Kenyans love fruits. Some of them are available all year round. Fruit farming greatly contributes to the economy. The following round-up shows which 9 fruits to grow in Kenya.

A full list of the 9 fruits to grow in Kenya

1. Banana

It’s almost impossible to find a rural Kenyan home without a banana tree in the farm. This fruit is a favorite in most Kenyan homes, whether as part of the main meal, dessert or snack. Bananas should be grown in rich soil with plenty of water, shade and support, as their trunks tend to bend. There are many different types of bananas. A banana tree takes about 9 months to grow, and bananas meant for commercial purposes are harvested before ripening to reduce damage and loss during transportation.

2. Apple

There are two popular apple types in Kenya; the green apple and the red apple. The green apple is juicier than the red apple. Apples grow best in full sunlight away from wind, in wet loamy or sandy soil. From the time it’s grown, an apple tree can take an average 2 – 4 or 2 – 6 years to bear fruit and can live for 100 years or more.

3. Watermelon

Watermelons are large, green fruits with sweet watery flesh. Watermelons take about 65 to 90 days to reach maturity after sowing. In order to ensure the fruit produced is sweet, it should grow in warm soil/hot weather, preferably in direct sunlight. Watermelons ripen after two weeks of being harvested.

4. Mango

Mangoes are succulent fruits grown in places with plenty of sun and water. There are different types of mangoes grown in Kenya. One should do research to know which mangoes will grow best in the area they are in. A mango tree can take 3 – 5 years to mature and bear fruit if grafted and upto 8 years if not grafted. Like bananas, mangoes are harvested before they are ripe reduce damage and loss during transportation.

 5. Pineapple

Pineapples make the list on 9 fruits to grow in Kenya. They are very sweet and juicy if they grow and ripen under good conditions. Pineapples take about 18 – 24 months to grow and produce fruit. Like all sweet fruits, they grow well in hot weather and luckily do not need a lot of water. They have very tough skin, which means they do not easily lose water through evaporation. They also don’t require rich soil to reach maturity. You can say that they are survivors!

6. Orange

Oranges are very popular in the Kenyan market. They are found everywhere; in markets, supermarkets, kiosks and the likes. There are different types of oranges, some of them may not be too sweet. Identifying the type of orange tree is not a difficult task though. The sweetest oranges have a deep orange skin. Oranges take about 3 years to grow and produce fruit if grafted, if not, they may take up to 15 years! They, just like pineapples, require high temperatures to produce sweet fruit.

7. Avocado

Avocados are widely used in Kenyan homes. They are used as baby feed, mashed and mixed in food (some peo
ple cannot stand this), or used as dessert in homes and hotels as well. There are quite a number of avocado types grown all over the country. Avocados take about 3 years to grow and bear fruit. They grow best in warm weather. They must be harvested before they ripen in order to reduce wastage during transportation.

8. Pears

Pears are rarely available throughout the year. A pear tree will take approximately three years to produce fruit after planting. They are mostly grown in well-drained loamy or sandy soil with good sun.

 9. Pawpaw

Unlike other sweet fruits, pawpaws are extremely sensitive to sunlight which can kill them. They need plenty of shade during their first year of growing. A grafted paw paw tree can start bearing fruit in 2 -3 years, while a non-grafted tree can take up to eight years! This of course depends on the quality of the seeds used.