Needed sugestions for climbing edible plant

[smom1976]

Ok so here is the scoop..

I have a pergula.. both of the "sides" were planted last year with confederate jasmine.. one side flurished the other not so..

I have one side with just a plain bare spot.

I would like to plant something that will climb and that I could eat..

I have thought of grapes.. but I live in zone 8 and zone 9 depending on the map.. one map even said 8b

we are divided by interstate 10 south is one zone and north is another and I-10 is about 5-8 miles from my house.

sooo with that said.. I was told that grapes could not grow south of I-10

does anyone know of a berry or fruit that will grow? Maybe black berry or raspberry?

 

[me&thegals]

How about kiwi? They climb like crazy

 

[Sylvie]

Raspberries and blackberries are bushes not really climbers but you could tie off longer blackberry canes to the pergola. You can espalier apples and I don't see why running them up, over, into the pergola wouldn't work on the south side anyhow.
Have you looked into Scarlet Runner Beans or Hyacinth Bean? Both edible and lovely flowers.

 

[kellygirrl]

I think fuzzy kiwis need a pollinator like my northern hardies; you might not have that room. Anyway, I've found my argutas to require too much attention to keep in a small space, but then it seems the same with grapes.

Thornless triple crown raspberries are hardy to your zone. They're compared to and grown like Doyles, which I have, but less expensive I think. They are sweeter, but less productive, than mine (which can be extremely productive), I read. My Doyles are sour unless I get them just exactly right and if you wait a little too long it's too late; some people suggest them more for jams. They could get 30 feet long, but easy to prune. They're not self climbing.

While you're waiting, some climbing beans have pretty red flowers, or maybe an edible gourd

 

[smom1976]

I havent really "looked" into anything so to say.. I did just look at kiwi fruit. sounds wonderful. But the planting space is a box 1.5 feet by 8 feet.. they were talking about spreading one plant 20 feet?? I would need two a male and a female? could I still do this?

row keep the ideas comming... :coolsun

 

[me&thegals]

How about Red Malabar spinach? It has a pretty maroonish stem, lots of large, thick, shiny leaves, and it climbs. Thrives in heat. Edible. Not actually spinach but can be used just like it.

 

[patandchickens]

I'm not sure scarlet runner beans would set fruit reliably in your climate (?).

What about one of the edible passionflower varieties?

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

or hey, are there any tropical-type fruits that take well to espaliering?


Pat

 

[vfem]

How about pole beans.... mmmmmmmm

 

[kellygirrl]

But the planting space is a box 1.5 feet by 8 feet.. they were talking about spreading one plant 20 feet?? I would need two a male and a female? could I still do this?

The spread is more above ground, though I have to remind my plants about that during summer If your pergola is 8 feet wide, you could do it with a kiwi, especially if you found a self fertile one for your zone. They are less aggressive usually, too.

Couldn't resist a quick check. Here's a gardenweb conversation clip:

"RE: Self-fertile Purple Kiwi

* Posted by kiwinut 6b TN (My Page) on
Mon, Sep 29, 08 at 17:03

There are self-fertile kiwi, just not whole species that are self-fertile. Breeders in New Zealand found a self-fertile fuzzy kiwi a few years ago in a batch of 'Hayward' seedlings, and have used it to breed a large number of self-fertile kiwis, although none have been good enough to release so far. These do turn up very rarely, and some day, most cultivated kiwis may be self-fertile. Keep in mind that all wild grapes are also dioecious, with only male and female vines, but nearly all modern cultivars are now self-fertile."


Wink to Sylvie for suggesting climbing beans same time as me