TAMARILLO BETACEA RED IS A JUICY AND VERSATILE FRUIT THAT PROVIDES LOTS OF PRODUCE ALL YEAR! GREAT FOR SMOOTHIES, JAMS, FRUIT SALADS, ICE CREAMS AND CAKES! FRUITS ALL YEAR ROUND! SELF FERTILE, DOESN’T NEED BEES IF NONE ARE AVAILABLE BUT BEES LOVE IT AND IT FLOWERS MOST OF THE YEAR! ONE TREE CAN MAKE UP TO 19 KILOS OF FRUIT!

The red tamarillo is a small, teardrop-shaped fruit with glossy, cranberry-coloured skin and succulent flesh filled with small, soft edible seeds. The skin, though thin, is bitter and high in tannins, making it unpalatable when eaten raw. However, the flesh is bright, sweet-tart, and piquant when ripe.

A general rule for all tamarillos is to remove the skin before eating, which can be done by blanching and peeling, or by scoring and peeling with a kitchen peeler. Alternatively, simply halve the fruit and scoop out the flesh. Riper tamarillos are sweeter, making them more versatile in recipes.

Tamarillos are often used in desserts like cakes, ice creams, and fruit or green salads. They’re also popular in beverages, blended with milk, sugar, and ice, or pureed and preserved as jam.

Tamarillo trees are typically grown from seed and are self-compatible, so they don’t require cross-pollination. However, bee-pollinated flowers can increase fruit yield. Fruits form in clusters along branches, producing prolifically throughout the year, with staggered ripening requiring multiple harvests unless pruned to control production. A single tree can yield an average of 19 kilograms of fruit per year.

Growing Tips: Direct sow into the garden or in pots/jiffy pots. Tamarillos generally germinate year-round in most Australian climates. Keep the soil damp but not wet.

Germination: 7-28 days at 18-28°C (may take longer if temperatures are cooler).

Transplanting: Move plants when they have developed their first set of true leaves (not the initial seed leaves).

Picture by Agnieszka Kwiecie?, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons