A couple of years ago I decided to try growing jujube trees in Florida. I bought one from a plant show, then had a few others given to me by a friend. Now, a few years later, we’ve harvested a few fruit – but they’re nothing like the ones growing at Dave Taylor’s place:
Those are some pretty jujube fruit.
The trees themselves are also quite beautiful with glossy leaves and a zig-zag growth pattern to the branches.
Though the jujube is alleged to dry on the branches and still hang from the trees, that doesn’t seem to be the case with the ones we’re growing.
They tend to rot and/or fall before drying.
Fresh jujube fruit taste to me like mealy apples. They don’t really taste good until you dry them. I think that would require a dehydrator here in Florida, however, since the harvest season for jujubes peaks during the height of our rainy season. Good luck drying ’em in the sun!
Though jujube make an interesting addition to a food forest, I can’t really say I recommend them at this point. There are likely better and worse cultivars for our state. The couple types we’ve grown have been very care-free but also lacking in high harvests or great fruit.
I’d still add a couple if I had space in a food forest but I’d do it after adding more productive and tasty species like persimmons, pears, figs, mulberries and loquats.
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13 responses to “Growing Jujube Trees in Florida”
OK. I admit that I have looked at those trees and wondered about them. After your experience, I am glad I didn’t try them.
Here’s my question: why don’t you just grow a date palm? I was at the Florida Welcome Center last weekend off of I 10 and there was a date palm that was dropping fruit all over the place. I didn’t eat any of the dates, but it didn’t look like anyone else was, either. It was just prolific.
Pensacola should have the same growing conditions as you have.
Dates generally produce quite poorly in Florida, though they’ll bear on occasion. Usually the humidity interferes with the fruit set – plus I’ve had a hard time determining cold tolerance. I do have two in the food forest as test, though – they’re just small.
Oh. Thanks for explaining that. I’d be interested to hear of your results if your “test dates” work out for you. :)
I grew up in Louisiana and my neighbor had a jujube tree in his yard which we raided from time to time. They were crispy and delicious. I am going to try growing a couple–they say more than one even with the self fertilizing ones. You’re not supposed to leave them on the tree long for crispy fruit.
What makes you think they were “dates”?
Many Palm have date like fruits.
But it’s too humid here for date palms in general.
They’re not good to eat fresh but they’re a widely used medicinal food in Asian countries. They’re supposed to be pretty good made into preserves too.
Good to know. I love underutilized fruit.
In China they take sticks to shake the fruit from the trees and then dry them.
Sounds like Chinese jujubes.
Here in south Florida Indian jujubes produce a very good tasting fruit but not in the brown stage.
I think you’re right. The Chinese type is supposed to be more cold hardy.
I grew an Indian Jujube in south Florida and it was very good. Tasted like a caramel apple. I have read that the Chinese jujubes are better tasting but haven’t tried one yet. I am now in Jax so I may buy one if I can find one.
Greetings, what variety of Jujube should I grow in Tampa, Central Florida, Zone 9b ?
Chinese would be best, as it is more cold tolerant.