Spring Plantings - transitioning out of zone denial
In the process, I pulled out a dozen or so cherimoya trees that just struggled too much. However, I still have four healthy cherimoya trees that are all bearing fruit up on the hill in nice, frost sheltered, protected locations. My Bays has a big fruit on it, my Fino De Jete has several tasty fruits on it, my Booth has a couple of tiny fruitlets that will probably ripen this Fall.
I also jettisoned the dwarf orinocco bananas. Not worth it in this climate, although I am saving some pups for the greenhouse. The longan went off to find a new home at Jeff's place, and the star fruit is getting pulled out this Spring too.
So I am almost done with my transition from zone denial to a more realistic garden for my climate. I highly recommend others to do the same., no more weather wining and wining over Winter cold. No more fretting over whether it's 70F or not.
Good bye zone denial!!!
The following thread was started by Axel on March 25, 2008 at 7:57 am PST
Putting in everything that struggles is no fun,but you have to try something edgy now and then. Not sure what's left though since you've tried the whole list.
No figs?..they return alot for no effort.
When you think about it theres not much in SouCal that is much wanted and cant be grown here. Papayas is one,maybe Starfruit,maybe Coffee..but who down south grows enough of that to make it worthwhile?..same story for Pineapples.they take so long to produce one fruit-sheesh.
Oranges is the big miss we have i think..heck,my Mangos were sweeter than Oranges we grow here, muy sweeter.
Oranges..thats what i really wish i could grow well...but as you learned coastal valleys in Nor Cal are the best in the world,not just the state for stone fruits..peaches,plums,mmmm
The above followup was added by STAN on March 25, 2008 at 9:03 am PST.
Stan, you're not too far from my mom's San Jose garden and her oranges are so sweet that I find them to have almost too much sugar. Perhaps I should whack you off a branch of her tree for you to graft.
I've tasted oranges that were growing on Lincoln in Oakland that were sweeter than store-bought. Could it be that you have a bad variety?
My seedling, Merbert's Pumpkin, named for the ridged and huge flattened fruit, is still a couple of weeks from picking. If it's tasty, you'll have to take a branch of it too.
The above followup was added by Merbert on March 25, 2008 at 9:35 am PST.
I never grew them because my relatives Oranges were never sweet. Also i never met anybody who said Oranges here were sweet-until now!
I love Oranges.Always have some in the house.If i knew a good one i would plant it in the best spot i have..or two Orange trees-even better.
The above followup was added by Stan on March 25, 2008 at 9:40 am PST.
I believe Orchard Nursery in Lafayette is having a Four Winds citrus tasting this weekend. The folks at Four Winds are straight shooters and will help you.
By the way, my first blood orange dropped from the tree and it was sugar-sweet. I can't wait for that tree to get large.
The above followup was added by Merbert on March 25, 2008 at 9:46 am PST.
Even if tropicals performed better than they do, if you aspire to eat a balance of tropical and temperate fruit, it would probably be more cost efficient to focus on temperate species. Pound for pound, imported mangos, papayas, starfruit and bananas are cheaper at your local Safeway than pomes, stone fruit and berries you buy at your local farmer's market and the imported stuff will almost always be of better quality than what you could grow yourself. In fact, tropical fruit is often cheaper here than it is in the tropics. I just got back from Barbados where you can't touch a mango for under $1 and small pineapples go for $3. Commercially-grown temperate fruit is expensive and the selection is very limited. Commercial fruit is selected for disease resistance, yield per acre and shipping quality -- not eating quality. "Rare fruit" doesn't have to be tropical. There are plenty of unusual and delectable cultivars of temperate fruit you will never enjoy if you don't grow them yourself.
If you have acres of land, you may have room for experimenting with marginals that will yield good fruit 1 year in 5. But for the rest of us, it doesn't make sense to pay $4.99 lb. for blueberries at the store, because you don't have space for a blueberry patch...due to the fact that you have dedicated all your garden space to bananas that you could easily buy for .39 lb.
