5 rare Fruits to grow this summer

Grow these are, out-of-the-world fruits this summer to  invites curious onlookers into your surprising garden!

Let’s face it, most of us hate summer!  I mean, I can’t think of a reason why anyone would love summer when sweat, exhaustion and lethargy dominate the mood-meter. However, there’s one thing about summer, which we all look forward to: succulent fruits, which nullify the injustices committed by the season. 

Mangoes, litchis, chickoo, grapes, and pears are slices of joy that not only taste good, but also provide respite from the blazing summer sun. But summer is not simply woven around these familiar fruits. There are a variety of fruits that are lesser known, as compared to their popular equivalents. So, this article seeks to pay a tribute to five of such lesser-known summer fruits to grow by treading on the road not taken.

• Amur Grape

Exalted for its profuse and speedy growing characteristics, Amur grapes love to sprawl and crawl over the pergolas, arbours and garden arches. While it grows, you will notice tiny tendrils on the sides of the plant. This fruit requires calcium rich loamy soil for proper growth. 

• Bael fruit tree

It is popular by the names of Indian quince, Bengal quince, Stone apple, Golden apple and holy fruit. A perfect addition to your newly built greenhouse, the bael fruit tree has a beautiful shade of pinkish-maroon foliage, and the flowers exude a redolent scent. Found in Southern India along with a host of other countries, the fruits are harvested only when they develop a yellowish blush. They have the power to survive with minimum irrigation and fertilizers. The pulp is often processed as nectar or “squash” (diluted nectar). A popular drink (called “sherbet” in India) is made by beating the seeded pulp together with milk and sugar. 

• Caigua (exploding cucumber)

The intriguing name of this fruit will surely make one curious. It has earned this name due to the fact that, on maturing, the fruits become spring-loaded missile devices, disintegrating and turning themselves inside-out to launch their seeds up to 5-6 feet away into the garden. An annual plant can be grown either in the trellis, or in the fence. It has a sweet flavour and is valued for its anti-inflammatory traits. 

• Chinese hackberry

Exuding a warm orange colour, the Chinese Hackberry is a sucker of direct sunbeams and is very demanding when it comes to relishing sunlight. This deciduous tree grows up to a height of 10m and has a record of surviving for as long as thousand years! Yes, that’s right! 

• Nance fruit tree

It also goes by the name of Craboo. The fruit is not only popular among the children, but also among our perched friends and domesticated animals of Central America. It is a slow but steady growing thick shrub which usually acquires a height of 30ft. The fruits are eaten either raw or cooked and even served as a dessert. 

Now that you have gained knowledge about some lesser known fruits to grow, I’m pretty sure they will  not only add to your gardening vocabulary, but also make your ‘green thumb’ rival go green with envy, as well as shut the mouths of those jeering neighbours who underestimate your gardening skills!