What plants can I grow in Reggio Calabria?

[RC-Italy]

Good Morning, I'm new to the forum, but I've been following you for a long time. I come from Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy, and we recently bought a small plot of land near my house. I live in the parts near the port, and for a few years (5 to be exact) I have had a weather station that measures temperatures. It was around the same time that I became interested in tropical and subtropical plants and have been trying to grow some of them on the balcony ever since. I tried with mango (Kent, Keitt, Osteen, Irwin, Tommy Atkins), papaya (from seeds), pineapple (i think "baby"), banana (Orinoco), Lime, Macadamia and Passion Fruit. So far, however, mango, pineapple and papaya have never made it through the winter. They grow until November, then freeze in December, but they look alive. Then comes a few cold waves and makes them dry. Papaya, however, looks different from pineapple and mango in that it almost appears to rot from the root first. Yet I use a well-drained soil. I speak that this also happens in winters in which the minimum temperature does not drop below +2 ° C (for example in 2017/2018 and in 2019/2020). As for other tropical / subtropical plants, many Musa Orinoco, Passion Fruit, Annona Cherimola, Avocado, Psidium Cattleianum and Macadamia are seen here. Now I have done all this monologue just to understand what area I am in.
So I want to ask you four questions:
1. What tropical / subtropical plants can I grow in my area in your opinion?
2. Are there varieties of papaya, mango and pineapple that can withstand, without any protection, outdoors in the Mediterranean? And of these three plants which are the most resistant to cold (I mean among the easily found varieties)?

3. Is it true that Kensington Pride mangoes are more resistant to colder temperatures than other mango varieties?

4. How different are the Musa Dwarf Cavendish, the Musa Super Dwarf Cavendish and the Musa Dwarf Red in cold resistance compared to the Musa Orinoco and Dwarf Orinoco

Thanks everyone for the answers.

[Silas_Sancona]

16 hours ago, RC-Italy said:

Good Morning, I'm new to the forum, but I've been following you for a long time. I come from Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy, and we recently bought a small plot of land near my house. I live in the parts near the port, and for a few years (5 to be exact) I have had a weather station that measures temperatures. It was around the same time that I became interested in tropical and subtropical plants and have been trying to grow some of them on the balcony ever since. I tried with mango (Kent, Keitt, Osteen, Irwin, Tommy Atkins), papaya (from seeds), pineapple (i think "baby"), banana (Orinoco), Lime, Macadamia and Passion Fruit. So far, however, mango, pineapple and papaya have never made it through the winter. They grow until November, then freeze in December, but they look alive. Then comes a few cold waves and makes them dry. Papaya, however, looks different from pineapple and mango in that it almost appears to rot from the root first. Yet I use a well-drained soil. I speak that this also happens in winters in which the minimum temperature does not drop below +2 ° C (for example in 2017/2018 and in 2019/2020). As for other tropical / subtropical plants, many Musa Orinoco, Passion Fruit, Annona Cherimola, Avocado, Psidium Cattleianum and Macadamia are seen here. Now I have done all this monologue just to understand what area I am in.
So I want to ask you four questions:
1. What tropical / subtropical plants can I grow in my area in your opinion?
2. Are there varieties of papaya, mango and pineapple that can withstand, without any protection, outdoors in the Mediterranean? And of these three plants which are the most resistant to cold (I mean among the easily found varieties)?

3. Is it true that Kensington Pride mangoes are more resistant to colder temperatures than other mango varieties?

4. How different are the Musa Dwarf Cavendish, the Musa Super Dwarf Cavendish and the Musa Dwarf Red in cold resistance compared to the Musa Orinoco and Dwarf Orinoco

Thanks everyone for the answers.

Welcome to the forum first off..

2nd,  Assume a majority of the rain you receive falls during the winter?  ..If so, might look at what grows in Southern California as a casual reference as to what may survive there.. Fully aware of the differences between each area of course..

Even here, where i don't get too much rain in winter most years, it can still get cold enough ( rarely goes below 0 or -1C where i'm located most years ) that the combo of rain chilled soil can cause certain things like Papaya to rot or cause cold damage mangoes, younger specimens esp.  Pineapples can grow, but our heat / intense sun can damage them in the summer if exposed to it.  Heat / growing things in full summer sun can also fatally damage things like Mangoes, Papaya, Avocado, etc.. as well.. 

As far as non- fruiting / edible stuff,   ..that's a very long list   and could include everything from drought tolerant things like Cacti, Tree-like Euphorbia,  Aloes, and Agave, to stuff that likes more water and looks more tropical ( Gingers, hardy and more tender types,  ..Bougainvillea, Plumeria, Orange Bird of Paradise.. and the larger, White- flowering species, ..all sorts of flowering and non - flowering trees, vines,  etc )... 

Edited July 8, 2022 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[RC-Italy]

On 7/8/2022 at 6:22 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

Welcome to the forum first off..

2nd,  Assume a majority of the rain you receive falls during the winter?  ..If so, might look at what grows in Southern California as a casual reference as to what may survive there.. Fully aware of the differences between each area of course..

Even here, where i don't get too much rain in winter most years, it can still get cold enough ( rarely goes below 0 or -1C where i'm located most years ) that the combo of rain chilled soil can cause certain things like Papaya to rot or cause cold damage mangoes, younger specimens esp.  Pineapples can grow, but our heat / intense sun can damage them in the summer if exposed to it.  Heat / growing things in full summer sun can also fatally damage things like Mangoes, Papaya, Avocado, etc.. as well.. 

As far as non- fruiting / edible stuff,   ..that's a very long list   and could include everything from drought tolerant things like Cacti, Tree-like Euphorbia,  Aloes, and Agave, to stuff that likes more water and looks more tropical ( Gingers, hardy and more tender types,  ..Bougainvillea, Plumeria, Orange Bird of Paradise.. and the larger, White- flowering species, ..all sorts of flowering and non - flowering trees, vines,  etc )... 

For me, the wettest season is winter, while the wettest months are from November to March, and the wettest is January, which is also the least sunny month.
From what I can see, the average winter temperature in Southern California is about 2 ° C higher than the Reggio Calabria average. Now I mean mango, papaya and pineapple can withstand in places where January and February have averages 13-14 / 8 ° C, March 15/9 ° C, December 15/10 ° C, April has averages of 17-18 / 12 ° C? I mean, doesn't the average count and only the cold peaks count? Because in my opinion it is likely that the mango, papaya and pineapple cannot hold the average too low, and then a simple lowering to + 3 ° C is enough to make the plants (especially the mango) die.

[veeman55]

Hello. 

I read your post with interest but im a bit confused. You must be doing something wrong if your papayas and mangos dont get through through the winter..There are Mango and Papaya plantations outdoors all around Reggio.

I have friends with jackfruit eggfruit mango and papayas right near the airport. So either you are not planting them right or in hard not draining type of soil or you are exposing them to the cold northwest or north east wind in winter. Even strong winds can kill papayas

Its still summer in November in Reggio area. There is no way those tropicals are dying in Reggio unless you are doing something very wrong for them to die so early like that.

from a papaya tree this season in Reggio City