more frequently than females, they provide a steady supply of pollen throughout the flowering season.

Wind tolerance poor due to big leaves

Frost sensitive

Tags cutting subtropical fruit

Price $3.90 15 cm stem cutting

Watch Out of stock

Apricot - Jumbo scion / bud wood

Variety Seedling

Details A chance seedling grown in 2009 that produces huge fruit with a free stone. Ripens mid January
Best eaten fresh a some fibre near the stone that shows up in cooked flesh.

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Price for 4 or more $3.00 each if you buy 4 or more

Tags apricot scion stone fruit

Watch Only 10 in stock Order

Babaco cutting

Common name Mountain papaya

Botanical name Vasconcellea × heilbornii or Carica pentagona

Details

Stem cuttings from mature plants growing under cover in North Canterbury.

Propagate and grow your own babaco plants quick and easy with stem cuttings. Simply place the cutting 1 third into the soil (right way up) and keep damp in a sunny, sheltered, warm location. Roots will form around the bottom cut surface.

Plants are self fertile, so only one plant is required to set fruit.

High success rate and should produce fruit in 12 – 18 months.

Wind tolerance poor due to big leaves

Evergreen

Flowers white

Frost sensitive

Edible

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Tags subtropical fruit cuttings propagation

Price $3.90 15cm stem cutting

Price for 4 or more $3.50 15cm stem cutting if you buy 4 or more

Watch Learn More Out of stock

Harvest Feijoa

Feijoa (also called pineapple guava) is best harvested when the fruit falls naturally to the ground — that’s the main sign it’s ripe!

Fruit on the ground: The most reliable method. Feijoas naturally drop when ready.
Gentle tug: If you lightly lift a fruit that's still on the tree and it comes off easily, it’s probably ripe. If it resists, leave it a bit longer.
Smell: A ripe feijoa has a strong, sweet, fragrant aroma at the blossom (flower) end.
Feel: They should feel slightly soft when gently squeezed — not hard like a rock but not mushy either.
Taste: Inside, the jelly-like centre should be clear and sweet. If it’s still white and firm, it’s underripe.

In New Zealand, harvest usually happens from late autumn through early winter — typically April to June, depending on the variety and weather.

April 19, 2025

June 22, 2025

harvest fruit feijoa

April May June

Apricot - Royal Rosa scion / bud wood

Details Highly productive, early-ripening variety, typically one of the first apricot varieties to be available in the season.
Low chill requirement.
While not immune, Royal Rosa shows reasonable resistance to common apricot pests and diseases, such as bacterial canker and brown rot, especially when proper horticultural practices are followed.
Self-fertile, although cross-pollination with other apricot varieties can enhance fruit set and quality.

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags apricot fruit graft scion

Harvest November December

Watch Order

Apricot – Seedling mix scion / bud wood

Details Assortment of healthy apricots fruiting at different times.

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags fruit graft scion

Watch Order

Cherry - Mix scion / bud wood

Details Selection of large fruiting cherries suitable for eating fresh, varieties unknown

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags fruit graft scion

Harvest December

Watch Order

Babaco

Common name Babaco, Mountain Papaya, Champagne Fruit

Botanical name Carica x heilbornii

Details Produces large, yellow fruit pentagonal in cross-section - Self fertile.
Easily propagated from stem cuttings.

Variety Pentagona

Diameter 1.00

Height (m) 2

Flowers Small white

Edible

Evergreen

Frost sensitive

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Shade / Sun Full sun - part shade

Soil type Rich, free draining

Wind tolerance Low (large leaves)

Tags exotic sub-tropical fruit

Rating

LEARN More + BUY

Plum - Elephant Heart scion / bud wood

Details Japanese variety with very large heart-shaped fruit and extremely dark red, sweet and juicy flesh. Superb freestone plum. Mid to late season. Good pollinator. Pollinators include - Omega, Santa Rosa and Sultan.

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags plum scion stone fruit

Watch Out of stock

Drying Fruit

Another way of dealing with surplus fruit is to dry them in the sun for use over winter.

Use a simple wooden frame with fine mesh / gauze stretched over and then place the cut fruit and put the whole contraption out in the sun.

February 17, 2010

Fruit Drying Preserve Summer

olmec

Pruning fruit and nut trees

Time of year for pruning, and an attempt to improve the shape of the trees for easier picking.

Our orchard has a number of large trees as well as a collection of younger ones, all require attention.

June 16, 2010

Fruit Trees Pruning Almond

olmec

Plums

A bumper crop of plums this year. We have been eating them, freezing them, giving them away and trading into the community.
With several trees yet to ripen there is no end in sight.

January 08, 2010

plums trade organic fruit freezing

Dealing with plums

Flavour of the day - Raspberry

Details Over the past few weeks we've been getting the odd handful of berries off our small patch of raspberry canes.
Today I noticed they were dripping with fruit. Some so ripe they fell off as I brushed past the plant.
It's going to be raspberries and ice-cream for desert.

