what uncommon fruits can grow in zone 7 foothills of NC

I have just planted 4 heirloom semi-dwarf apple trees and two semi-dwarf pear trees. I would also like to try some unusual good tasting fruits. Has anyone had success with Feijoa here in North Carolina? Are there any of you that have grown goumi, jujube? I thought about bush cherries. But would like to try some of the new fruits that are not in the common backyard garden.

There is some good information on this thread.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/833370/

I don't know about Feijoa there, it is a zone 8B plant. I could get them through my winters here but they would lose their leaves and would have to re-leaf and that way they never fruit. So I would say doubtful without some special work. I tried covering them but the covers did not let in any light at all and the plants did not like that at all.

Jujubes will do very well there and I think they are well worth it given how little work they take (get Honey Jar variety if you can find it, or Li). I don't know much about goumi. Check out pomegranates and figs and muscadine grapes, they like the heat and taste great.

Scott

Thanks Darius and Scott. I will try the Feijoa in a protected area. If it doesn't take, I'll take it out in a few years and plant something else. I do have an old fig that was here when we bought our house. Some of the limbs are four inches thick.
I was thinking of cutting it down to about three feet. It's about 12 or more feet tall. It's getting hard to reach the figs. Sqirrels seem to enjoy them though. I think I read somewhere that it's best to trim in the fall after fruiting is done.
Are pomegranates sweet? I think I tried one once from the store and it tasted bitter.

I would prune your fig way back now if it is not too far leafed out. Figs are tolerant of getting cut to nothing (its what a bad winter up here does - kills to the roots).

A good pomegranate is sweet and not bitter. The only problem I would say is the relatively large amount of seeds for how much juice you get.

Scott

Pawpaw for the win!!!
you can't beat pawpaws and persimmons.. native, nasty, never seen in the stores. Every under utilized in our gardens

I definitely want to try a paw-paw. I've been thinking of trying the food-forest plan, something called permaculture. But since the trees are only a few feet tall now, can I still plant things around them or should I wait a few years? I think I need to get a book about it and read up on it. I read some on this site and on the web too.

pawpaws are not for everyone - my family won't eat 'em and I have a whole row of trees looking like it will produce a bumper crop this year. I do like them myself.

Persimmons are also very good, I should have brought that up. I prefer the asians myself and they are easily grown in your zone.

I'm not sure what you are asking about relative to planting around them. Don't plant under the canopy and don't shade them; otherwise you can plant nearby.

Scott

scott- what do your family have against pawpaws- just planted ny first 2, this year. The way they are described in the catalogue they sound delicious

gg/ll, I think it is the bitter taste in the background. There is in fact something in pawpaws that is mildly poisonous, annanocin, so it could also be that there is some genetic aversion to that taste in some people. I am growing several different varieties in the hope that one of them will go over well.

Here is a recent discussion of the annanocin controversy for pawpaws:

http://www.cloudforest.com/cafe/forum/53960.html

My take on this is to eat them in moderation.

Scott

On Thursday, June 19th, one of the DG Articles of the day will be on Paw-Paw's (by Sharran)

I just got my first 4 pawpaws this year, from Neal Peterson at Peterson's Pawpaws-even if we don't like the fruit (I've actually never had a pawpaw), I like the 'tropical' look of the trees. I have 2 feijoas that did overwinter, but I don't think they'll ever fruit, as Scott mentioned, they are marginal in this area & work hard to recover.
Figs are great! plant them & forget them, they don't need alot of fussing, most of mine fruited the first year of planting. I have some jujubes, only a year old, no fruit yet. 'Nikita's Gift' is a nice smaller persimmon that should do well in your area. Maybe Asian pears &/or kiwi?