14 Unusual Fruit Trees To Grow

Unripe persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) can make your mouth pucker, but let the fruits ripen past the normal ripening stage, or until they almost decay, and they'll become sweeter. Then you can use the fruits, which are high in vitamin C, to make cookies, cakes, puddings and more. American persimmons are usually hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, while Asian types can thrive in Zones 7 to 11. Fragrant flowers open in spring on trees that mature at 35 to 60 feet in height.

Well-adapted to Southeast and Northeast gardens, ‘Ruby Queen’ is a great choice for extending your plum harvest season. This Japanese type matures up to a month later than ‘Santa Rosa’, another Japanese plum. Plant them together to ensure good pollination. 'Ruby Queen' is hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 8.

Plant ‘Compass’ fruits to make into jams and jellies. These unusual fruits, a cross between cherries and plums, are small but juicy. Hardy in zones 3 to 8, the trees bear in the second year after planting and mature at 3 to 8 feet high.

Crispy Asian pears taste like a cross between apples and pears. While cultivars may be partially self-pollinating, you'll get more fruits if you plant two or more together. Use the pears for eating fresh or canning. The variety shown here, Pyrus 'Tawara Oriental', is hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 7.