Common Quince: The Fragrant Fruit Too Few Gardeners Grow

Grow Figs Where You Think You Can’t — Revised & Expanded

My fig book is now more than three times the size of the original, with practical advice on growing in pots, pruning, overwintering, and getting figs ripe—plus ideas from cold-climate fig growers around the world.

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Common quince is beautiful, fragrant, useful in the kitchen—and still surprisingly uncommon in Canadian gardens. In this episode, I talk with Matt Soltys, The Urban Orchardist, about why this old fruit deserves another look.

Matt shares what he’s seeing as he visits urban fruit trees across southern Ontario: backyard quince trees, older pawpaws, locally adapted genetics, and overlooked trees that could become the foundation of future breeding work. We talk about common quince as a small garden tree, how it differs from Japanese quince, why one tree can be plenty, how the fruit is used, its role as pear rootstock, and simple pruning ideas for healthier fruit trees.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing common quince in cold-climate gardens 
• Why quince is such a good fit for home gardeners 
• The difference between common quince and Japanese quince 
• Quince preserves, cider, and other kitchen uses 
• Fruit-tree breeding and locally adapted genetics 
• Pawpaws, pears, and other unexpected urban fruit trees 
• Pruning quince and other backyard fruit trees