EarliHart Feijoa

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Also known as: EarliHart

New Zealand

EarliHart was named in honor of Roy Hart, a New Zealand feijoa breeder — one of two named breeders (alongside Nigel Ritson, already documented elsewhere in this database) whose private breeding work has driven most of the meaningful feijoa variety improvement in recent decades, after feijoa breeding shifted away from earlier government-sponsored programs. According to One Green World, EarliHart was selected from seed Hart personally shared with the nursery. It is documented as the earliest-ripening of OGW's feijoa selections, making it particularly well suited to cool-summer, short-season growing regions like the Pacific Northwest, where it reliably produces abundant crops even in climates too cool for later-ripening varieties.

Submitted by @system · 1 day ago

Counts toward the overall Top Tier Fruit list — every category's votes are compared the same way.

Growing & Care

Hardiness zone

USDA Zones 8-10

Chill hours

~100 hours

Pollination

Partially self-fertile; produces more fruit with a second, genetically distinct feijoa variety nearby.

Care info

Standard feijoa care: full sun to part shade, well-drained soil. Notably well suited to cool coastal and Pacific Northwest climates.

Recommendations

A genuine, named breeder release — the earliest-ripening feijoa in One Green World's catalog, a real practical advantage in short-season climates.

Flavor Profile

Sweet, with mint and pineapple notes typical of the species

Quick facts

Skin color

Green

Size

Medium to large

Hardiness zone

USDA Zones 8-10

Chill hours

100

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