Out of Season

The harvest season for Sweet Nature custard apple growers, starts around mid March for the Queensland growers, and by the end of April, most of the New South Wales growers are also harvesting.

You might wonder what growers do between October and March – do we put our feet up and take it easy, hug our trees or perhaps just walk around admiring the view. In an ideal world, that would probably be what most growers would like to do, but the reality for most is that there is orchard maintenance to be done, other crops to harvest or off-farm work.

Between October and March new trees are planted and the existing trees are pruned. Tree health and soil health are addressed, and farmers take a comprehensive approach to learning, and to responsible and sustainable farming methods. Industry Field Days provide education and networking opportunities for growers, as well as the latest updates on Research and Development.

NSW Custard Apple Field Day at Numulgi, NSW Northern Rivers November 2020
Custard apple flowers have three fleshy, curved petals that fall off shortly after opening. Flowers of the variety KJ PInks, as shown here, are self-pollinating.
A small piece of fruit shown here, beside an unopened flower. This variety, a KJ Pinks, is grown on trellising.
Trellised custard apple trees, with new growth just after pruning, at Numulgi. December 2020