Part of the distinction, I suppose, depends on what you want from your garden. Some of us still maintain 99% dependency on commercial agriculture for our food supply and just grow fruit as a curiosity. Others of us are trying to make a major move toward garden self-sufficiency. As major resources such as gasoline and water continue to run out, these decisions will become more important.
The above followup was added by Steve in Brookings on March 25, 2008 at 9:59 am PST.
I grow many temperate fruits which I don't bother discussing here, and some nice oranges which I am adding to, but I have the space and enjoy growing some challenging things. Not for the economics of it, etc., but for the challenge and joy of seeing them. For instance, I am fascinated by the tremendous growth that bananas put on. Some things like white sapote don't ship well so growing your own is the way to go. I am also trying some sugarloaf pineapples because of the great things I've heard of them and they don't ship well either. Surinam cherries are a pretty plant and an interest fruit and should be okay in my climate so I'm trying those also. Those are only good when they are picked dead ripe so you can't buy those and expect them to be good.
Stan, are you a member of CRFG? Have you been to Gene Lester's citrus tour? There are many great ones he grows. There are many that can do great for you.
The above followup was added by HarveyC on March 25, 2008 at 10:16 am PST.
Axel.. The Longan that I got from you in the trade, is in a growth spurt and has already put on 6 inches of new growth. Even though its in a 15 gal pot... its timing is exactly the same as the one that I have in ground.
Once the soil temps have warmed a little more... I'll be putting this tree in the ground where my Mango was.
What I do for a sulking tree... ie one that just sits there not growing... cut it way back... to just above the graft if you have to. This causes the tree/ root balence to be off... sending a signal to the upper part of the tree to send up new growth.
Steve... I do agree with most of what you are saying.
However there are a couple of exceptions..... Cherimoya being one. I will be getting at least 50 to 100 lbs off my tree this summer... at the lower end of the price range ... this is $150 worth of fruit.
Bananas and Avocados might be another... bananas might be a hit and a miss for smaller yards... But a good size bunch... the flavor is far Superior to store bought fruit and a typical large bunch here yields nearly 40 lbs of fruit.
Anybody who owns a fruiting avocado tree... knows that if it weren't for friends eagerly snapping up extras at harvest time... there would be alot of waste....
Jeff
The above followup was added by Jeff on March 25, 2008 at 10:25 am PST.
I planted a Mexicola last spring,its in heavy flower but a puny tree since its on the rental property and bad tenants watered maybe three times all last summer. But when its a little larger wont need any water practically.
The bananas are such a poor return i never expected anything other than a nice look and IF i got fruit out of Goldfinger-good. Not holding my breath for that.
Its easier to justify more trees to the other half when you can pick delicious fruit. Suebelle is making me look good..sort of the opposite of palms and tree ferns that contribute nothing at all and i water just about every day.
And when i plant cherry tomatos out from under Sue this year that will be the best combination of all.
Avocado owners remind me of drug dealers..they have many friends.
The above followup was added by Stan on March 25, 2008 at 10:41 am PST.
If I were to try growing plants for food, it would not be anything that isn't adapted here. I wouldn't try to grow things like mangoes, or even the tropical guavas I've seen offered in a few nurseries here. I know that we're safe with stone fruits or things like apples and pears. Even apricots do well here. Our neighbor has a tree which is looking mighty fine, and had some pretty tasty fruit last season (I pick what hangs over my yard). Figs grow well here, and I'm actually considering putting in a tree in one of the corners (a little more for ornamentality than for fruit, but the fruit is a definite plus).
My ornamentals are almost all things that are well adapted here, or a handful of things which I'm trying out as a test. I've got a couple of Manihot grahamii. which passed through this winter without damage to their stems. They're beginning to bud. One of my last remaining bangalow palms is growing back and I think what helps is it's in a corner where it's not so exposed.
Other than a few special cases, the garden is all natives and mediterraneans. I got tired of trying to replicate a jungle look when it just doesn't work here (and I refuse to amend, as it's just too expensive, and it really won't help that down to the 185 foot aquifer it's all sand anyway). I've come to appreciate what I can grow that is water wise, and is still attractive.
