Best Fruits to Grow in the Winter

Don’t let the dark, bleak days of winter get you down. There are fruits that you can grow in the winter months. You’ll have to consider the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone where you live when making a choice. However, many fruits persist even when there is snow on the ground. 

Raspberries

Thorn-covered raspberry bushes adore the cold weather. The shrubs will grow on the side of a mountain as far north as the Canadian border. The hardiest varieties produce red or yellow berries. Avoid planning thornless raspberries shrubs in areas that suffer extreme weather because they are not as cold hardy 

Choose a planting location in full sunlight. Raspberry bushes prefer well-draining soil that is somewhat sandy. The planting location should provide some protection from extreme winds. Often a slope is the best area to plant the bushes because they will have some protection.

Plant raspberries in the early spring months so they have enough time to establish themselves before winter. Apply mulch around the base of the shrub and keep the soil evenly moist. Raspberry bushes produce an abundance of berries that easily persist into the late winter months. 

Grapefruits

In tropical locations, grapefruit trees produce an abundance of citrus during January and February. You can even start grapefruit shrubs from seed. 

• Remove the fruit’s seed-laden core and plant in a pot filled with dirt. 
• Cover with a couple of inches of soil.
• Keep evenly moist.
• Place in a location that receives full sunlight. 

Persimmons 

Persimmons are an ideal wintertime fruit. The bright red and orange fruit ripen either in the fall or early winter. Each bite-sized nugget is about the size of a cherry tomato. The fruits are often used to make bread or liqueur. 

Pineapples

Pineapples are wonderfully easy to grow. They do take a while to get established, often to or three years. To successfully grow pineapples, you can purchase a pineapple from the local store. Cut the crown of the fruit off. Trim away the strap-like leaves low on the stock. Place the stalk into the soil. Keep the soil moist. Eventually, the stalk will develop roots. Plant the pineapple in full sunlight for best results. In the winter, the plant sends up a stalk with a pineapple that rapidly grows and ripens. 

Ornamental Trees

The mountain ash tree grows native throughout most of the eastern U.S. It does not grow at lower elevations. Instead, the tree prefers mountainsides. In the winter, the berries develop on the tree. They are favored for use in jams and jellies. The berries are laden with cyanide so must be cooked to be rendered safe for consumption. Once processed they are highly nutritious. 

The Hawthorne tree flourishes in the snow. The berries are like those produced by the mountain ash tree and must be cooked prior to consumption. The berries often adorn the tree even in heavy snowfall. Many people cut the branches for use in wreaths and bouquets during the holidays.

When planting fruits for wintertime harvest, you’ll want to make sure that the shrubs and trees establish themselves during the spring and summer months by offering them adequate nutrition. At Humboldts Secret Supplies, we sell a variety of additives to provide your plants with exactly what they need to flourish. Please contact us to learn more.