Durian seedlings

Why am I daring to grow an ultra-tropical fruit in a subtropical place?

When I first shared the plan, people said it sounded like a death sentence. Their doubt was loud, but I’ve done difficult things before — so I don’t see it as discouragement, I see it as pressure that sharpens focus.

We often hear that extreme stress creates a survival filter, where only the toughest plants make it through.

I’ve seen a version of this myself. With my golden tomatoes, 62 out of 63 seedlings were off to a great start, but didn’t survive the first winter. But the one that did was exceptionally strong. Its offspring have shown far higher survival rates, needing almost no intervention and producing fruit that thrives in a wide range of conditions.

But durian in NSW is different.

Here, the environment doesn’t act like a helpful filter — it acts like a wall. Cold nights don’t “select the strongest”; they simply push most plants past survival altogether.

So the outcome won’t come from brute environmental stress. It will come from the opposite: reducing stress enough for real adaptation and selection to actually take place.

And if it doesn’t happen, that’s still fine. As long as I have stability, food on the table, and my projects in motion, I’ll keep going. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I’ll adjust and try again.