Gardening – Fantastic feijoa

We’re currently in a feijoa frenzy. Not that I’m complaining, as this happens to be one of my favourite fruits. Feijoas are somewhat unique to NZ. Even though they hail from South America, it is Kiwis who have taken them to heart like nowhere else. Indeed, foreigners first introduced to them here sometimes liken the taste to kerosene!

Growing up in the 1970s, nearly every backyard had a few trees or a hedge of feijoa, mostly seedling grown and of varying taste and size, from hard little pebbles to juicy fist-sized whoppers and mildly sweet through to highly aromatic and even pungent fruit. Now a range of named varieties, mostly bred in NZ, extend the season from March to June and produce reliable crops of medium to large fruit with great taste and sweetness.

Early croppers include Anatoki with round-shaped fruit, Kaiteri with sweet large fruit, Kakariki also with sweet and even larger fruit, plus Unique, which is the only self-fertile feijoa (all the other varieties need another variety nearby to reliably set fruit), which produces medium-size fruit. Mid-season, we have the mild Kakapo, and the Apollo, Pounamu and Wiki Tu, which is a dwarf tree that produces huge fleshy fruit.

Late croppers include Antoinette with large aromatic fruit, also Den’s Choice with good flavour and lots of pulp, Mammoth with juicy but slightly grainier fruit, Opal Star which is one of the best for hedging and produces richly flavoured fruit, Triumph which is another slightly grainy fruit but a good producer, White Goose with large juicy fruit, and Bambina, another dwarf type.

Feijoas are a tough tree, which can be grown throughout most of NZ, including coastal areas and in a wide range of soil types, with low nutrient requirements, although feeding with a general fertiliser in spring will increase growth and fruit size. They also require little pruning. Resist the temptation to shape the shrub by pruning off the outer growth as feijoa flowers are borne on second year wood, so pruning the younger growth will lead to very little fruit production. However, if you want bigger fruit, then thinning out some of the older branches from nearer the trunk is recommended and this also assists with pollination from blackbirds and thrushes. Lifting the skirt with regular pruning is also recommended to make picking up the fruit easier at harvest time.

Feijoas are also resistant to most pests and diseases. Although susceptible to myrtle rust, it seems that this disease has little effect. Of greater concern is guava moth larvae, which affect the crop by burrowing into the fruit, causing it to spoil. A couple of sprays of neem, insecticidal soap or Success over February and March is usually enough to keep the population down.

Aside from scoffing feijoas fresh by the bucketful, afficionados have created an almost endless list of recipes for using the inevitable excess of this luscious fruit. All parts of the feijoa can be used, including the flowers (for candying or adding to cocktails or cordials), the leaves and wood (for smoking other foods), and even the skins (perfect for making fizzy alcoholic drinks). This year, I’ve made feijoa wine (delicious) and bottled feijoas (no sugar needed), while Angela has made a scrumptiously moist feijoa loaf and a tasty feijoa chutney. Before the season ends a feijoa vodka, dried feijoa slices and feijoa ice cream are on the list.