The above followup was added by Barry on March 25, 2008 at 11:08 am PST.
OK, before I start, let me first say that I have incredibly sweet oranges in my garden, so Merbert is right.
Anyway, my problem was that I was in zone denial about where I live, and it made me miserable. Gardening is not supposed to cause misery, if it is, it's because you're trying too many borderline plants.
I am still growing tropicals, but just not as much. i still enjoy them, it's just that I want more fruit out of my garden, the tropicals are all extras.
To give you a complete picture of what I grow, let me summarize it here:
- Apples, 45 trees, 150 varieties
- Peaches, ~ 10 trees, 20 varieties
- Plums, ~ 10 trees, 15 varieties
- Mulberries, 3 trees, about 6 varieties
- Pluots and apricots, ~ 10 trees, 12 varieties
- Cherries ~ 15 trees, 8 varieties
- figs ~ 10 trees, 10 varieties
- pawpaws, ~20 bushes, 20 varieties
- goosberries, currants, rasberries, blueberries, kiwis
On the cool tolerant tropicals, I am growing:
- citrus, 45 trees/varieties
- White sapotes ~ 12 trees, ~ 9 varieties, three seedlings
- cherimoya, (booth, Inca red, Fino De Jete, white, Bays, all productive, still to plant 6 more varieties bunched together into a bush on the hillside)
- avocados, 5 varieties
- capulin cherries, 3 varieties, 5 seedlings
- Ice Cream Bean, 1 tree
- Tamarillo, 2 trees, fully productive
- mountain papayas, is a weed coming up all over the garden, useless fruit
- Lucumas, 2 trees, never fruited yet, but growing like wild
- Feijojas, 5 bushes, three varieties
- Loquats, 4 trees, 4 varieties
- cattley guavas, 4 bushes
- Passion fruit, who knows how many varieties, gone wild, too much work.
On the tropical side, I am still growing:
- Tropical guavas, 3 trees/varieties
- Surinam cherry, hedge of 5 bushes
The above two provide high quality fruit for me.
- Rose apple (goner this year if it doesn't fruit)
I am getting a greenhouse where I will do:
- bananas
- tropical guavas
- papaya grafted on chamburro
- 1 mango
- 1 lychee
- and try one of my 10 year old Hawaiian 1 inch tall jackfruit seedlings that still have two leaves on them. Imagine that, 10 years worth of growth, and they are only 1 inch tall. They've survived every single cold Winter, but not an ounce of growth.
So hopefully, you can see I didn't get out of the tropical fruit business. However, I did two important things:
1) The bulk of the land is dedicated to reliable crops, both deciduous and cool-tolerant, well-adapted, productive tropicals like citrus, avos and white sapote.
2) Anything tender has been moved to protected locations and centralized so that in the event of a freeze, what needs to be protected is minimal.
I've adopted the same strategy for ornamentals. I am using plants hardy to at least 25F as the backdrop, all tender stuff is considered disposable and replaceable. I don't mind growing common palms.
What i consider bullet proof: white sapote, avocado, citrus, cattley guava, loquat, feijojas, even if any of these might sustain occasional damage from real severe freezes.
What I consider marginal and am growing in protected spots: cherimoya, tree tomato, mountain papayas, ice cream bean, lucuma, tropical guavas, rose apple.
It's really basic: tropical fruits that don't produce get removed. Ornamentals that look miserable get removed. And finally, tasteless junk gets removed unless it has ornamental value. Collecting is not an option.
And I reserve to ignore any of the above and grow what I want. :-)
The above followup was added by Axel on March 25, 2008 at 3:17 pm PST.
You eat all that or sell at farmers market?
I could have had a sweet Orange..really thought that was a no go. First chance..
Babacos..or is that aka Mountain Papaya?
Hey,Oranges,Avocados.and a Meyer lemon are the only subtropicals really worth it. All others are for fun,different,interest.
Would be nice if my Monstera could be counted on to have good fruit as its gotten large enough to fruit regular.
