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Re: Edible street trees...what would you plant?

>        - 8-25 feet tall (10-15 feet is best)
>        - appropriate for use as a street tree (no damage to sidewalk from
>roots, no nasty falling things)
>        - edible fruit or nuts
>        - climate adapted; no watering after the first year
>        - minimum litter, no sap (a quick fall leaf drop is okay)
>        - pluses: not slow growing or slow bearing
>
>I've decided to put in two trees.  One will be a semi-drawf almond (Prunus
>dulcis), either an All-in-One, a Garden Prince (if bigger than dwarf), or a
>Hall's Hardy.

I vaguely recall that some almonds need a second tree for pollination.
Also, will it fruit in Oakland, or does it need hotter weather? Other than
those possible problems, almond seems a good choice.

>        Jujube (Ziziphus Jujuba) but am worried about the root sucker
>problems and the fact that it really needs cross pollination.

It definately suckers like mad, especially if not watered.  Also, at least
some varieties have thorns on the twiglets (most of which fall each winter)
so your leaf litter would be full of sharp little pieces.

>        Macadamia ...any chance of getting nuts with no summer watering?
>It seems the tree itself will be okay without water, but not the harvest.

True, it requires more water for nuts than for survival. Also, a happy
macadamia can grow rather fast into a 40 ft x 40 ft, dense, evergreen tree.
Definately NOT what you have said you want.

>        Pistachio (Pistacia vera) will this be okay in this coastal
>climate?  Are our summers hot enough?

Pistachio really wants hotter summers and colder winters than we have. They
do OK in the Central Valley, but probably won't fruit in Oakland. Plus, I
think you need a male and a female tree. Also, they can get quite big.

>        Filbert/Hazelnut (Corylus) this would be more shrub-like but
>prunable to tree form.  Can I get nuts with just one plant? can I graft on
>a second? plant 2 in one hole and get it to look nice?

If pruned right, Hazelnut can be a nice little tree that meets your general
requirements. But I think you need two for cross-pollination. And it may
not get cold enough in winter in Oakland to cause flowers. I had a pair for
several years that never performed properly. I finally dug them up and gave
them to a friend near Petaluma; they immediately started bearing nuts like
crazy for her.

>What others?  Even plants I've never heard of are fine (I'll try a
>fruit/nut before buying).

European plum or prune? (I suggest European because they grow slower and
tend to stay smaller than the Japanese plums.)

Katherine Pyle
Berkeley, California, USA
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