Date March 08, 2010

Tags Raspberry Berries Cane Fruit

The bees and the bees

With the invasion of the varroa bee mite there has been a reduction in the number of nearby hives (both wild and domestic).

I was surprised and relieved to witness a large number of bumble and honey bees servicing the apricot tree.

This photos shows one of the more wild bees. Notice the dark colouring, where 'normal' bees are orange an black striped.

September 05, 2011

pollination bees blossoms fruit apricot orchard

olmec

Pomegranates

We have a small pomegranate tree down the back of the garden. Last year it had 1 small, hard, dry fruit.
This season, after a vigorous pruning, we got 2 plump fruit bursting with pink seeds.
The inside is somewhat like a passionfruit, although not as sweet and tasty unfortunately.

May 28, 2011

pomegranate fruit ripe

olmec

MacVerna Plum

Botanical name Prunus domestica

Details 'Mac Verna' is an early-season plum variety, characterized by medium to large-sized fruit with dark red skin and flesh. The fruit typically has a round shape and exhibits vigorous growth. For optimal yeild, it is recommended to cross-pollinate with 'Billington' or 'Wilson’s Early' varieties.

Diameter 1.00

Flowers White

Edible

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Shade / Sun Full sun

Tags plum fruit

Rating

Learn More

Apricot – Moorpark scion / bud wood

Details Freestone variety that has superbly flavoured fruit that are medium to large in size. Skin is deep yellow with orange blush that's fuzz free. The soft and juicy flesh of Moorpark allows the fruit to be suitable for fresh eating, bottling or drying. A mid-season variety best suited for cooler climates.

Price $3.90 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags fruit graft scion

Watch Order

Plum - Angelina Burdett scion / bud wood

Details Early to mid-season English plum with greenish yellow flesh and dark purple skin which has a pale blueish bloom.
Excellent dessert plum with rich, sweet highly flavoured flesh.

Pollinate with another European plum

Price $3.70 each

Price for 2 or more $3.50 each if you buy 2 or more

Tags plum fruit graft

Harvest January February

Colour Dark purple

Watch Out of stock

Hardy Kiwifruit Seeds

Common name Cocktail kiwifruit

Botanical name Actinidia arguta

Details A vigorous, cold-hardy climbing vine that produces sweet, grape-sized kiwifruit with smooth, edible skin. Fruit ripens April in North Canterbury.
Perfect for home gardens, fences, or pergolas.

Fast-growing and ornamental
Delicious, nutrient-rich fruit, high in vitamin C
Ideal for NZ climates, hardy down to –25 °C
Easy to grow from seed with a little patience
Great for attracting bees and creating lush green cover

Edible

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Tags seeds kiwifruit

Price $4.90 20 seeds

Watch Growing Instructions Only 7 in stock Order

Zucchini Seeds

Colour Pale green

Common name courgette

Botanical name Botanical name

Details A vigorous vining plant producing large numbers of dumpy fruit. Harvest regularly while small for a constant supply.

Edible

Frost sensitive

Tags annual edible fruit tender vegetable

Price $3.90 20 seeds

Watch Learn More Out of stock

Feijoa

Common name feijoa, pineapple guava

Botanical name Acca sellowiana

Family Myrtaceae

Flowers Pink

Diameter 4.00

Height (m) 4

Drought tolerance

Edible

Evergreen

Fruit / berries

Perennial

Shade / Sun Full sun

Tags hedge autumn fruit

Rating

Blackberries

Wild blackberries are a bit of a curse round here, growing rampantly wherever they can. However at this time of year they redeem themselves somewhat by offering up sweet berries.
In addition to the thorny wild plants, we have a thornless variety in the garden that produces larger, more accessible berries.

February 16, 2010

Blackberries weed fruit

olmec

More...

Peaches

Our crop of peaches came ready unexpectedly early. Thanks to the wet season they are sensationally juicy.

As with the plums we have more than we know what to do with and so jam making was in order.

February 15, 2010

Peach Jam Preserve Fruit

melisa

Recipe

Greenhouse

Details A well designed, large greenhouse is great way to grow plants that otherwise would have a limited season or not be possible to grow at all. Here we are growing (from left to right) tomatoes, purple passion fruit, thai ginger (galangal) and babaco (mountain pawpaw)

Date December 23, 2014

Tags glasshouse tomato passion fruit galangal babaco

Found 37 results tagged with 'fruit'

Click tags to include or exclude from results

President

Picking Loquat Fruit

How to Tell When Loquats Are Ripe

How to Harvest Loquats

How to Eat Loquats

Picking Banana Passion Fruit

How to Harvest

Harvest Figs

Harvest Feijoa

Pruning fruit and nut trees

The bees and the bees

Pomegranates

Plum - Angelina Burdett scion / bud wood

Greenhouse