Almost forgot..prickly pear aint half bad if you have one.
The above followup was added by Stan on March 25, 2008 at 4:31 pm PST.
Axel,
Wow, reading your list of fruit trees that you have in your garden, I just wonder how do you have time to take care of them, and how much time does it take you to cover them all. It sounds like a garden of paradise. Wish I had a chance just to walk through it, - with your permission - of course. It's amazing, Axel. Congratulations on your success. You are truly an expert gardener.
The above followup was added by Twan on March 25, 2008 at 4:48 pm PST.
Why people think fruit trees require so much more time than an ornamental garden is beyond me. It's one of the biggest myths being propagated out there.
What takes up a lot of my time today is the landscaping infrastructure, that is, bedding, rocks and paths, plantings and graftings, but once the trees are in and growing, the rest is totally easy.
The care goes something like this. Once a year, I have to put in an entire weekend just to haul in a mix of manure and tree trimming, and lay newspaper across the entire orchard, and make sure the micro-irrigation system is functioning properly. The rest of the year, the orchard takes no more than the equivalent of about one day a month, and that includes pruning, additional fertilizing, disease and pest control, harvesting and processing time too.
Keep in mind I am into permaculture, so my focus is on farming and sustainability. I am not a collector, and the garden doesn't have to look manicured either, although I enjoy experimenting and trying oddball varieties. I also keep bees and the chickens are going in this Summer.
Maybe in a few years I'll be going to the farmer's market. For now, I am still buying tons of fruits at the market. it sounds like it's more than what it is, keep in mind these are all small trees and will remain as small trees, and it's only 1/2 acre.
The above followup was added by Axel on March 25, 2008 at 6:38 pm PST.
That was precisely the point of getting out of zone denial, it reduces the amount of work and protection work needed. I've removed most things that require any covering. I've kept tender trees only in those locations where they have the biggest chance of surviving without any protection. Although in the case of a bad freeze, I would probably go through the trouble of protecting the tender stuff. But they are all concentrated in a couple of locations, so it's easy to cover.
if we do have a century freeze, I would want to protect my citrus orchard, and that would require some serious effort.
The above followup was added by Axel on March 25, 2008 at 6:42 pm PST.
I understand the need to mellow your tropical pain, I have taken a break trying to just work with what I have and not take on any more. The loss of most of my seedless guavas was at least financially devastating. I am getting pears and citrus regularly, and will keep my eye out for what else grows here well. I have given away 9 guava plants so far this year with many more to go( gave away around 60 last year ). My plan with my air layering has been to have many people plant in their yards and in time hope they will share with me. The Costa Rican came back from the stump, not vigorous but, there. I stopped counting at 130 guava plant at the Palo Alto house so you know I have not surrendered.
So Axel, you should have closer to 10 tropical guava plants, did so many die?
And Mulberries are a great idea. I plan to grow a couple in 15 gallon buckets. In San Jose, in a 3 X 6 foot spot / 6 plants it took just 3 years for there to be enough for my son and I and many neighbors. The honey bees are doing great and fun to watch.
The above followup was added by Gregory in Palo Alto on March 25, 2008 at 8:39 pm PST.
Gregory, I lost only one, and it was because the pot dried out. I should have transplanted them into better soil, they don't like the clay in the pots you gave me. The rest will go in the greenhouse.
I find the tropical guavas to be quite marginal here outside. I get fruits, but they require massive amounts of water and fertilizer to actually thrive. It's doable, but takes more work than i am willing to do. But in the greenhouse they should take a lot more neglect.
The above followup was added by Axel on March 25, 2008 at 8:59 pm PST.
The pests you never get outdoors..are horrific in a greenhouse.On plants that are no bother outdoors,become magnets in a greenhouse. Interesting that Judith Finn of UC Berkeley wrote an article for the Palm Society that is almost word for word what i have said. Especialy funny-and so true-is,take that sick plant out of the greenhouse and leave it OUTDOORS for a few days or weeks..without any other input..the pests disappear. Predators or UV or fresh air-who knows for sure?.
