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

In Athens they have orange trees as street trees.

Meg

>I am looking for ideas for street trees.  I have a few thoughts already but
>then I read books of unusual fruit/nut trees and come up with rare ones
>that might work, so I thought I'd ask.  Also, some of the ones I'm
>considering don't have enough info about them (that I can find anyway) to
>tell me if they'd be a good choice.
>
>I live in Oakland, east of San Francisco.  I'm at the western foot of the
>hills, just east enough to avoid a lot of the fog, but I don't get as much
>heat as I did on the penisula (East Palo Alto).
>
>My street/sidewalk strip is 47 feet long and 5 feet, 4 inches deep.  It is
>currently planted with lawn only.  The overhead wires are across the street
>so I don't have to worry about them.  The site is on the east side of my
>property and gets lots of sun.  I want the trees to provide some privacy
>but not feel isolating like a shrub.  I want as little shade cast as
>possible so I don't want the tree to be very tall (and dappled shade is a
>plus).
>
>Here's what I'm looking for:
>
>        - 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 have rejected the following: Olive (I want one very very much but have
>been convinced that the fruit drop on a street or sidewalk is not worth
>it); Bay Laurel (I have one in a container and it will provide all my
>cooking needs in a small space); Loquat (I was going to put one in at first
>but the leaf drop is annoying and there are already many in my neighborhood
>so I just have to make friends to get fruit).
>
>Here are ones I'm considering (or hoping might work):
>        Jujube (Ziziphus Jujuba) but am worried about the root sucker
>problems and the fact that it really needs cross pollination.
>        Macadamia ...any chance of getting nuts with no summer watering?
>It seems the tree itself will be okay without water, but not the harvest.
>        Pistachio (Pistacia vera) will this be okay in this coastal
>climate?  Are our summers hot enough?
>        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?
>
>What others?  Even plants I've never heard of are fine (I'll try a
>fruit/nut before buying).
>
>Thanks for any input.  Even if you can tell me, yes, I've seen X growing in
>the Bay Area on the street, that would be great.
>
>Cyndi
>_______________________________________________________________________________
>Oakland, California            Zone 9 USDA; Zone 16 Sunset Western Garden Guide
>Disabled, chemically sensitive, wheelchair user          Organic Gardening only
>_______________________________________________________________________________
>"There's nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there's                     Cyndi Norman
>something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)                   cnorman@best.com
>__________________________________________________ http://www.best.com/~cnorman

Meg Vivers

Administrative Officer
School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences
The University of New England
Armidale, N.S.W., 2351, Australia
Phone (02) 6773 2148
Fax (02) 6773 3312
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