Food Forest - Frost Free

SKU: C0576

If your garden rarely, if ever, sees a frost, the Food Forest - Frost Free collection opens the door to ...

If your garden rarely, if ever, sees a frost, the Food Forest - Frost Free collection opens the door to fruiting plants that simply aren't an option further south or further inland. It brings together tender, warmth-loving trees and climbers with a supporting layer of pollinator-friendly herbs and dependable perennial vegetables, giving you the makings of a genuinely productive food forest suited to New Zealand's warmest gardens.

The standout fruiting plants here all need real warmth to perform. Moringa Horseradish Tree is a fast-growing, heat-loving tree that doesn't tolerate hard frosts, but rewards a warm spot with a steady supply of edible leaves and young seed pods, both easy to use in the kitchen in place of spinach and green beans. Passionfruit Large Black is a vigorous climber that wants a sunny trellis or fence to grow up, producing generous crops of purple-skinned fruit once established. Tamarillo Large Red is a classic New Zealand subtropical favourite, best given a sheltered spot away from wind and frost, and while relatively short-lived at three to four years, it fruits within around 18 months and produces richly flavoured, egg-shaped fruit. Papaya Red Lady F1 rounds out the fruiting trio, a semi-dwarf hybrid suited to warm, sheltered sites or large containers, producing sizeable, sweet-fleshed fruit over an extended harvest.

Underneath these fruiting trees, Nasturtium Top Flowering Mix and Borage bring colourful, pollinator-friendly flowers into the mix, while Anise Hyssop and Lemon Balm add aromatic herbs that bees find just as appealing. Artichoke Green Globe and Asparagus Mary Washington provide the reliable perennial vegetable backbone common to our food forest collections, established once and then productive for years with very little ongoing input.

Because this collection spans everything from herbaceous herbs to genuinely frost-tender trees, it pays to check each seed packet individually for its specific needs. Moringa and papaya in particular want consistent warmth and will suffer in anything more than the lightest frost, so a sheltered, sunny spot, or a large container that can be moved under cover, will get the best out of them. Passionfruit and tamarillo are a little more forgiving but still perform best away from cold winds and frost pockets.

For gardeners in Northland, Auckland, the Bay of Plenty or other frost-free pockets around the country, this collection is a chance to build something well beyond the usual vegetable patch, layering genuinely exciting subtropical fruit in among the herbs and perennial vegetables that keep a food forest ticking over.

Our Seed Collections have been created to contain some of our most well loved varieties and to take the guesswork out of making seed selections for yourself. Also fabulous as a gift for the gardeners in your life or those new to growing. For individual growing requirements for each of the varieties that make up this Seed Collection, please refer to the specific product information given for that variety.

NZ $45.00

seed-collection

new

good-value

Components

Contains an individual packet of each of the following varieties: Nasturtium Top Flowering Mix, Anise Hyssop, Borage, Lemon Balm, Artichoke Green Globe, Asparagus Mary Washington, Moringa Horseradish tree, Passionfruit Large Black, Tamarillo Large Red, Papaya Red Lady F1

Other Information

It is our intention to supply the varieties detailed for each Seed Collection. However, we reserve the right to substitute varieties when it becomes necessary due to seed availability.

Annual

A plant that completes its entire life cycle (germinates, grows a plant, flowers, produces seed, dies) in one season. It may self-sow, thereby giving the impression of being perennial. Most annuals will flower 60 to 75 days from sowing.

Hardy Annual

An annual that does not need to be germinated indoors but can be sown direct into its growing position in the garden in spring and is tolerant of frost.

Tender Annual

An annual that is frost tender and can be germinated indoors. Sowing direct or planting outdoors must not occur until all danger of frost has passed (also known as a Half-Hardy Annual).

Biennial
A plant that completes its entire life cycle in two years - growing in the first, reproducing and dying in the second. Typically, but not always, producing flowers only in the second year.

Perennial

A plant that can live for more than two years, surviving the winter and flowering each year from the second season. Perennials may flower within 90 days of sowing in their first season but will more typically flower in their second season.

Hardy Perennial

A perennial that is frost tolerant.

Tender Perennial

A perennial that is frost tender.

Hardy

A plant that will survive frost.

Tender

A plant that will not survive frost.

Bolting

Going to seed. Premature formation of a seed stalk, may be due to plant stress.

Botanical Name

The formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Nomenclature for plants. Identifies the genus and species to which the plant belongs useful in distinguishing plants uniquely.

Cotyledon

The seed leaves or first leaves that emerge from a germinated seed, different in form from the later true leaves.