The pluses of a greenhouse overwelm the minuses. Just ,they are not problem free.
The above followup was added by STAN on March 26, 2008 at 9:46 am PST.
I am wondering if the greenhouse is worth it. Maybe it isn't given the trouble with pests. I don't know for sure. I've heard the same thing from other people.
I'd say it is definitely related to predators.
The above followup was added by Axel on March 26, 2008 at 10:57 am PST.
Stone fruits as we all know can do very well on limited rainfall and light,but timely summer irrigation.
Some of the tropicals that thrive still need far more water in out dry climate. Mangos as Sunset claims become drought resistant-no guilt there.Sapotes have proven to me to be unkillable. Bananas?dont make me laugh-lol. Guavas?..some are tough plants,some aint.
You know nobody mentioned edible palms we can grow like Pindo or Wine palms.That would be a good reason to have a Parajub Oasis. Washys could provide thatch for your cabana or shade shelters.
Still searching for tree fern use's-lol
The above followup was added by STAN on March 26, 2008 at 11:00 am PST.
I'll explain in a little more detail what I grow.
As I said, I focus mostly on hardy, adapted things here, but I also look for things that interest me. I try not to be a collector, since I end up with one of everything and the garden doesn't look really pulled together. So, I try to buy multiples.
In the front garden, I focus more on color than type of plant, so I grow some things that may seem too common to some of you. Foliage color is everything from bright green to gray to maroon. I actually picked some things to match what our closest neighbors have, which is how maroon leaved plants became focals (not to mention my purple leaved plum was the first thing in ground).
I freely admit I am not into growing food, so the garden is primarily ornamentals.
Anyway, here's a list of things in the front garden:
Cotinus coggygria - purple form
Prunus cerassifera 'Thundercloud'
Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea'
Polygala x dalmaisiana
Lavandula angustifolia
Achillea millefolium
Salvia leucantha
Salvia microphylla
Salvia officinalis
Salvia clevelandii
Alyogyne huegelii
Asteriscus maritima
Romneya coulteri
Euphorbia stygiana
Ribes aureum gracillimum
Ribes sanguineum
Osteospermum
Strelitzia reginae
Lupinus arboreus
Lupinus albifrons
Lantana
Spiraea douglasii
Epilobium canum
Galvezia speciosa
Manihot grahamii
In the back garden, I still have a lot of space. Anything grown as food will be grown here. I do have a few fruit producing plants, although none have provided yet. Here's what's back there:
Cordyline australis
Butia capitata
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
Dietes bicolor
Philodendron selloum
Billbergia nutans
Canna indica
Manihot grahamii
Tetrapanax papyrifera
Citrus (Lemon - one of the sorrento types)
Avocado 'Mexicola'
Rosa californica
Anigozanthus
Euphorbia stygiana
Romneya coulteri
Baccharis pilularis
Lotus scoparius
Feijoa sellowiana
Casimiroa edulis
Protea (I forget the cultivar)
Prunus ilicifolia
Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman'
Grevillea 'Pink Pearl'
Eriogonum giganteum
Fremontodendron californicum
Protea cynaroides
Acacia elata
Grevillea robusta
Arctostaphylos 'Sentinel'
Phoenix reclinata
Salivia mellifera
Dendromecon harfordii
Eucalyptus nicholii
Mimulus aurantiacus
Rhus integrifolia
Ribes viburnifolia
Yucca rostrata
Euphorbia characias
I'm probably forgetting something, but that's most of what I've got in ground. You can see I do have somewhat challenging plants, but most of the garden is adapted to what I have and what the climate is like here (most of those plants made it through that cold snap we had last year without much damage at all).
The above followup was added by Barry on March 26, 2008 at 2:05 pm PST.
Wow, what a different world. I couldn't name 90% of the ornamental stuff I grow. I just have no idea, except for some of the palms. I usually just get what looks cool, and plant it.
Even then, I give the stuff regular names anyway, I can't remember the Latin labels.
The above followup was added by Axel on March 26, 2008 at 7:42 pm PST.
