Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 1 Sep 2024

When you are in the mood for something special - you need a Loquat Liquor

When you are in the mood for something special - you need a Loquat Liquor
When you are in the mood for something special - you need a Loquat Liquor. This is what you do with so many loquat fruit.

🍑 Loquat tree is an excellent choice for any garden, as it is quite cold hardy, drought-, poor soil- and salt tolerant. The delicious fruit look and taste similar to apricots, but there is only one problem: there are too many of them! Make Loquat the perfect fruit for an easy home winery...

🍹 Loquat Liquor recipe

Wash loquat fruit and slit in 4-5 places. You may leave seeds in for Apricot-nutty flavor similar to Amaretto. Combine fruit with vodka and sugar in a wide mouth jar and cover. Stir fruit once a day until sugar is dissolved. Then stir once a week for 4 weeks. Drain liquid and strain through fine cheesecloth. Enjoy!

You can dispose the used fruit but we usually give it a second life: add water, bring to boil, let sit, chill, and it will make another (almost non-alcoholic) drink!

  • ✔️ 3 quarts of loquat fruit
  • ✔️ 1 quart vodka
  • ✔️ 3 cups sugar
  • ✔️ vanilla to taste (optional)


📚 From previous posts:
🎥 YouTube video about Loquat
📁 Overlooked fruit: tasty Loquat recipes (PDF)

🛒 Shop Loquat varieties

#Recipes #Food_Forest #Loquat

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 30 Sep 2025

Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

🍴 Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes


  • 🔴Dice Loquat fruit with tomato, onion, and jalapeno.
  • 🔴Great spooned over grilled fish or eaten with chips.

Loquat Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh loquats, peeled, pitted, and diced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel and pit the loquats, then dice them into small cubes.
  2. Dice tomatoes and onion, finely chop the jalapeno.
  3. In a bowl, combine loquats, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.
  4. Add lime juice and salt to taste, stir gently to mix.
  5. Chill for 15 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

  • Serve with tortilla chips.
  • Spoon over grilled fish, chicken, or shrimp.
  • Use as a topping for tacos or salads.

🛒 Plant your Loquat tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Loquat

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 7 Jun 2025

From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 2: after germination

Loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) - fruit

Loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) - fruit

✍️ From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 2: after germination



Continued from previous posts⤴️
  • 🍑 4. Transplanting Seedlings


  • When to Transplant: Once seedlings reach about 2-4” (5-10 cm) in height.
  • Transplanting and fertilizing: Move each seedling to its own pot and add controlled release fertilizer (Green Magic is the best), or use liquid balanced fertilizer Sunshine Boosters after 1-2 weeks once the seedlings establish.
  • Watering. Keep soil in a pot slightly moist but not soggy
  • Temperature. Keep seedling warm - above 70F (21C), and protect from extreme heat over 90F (35C) . For small plants, avoid freezing temperatures during winter. As the seedlings get bigger, they get higher drought-, heat- and cold tolerance. Established Loquat trees (2-3 years and older) may take light freezing temperatures.
  • Planting in the ground. You can plant the seedling in the ground when it reaches 2-3 ft tall (50-100 cm) in frost-free areas. During chill winter nights, young seedlings can be cold protected until established.


🍑 5. Sunlight Requirements

  • Light Exposure: Loquat established seedlings thrive in full sun but can tolerate partial shade. Start seedlings in bright shade and protect from afternoon hot sun to avoid leaf burn. Once seedlings are established and new growth appears (2-4 weeks), gradually move them to full sun.
  • Why adequate sunlight (full sun) is important:
- promotes healthy growth
- helps to avoid fungus and insect problems
- is critical for future flowering and fruit production

🍑 6. Fruit production

  • Loquat seedlings start producing seed within 3-4 years from seed, providing adequate sunlight, warm temperatures and regular irrigation.
  • Grafted Loquats start producing right away or the next year
  • Fruit will develop over the winter and ripen from March through May depending on location


🛒 Shop Loquat Trees and enjoy fresh fruit benefits

📚 Learn more:


🎥 YouTube video about Loquat
📁 Overlooked fruit: tasty Loquat recipes (PDF)

#Food_Forest #Loquat

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 18 Aug 2022

Grow your own food:
How hardy is a Loquat tree?

Loquat  trees  and  fruit

Q: I am looking for a fruit tree for my backyard that is low maintenance, fast fruiting, and can take some cold (I live in Orlando FL and we do get occasional frost in winter). I like the taste of Loquat fruit, it reminds me of apricots. How cold hardy is this tree?

A: Loquat tree is a very good choice for Florida gardens. It can take both cold and heat and produces lots of tasty fruit right away. Last winter when we had a record freeze in our area with a couple of nights around 25F, the only trees that didn't get any damage at all were Loquats and Macadamias, and those were still young, newly planted 4 ft trees.
To learn more about Loquat trees, check out this and article: Golden Loquat - the symbol of Prosperity.

Loquat  video

Date: 11 Mar 2025

What trees are fruiting and blooming right now?

Tabebuia  chrysotricha  -  Dwarf  Golden  Tabebuia

Photo above: Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia

Q: What tropical trees are fruiting and flowering in March?

A: There's always something blooming and fruiting, especially with spring on the way! Our garden is buzzing with bees and butterflies, and in the nursery, you'll always find plants in bloom or bearing fruit. Here are a few standout winners of the season.

Orchid Trees

Bauhinia  alba  (candida)  -  White  Orchid  Tree

Orchid trees are among the most spectacular trees in Florida, flowering from late winter through spring. They are fast-growing, not fussy about soil or water, and bloom for several weeks in a stunning display of white, purple, pink, or red flowers. In the photo: Bauhinia alba (candida) - White Orchid Tree - the most cold-hardy of all Bauhinias, tolerating temperatures as low as 26F. You can see them in full bloom across Florida right now!

Carambola - Star Fruit

Starfruit  (Averrhoa  carambola)

Starfruit trees (Averrhoa carambola) have been fruiting in our garden since fall, and they just keep producing! We've had so many starfruits that we ended up making lots of jam.

Calliandra

Calliandra  tweedi  With  Love  -  Red  Tassel  Flower

Calliandras are known to be spectacular winter bloomers, but in our garden, they seem to flower year-round. They make fantastic ever-blooming hedges or striking small specimen trees.
In the photo: red-flowering Calliandra tweedii "With Love" - Red Tassel Flower, yright now, this beautiful bush is covered in red blooms in front of our office at Sebring Farm.

Mulberry Trees

Mulberry  fruit  on  the  tree

Yes, it's Mulberry season! Some varieties have already ripened, while others are just about to. We're competing with the birds to see who gets the first fruit, but honestly, there's plenty for everyone! These trees are very cold hardy and highly productive.

Loquat Trees

Loquat  tree  Eriobotrya  japonica

Loquat trees (Eriobotrya japonica) are loaded with fruit right now! We've started picking them and have already made some delicious preserves - you can only eat so many fresh. Loquats continue fruiting through April and May, making them one of the most rewarding, easy-to-grow, and productive fruit trees.

Tabebuia Trees

Tabebuia  impetiginosa  -  Dwarf  Pink  Tabebuia,  Pau  DArco,  Taheebo

Tabebuia trees put on a spectacular show from late winter through spring! Golden and pink Tabebuias are small, compact trees that fit any yard and deliver a breathtaking display year after year.
Check out these short videos of blooming Tabebuias:
Tabebuia chrysotricha - Dwarf Golden Tabebuia
Tabebuia impetiginosa - Dwarf Pink Tabebuia, Pau DArco, Taheebo