Guide to Choosing Fruit Trees or Tropical Vegetables for Cold Tolerance

Probably the main limitation to growing tropical fruits in Southwestern Florida is low temperatures. The following are what we hope are helpful charts to aid you in choosing fruit trees for your yard. They indicate the temperature minima of the various tropical fruit trees that ECHO carries. In using the charts below, please remember that these are simply our own suggestions, with the information gleaned from a variety of sources and not the ultimate authority on the matter. You may find different trends in your own area. Microclimates within your yard may raise the temperature several degrees above reported temperatures; check the temperature trends in several locations in your own yard. For example, depressions, or areas facing north may be quite a bit cooler, while areas next to walls, south-facing or mature landscapes protected from the wind may be several degrees warmer. Another thing to keep in mind is that these minima refer to sustained temperatures; if a low temperature is maintained for only an hour, that is a very different thing than a low temperature sustained for several hours. And keep in mind that younger trees are generally 3-4°F more sensitive than mature trees.

Many people are determined to grow tender fruit trees in colder locations. There are options if you decide to go this route. You can cover younger trees during the cold nights. Many of these trees can be grown in moveable containers that can be brought indoors or to a protected location for the cold snaps. If you are willing to engage in heroics, there are publications available through IFAS detailing other measures that can be taken to protect fruit trees from the cold. At ECHO we rely both on overhead sprinklers and "frost blankets" to protect plants during frost and freeze conditions. 

Table 7 Cold Tolerance of ECHO's tropical fruit trees.

Hardy Below 24°F	24°F Minimum	26°F Minimum	29°F Minimum		Not at all Hardy
Apple Blackberry Blueberry Cherry of the R. Grande Fig Jelly Palm Kumquat Loquat Mulberry Muscadine Grape Nectarine Peach Pear Persimmon Pineapple Guava Pomegranate Prickly Pear	Anise Bay Leaf Cattley Guava Indian Jujube Jaboticaba Kei Apple Macadamia Nut Surinam Cherry White Sapote	Akee Allspice Atemoya Bay Rum Carissa Cherimoya Curry Leaf Tree Grumichama Imbe Lychee Raspberry, Mysore Wampi Longan	Ambarella Annato Banana Barbados Cherry Black Sapote Caimito Carambola Cinnamon Coconut Custard Apple Guava (Tropical) Jackfruit Kwai Muk Mamey Sapote Mango Mayan Breadnut Monstera	Otaheite Gooseberry Papaya Peach Palm Pitomba Purple Passion Fruit Sapodilla Soursop Wax Jambu Pineapple Malabar Chestnut Sugar Apple Rose Apple Canistel Ice Cream Bean Tamarind	Coffee Spanish Lime Malay Apple Miracle Fruit Spanish Lime Cashew

Table 8 Avocado cultivar cold tolerance

Avocado Cultivar	Minimum Temperature (°F)
Brogdon	22
Winter Mexican	22
Custer's Red	24
Day	25
Marcus Pumpkin	25
Lula	25
Choquette	26
Tonnage	26
Russell	32

Table 9 Citrus Species cold tolerance

Citrus Species	Minimum Temperature (°F)
Kumquat	10
Calamondin	10
Satsuma Mandarin	15
Sweet Orange	24
Grapefruit
Pummelo (Hirado Butan)
Lemon (Meyer)
Lime	29

Information in above tables adapted from Florida Fruit by Lewis Maxwell and Rare and Exotic Tropical Fruit Trees and Palms, by Carl W. Campbell and Seymour Goldweber, published by the Caloosa Rare Fruit Exchange; and A guide for choosing rare fruit trees for your yard by David and Tina Silber, published by the California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. and our own observations and experience. .  Most cold hardy sweet oranges: Ambersweet, Parson Brown, Hamlin. Most cold hardy mandarins / tangerines: Dancy, Orlando, Dancy, Robinson, Sunburst.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 August 2007 )