Problem for me is, I often forget what the common name is, which is why I give the Latin.
The above followup was added by Barry on March 27, 2008 at 8:44 am PST.
I understand that listing something isnt-"and its 20' tall!"..who has a garden full of that ? but you have some interesting plants and just seeing how you place them together can give people ideas of combinations.
I kick myself i didnt buy large Yucca rostradas (4')bare root at the UCBG two years ago.I didnt know much about them.
The above followup was added by Stan on March 27, 2008 at 1:09 pm PST.
Sorry for the quality but I used my camera phone for it, and really sunny days cause it to bleach out, so I used Flickr's edit tools to help it out a bit, but there's still a blur. Anyway, it shows what the front garden looks like. It's a lot more cleaned up than it was a few days ago, but the last picture I took of it, it was still somewhat of a weedy mess.
The big blue shrub is actually our neighbor's rosemary, taken from a cutting off of a 100 year old plant. It's really got one of the most intense blues I've seen on any rosemary cultivar (modern ones I find usually are too pale for my taste).
The above followup was added by Barry on March 27, 2008 at 3:08 pm PST.
Here's my tip: get rid of the roseapple now. A total waste plant. They grow wild in Hawaii and here they are bad news. Many a time i"ve seen people along the road picking mangoes, guavas, papayas, and avocados of suspect quality; however, I have yet to see anyone picking the rose apples. This is all in jest, of course.
Another comment is that over here those sapotes grow to be huge trees. Keep them under control.
Some of the other statements I find interesting; however, not knowing exactly where in California an individual is talking about makes it difficult to comment.
Nonetheless, I am very skeptical that ALL citrus get sweet in the Bay Area. My experience is that this is not true--espcially of navels.
I'd like someone to state exactly what varieties of citrus do become sweet in the area. My guess is satsuma and some smaller mandarin varieties would be best. And it would be helpful to those who are wanting to plant to know what y'all think about this.
I could go on, but .............well, one more thing. Of all the stuff NOT to buy from the grocery store, strawberries rate very high. This is due to the various chemicals which they receive. And I do like strawberries. I say, 'grow your own'! Plus, they don't take much space.
The above followup was added by gino45 on March 27, 2008 at 8:46 pm PST.
I have had minor problems with mold on a batch of seedlings and lost most of them, I need to dump the dirt repotting any thing that is living in it. My plan on my green house is to get some plants past the fragile years. Maybe also more the most expensive ones inside during 10 year freezes.
When all else fail, sell, trade, or give away. I am enjoying the Tavoli orange that I bought from you, has been very productive, sweet enough for my wife. I keep meaning to look for a sapote to taste.
Funniest comment on this board, "my 10 year old Hawaiian 1 inch tall jackfruit seedlings that still have two leaves on them. Imagine that, 10 years worth of growth, and they are only 1 inch tall. They've survived every single cold Winter, but not an ounce of growth."
The above followup was added by Gregory in Palo Alto on March 27, 2008 at 10:13 pm PST.
Here in Lafayette, we have very sweet navel, Trovita, Moro blood oranges, Dancy and unnamed tangerines. I have a couple of Mandarins and a Cocktail Grapefruit (not a grapefruit at all) that will fruit this year as well as Merbert's Pumpkin. When they ripen, I'll report on their sweetnes.
The above followup was added by Merbert on March 27, 2008 at 11:29 pm PST.
Axel, That is an amazingly long list of trees.
How do you ever manage to fit so many onto 1/4 acres?
How far are those trees planted? How big do you plan to let each tree grow?
I just gotten hold of 0.21 acres (after I close my new house soon). I have will end up having to put some trees up on a hill side,
two thirds of the land is flat, and the other third starts to go up the hill. I might need to landscape that.
Axel, can I visit you sometime to get some ideas?
The above followup was added by Jonathan in San Francisco on March 28, 2008 at 1:34 am PST.
Winter Grapes from Chile. The smell of pesticides from them is powerful. Made the mistake of eating some from somebodys house and later was sick.
