Fruit and Nut Trees

by steve stamos

A relative of the potato family the tamarillo is indigenous to Peruvian Andes. This is a small, 2-3m shrubby looking tree also known as the tree tomato. It is a fast growing, shallow-rooted, evergreen tree with large, heart-shaped leaves covered in soft hair. The flowers are fragrant born in clusters at the tip of the branches. It requires a well-drained soil, rich organic matter and a warm frost free location and sheltered from strong winds, especially when young. Tamarillo makes an ideal plant for the small home gardens.

It bears, in late summer-autumn, large crops of smooth, red to yellow, egg-shaped delicious fruit when 1-2 years old. Yellow fruits are usually sweeter than red types. The fruit is a good source of vitamin C with sweet, sub-acid flavor. It is eaten fresh on its own, in fruit salads and/or to make jams, jellies and delicious chutney to go with cheese. Merely cut the fruit lengthwise and scoop out the flesh and pulp or blanch the fruit in boiling water for 3 minutes, peel, slice and sprinkle with a little sugar and leave in the refrigerator overnight. The fruit is ready for harvest when the red or yellow color is well developed. Stored in the refrigerator fruit can last up to8 weeks.

Tamarillo has a shallow root system and will benefit from the addition of a surface mulch to conserve soil moisture. If grown on its own roots it usually dies after 4-6 years. This is caused by nematode infestation of the roots. However, if grafted onto stocks of wild tobacco, (solanum auriculatum), will allow the tamarillo to live longer and produce better quality fruit. Wild tobacco is a noxious weed, but relatively immune to nematode infestations, which in our case makes it very valuable.

Tamarillo is propagated from seeds and cuttings. Cuttings can be planted straight into the ground but do not let the plant fruit the first year. Prune newly planted trees to approximately 1-1.5 m to encourage branching. Applications of potash will improve flavor and color of the fruit.

tamarillo
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