True Leaves

The leaves that emerge after the cotyledons which are indicative of the true form
of the plant’s leaves.

Determinate

Growth stopped by development of terminal flower buds. A dwarf/bush variety which sets fruit in a concentrated period.

Indeterminate

Growth continuing indefinitely when leaf buds form at the tip of the growth. These varieties need to be staked and continue to set fruit until frost.

Heirloom

A variety that is older than two generations (50 years). Can also be referred to as “Heritage” and is always an open pollinated variety selected for garden performance (flavour, long harvest).

Hybrid

A plant resulting from a cross between two parent plants to give a genetically superior plant i.e. improved disease resistance, better vigour, more uniform harvest. Normally, seed saved from hybrids does not grow true to type.

F1 - The first generation of such a cross. Denoted in the name of the variety.

F2 - The second generation of such a cross etc.

Open Pollinated

Natural cross between plants of the same variety. Refers to non-hybrid seeds or plants.

Scarification

The practice of scratching, sanding, notching or nicking the seed coat to assist germination. Used for seed of species that have very hard seed coats.

Stratification

The process of chilling seeds to promote germination by breaking dormancy. Can be artificially carried out by placing seed in your fridge. Follow specific instructions online for the period of chilling time.

Surface Sow

Seed that requires light to germinate. Sow seed on the surface. Press down into the soil. Keep moist.

Germination

Seed germination is the process by which a seed sprouts and begins to grow into a plant. It involves rehydrating the seed, activation of metabolic processes and the emergence of a young seedling from the seed coat. This process is triggered by factors like temperature, water and in some cases light.

Viability

The ability of seeds to germinate.

Vigour

The speed and the strength of the plant to establish well.

Delivery

Courier delivery by NZ Post.

Delivery available only to valid New Zealand
addresses.

The appropriate delivery charge will be applied at checkout.

Delivery charges are subject to change without notice.

You can track the status of your shipment via the link provided in your order confirmation email or by logging into your account online.

Click n Collect

Seed can only be collected from our warehouse at 189 Wharawhara Rd, Katikati.

Select Click n Collect at the checkout.

Click n Collect does not apply for collection at any Kings Seeds stockists nationwide.

Returns

Seed or Products can only be returned with authorisation from Kings Seeds.

Any request for the return of Seed or Products must be made within 14 days of delivery to info@kingsseeds.co.nz

Returned Seed or Products will only be accepted if unopened and in the same condition as when supplied and a record of your purchase can be found.

The Customer shall pay all costs in relation to return of the Seed or Products unless it is deemed a warranty issue.

Please see our Terms & Conditions of Sale for further information on our Returns Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a food forest?

A food forest is a style of gardening that layers trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals together so they support one another, similar to the structure of a natural woodland. It aims to create a productive, biodiverse growing system that needs less ongoing replanting than a traditional vegetable garden.

Is this collection suitable for cooler parts of New Zealand?

This collection has been selected for mild, frost-free regions. Gardeners in cooler or frost-prone areas may want to look at the Food Forest - Frost Friendly collection instead, which features species better suited to those conditions.

Do I need a large garden to start a food forest?

Not necessarily. While this collection includes some larger, long-lived trees and shrubs, it also includes herbs, flowers and perennial vegetables that can be worked into a smaller garden. Planning ahead for the eventual size of trees like Carob is worthwhile even in a smaller space.

What plants are included in the Food Forest - Frost Friendly collection?

This collection includes Nasturtium Top Flowering Mix, Borage, Chamomile German, Chives Broad Leaf, Artichoke Green Globe, Asparagus Mary Washington, Cape Gooseberry, Carob Tree, Goji Berry and Pepino.

Do I need more than one Goji Berry or Carob Tree to get fruit?

Generally, yes. Goji Berry crops better when several plants are grown together, and Carob Tree is largely dioecious, meaning more than one tree is usually needed for reliable pod production.

Will Pepino survive a frost?

Pepino is a cold-tolerant plant. A frost may cut the top growth back, but established plants will typically reshoot from their base and continue cropping the following season.

What does Cape Gooseberry fruit look like?

Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) produces small, golden, tomato-like fruit, each one enclosed in a papery husk often described as a Chinese lantern. The fruit can be eaten fresh or used in preserves.

How is this different from the Food Forest - Frost Free collection?

This collection is built around cold-hardy fruiting plants suited to cooler regions. The Food Forest - Frost Free collection instead features genuinely tender, subtropical fruiting plants like Moringa, Papaya and Tamarillo, which need warmth and won't tolerate frost.