You can touch them at the market and feel the pesticide residue. Mangos from Peru sometimes have that smell of pesticides.
Better to by canned peaches!
The above followup was added by STAN on March 28, 2008 at 8:54 am PST.
Stan
Are you a sensitive, you seem that way physically, are you that way mentally and spiritually as well. Some are one and some are two and some are all three? A senstive is not a bad thing, it means you see and sense things others don't. But it means you are more tied into life and everything around you, and everything affects you much more then the average person.
Except for bananas, avocados and the Ataulfo mango's from Mexico, I do not buy fresh fruit that is not grown in the USA, and even here one has to still be careful. I buy from high quality stores like Raley's and Costco. The organic bananas are the best of all, very good, but not sure they are Cavendish, might be a FHIA variety.
I just wait for my fruit in season here, and each year I eat more and more from just my yard only.
I have to watch all of the time, who I am around, what I eat, what chemicals I am near in a store, and especially medications. I stay away from meds, they affect me like the grapes you ate. Standing too long in the fertilizer/ chemical row at OSH or etc makes me sick.
It is actually a gift we get from God and is often times inherited, but exposure to chemicals and vaccinations can exacerbate it and increase it, and make it more stressful and etc.
It is sad, that most of the chemicals that have been banned from use in the US, are being sold by US companies to other countries. What is illegal here, our companies should not be able to sell elsewhere. it all comes back to us, sooner or later, the world is not that big really.
David
The above followup was added by DavidLJ48, Waterford CA, zone14 on March 28, 2008 at 10:12 am PST.
While the wife was getting her prescriptions at Walmart,I wandered over to the nursery area. The area of fertilizers and -get this-plastic like garden ornaments,Tikis,etc. gave off a nauseating Tolene,setting- of - fiberglass smell. I am dead serious that if a government inspecter measured the toxins in that air,Walmart would do something fast.
The irony of those cute nature loving ornaments en masse,-- as being toxic.
The above followup was added by STAN on March 28, 2008 at 10:42 am PST.
BUY canned peaches...
The above followup was added by s on March 28, 2008 at 10:44 am PST.
There are tons of citrus that sweeten up in the Bay area. I have yet to find something that doesn't sweeten up where I live. However, when it comes to quality, there is a ton of stuff that isn't that great.
When it comes to navels, all navels sweeten up nice here, but Washington navels stay rather bland. I've had great luck with "Lane Late". Trovita is all right, but also not the best.
Johnathan, I grow things in rows, the rows are 6 feet apart, but in the rows, I do high density, so about every 4 feet I have a tree. I keep heights to about 15 feet max.
Also, I have 12 acre, not 1/4. That's a lot of room to grow stuff. My avocados are planted so that they create a hedge. Same with the white sapotes. They get big, but I prune to keep them small, unless they are in the perimeter.
The above followup was added by Axel on March 28, 2008 at 11:12 am PST.
Axel, I read 1/2 acres up there on your previous post, so I because curious on how anyone manage to put so many trees.
But I didn't realize it was 12 acres ( not 1/2 ).
12 acres is super huge.
The above followup was added by Jonathan in San Francisco on March 28, 2008 at 12:39 am PST.
1/2 not 12.
And you are welcome to stop by. Just give me a call.
The above followup was added by Axel on March 28, 2008 at 1:27 pm PST.
Whats the young tree to the left? looks sort of Cotinus like,that's not on your list. And your in Monterey right?
I dont see any plants with big leaves..my habit to keep adding them to my small garden.
The above followup was added by stan on March 29, 2008 at 12:53 am PST.
The young tree is indeed a Cotinus (first on the list for the front yard, actually. I finally got my camera battery charged, so I'll be taking another photo today. I'm actually about 7 miles north of Monterey, a couple of miles inland in the city of Marina.
It's true I don't have anything with big leaves, although I guess the Strelitzia reginae could count. Mostly because it's meant to fit the scale of the garden (which, while bigger than what you find in most new subdivisions, is one of the smallest in our neighborhood).
The above followup was added by Barry on March 29, 2008 at 2:40 pm PST.