Fletch

 

Posts: 2

Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:25 pm

Climate Zone: 9

Hi my name is Fletch. I'm a beginner Rare Fruit Enthusiasts from the Central Coast of California. I'm in Arroyo Grande about 1.5 miles from the beach up a coastal valley at aprox 400' elevation on a hill top that is nicely protected from frosts.

I got the bug to grow Rare Fruit last year while working in Hawaii for 3 months. The property I stayed at in Hawaii had tons of cool different fruit trees with as much fruit as I could eat. That's when I realized how fun it would be to try and grow rare fruit back home. I lived in Hawaii as a kid for a few years and have some experience working on my uncles arabica coffee farm. Now back at home in AG, CA I have over 50 varieties of Fruit trees/plants and still wanting more.

I am a new member to the The Cloudforest Gardner, cloudforest.com but over the last months I have done many searches on Rare Fruits that have referred me to the awesome source of information that you all have created on The Cloudforest Gardner,  cloudforest.com so thank you very much everyone.

Some of my current Goals:
-Become a member of CRFG SLO and attend a meeting (I just found 
 out about CRFG).
-Increase my grafting skills
-Plant stuff I grafted if possible (It could be a longer process but I
 think it will be a rewarding feeling)
-Gain fruit tree/plant growing knowledge with emphasis on identifying the
 needs of my plants and how to organically amend, fertilize and 
 protect them.
-Establish windbreaks consisting of all edible plants.
-Research and get the finest Avocado Cultivars and plant  them (part of long term
plan for future shade trees for coffee and other under canopy type plants).
-Gain any mentoring I can.
-Share and contribute in anyway I can with Rare Fruit Community.
-Trip out my family and friends with interesting rare fruits.
-Produce enough fruit to be able to donate to local food program for those in need.
-Eat some good organic fruit!

Thanks everyone for this opportunity to be apart of The Cloudforest Gardner, cloudforest.com.

Sincerely,

Fletch

Axel

Site Admin

 

Posts: 2377

Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 8:49 pm

Location: Santa Cruz Mountains

Climate Zone: sunset 15/USDA 9b

Welcome, Fletch. Sounds like you got some very ambitious goals. Since you are just starting out, a few words of advice might be helpful. I remember when I started out with fruit growing, and I was equally inspired by having spent time in Hawaii and other tropical regions. My initial plans included only tropical rare fruit, and after a few years of growing just tropical fruits and getting so little fruit, I finally decided it was time to diversify and grow lots of things that are not so "rare" and actually grow well in California. My setting is similar to yours, 500' elevation with good frost drainage about 3 miles from the ocean.

Finally, I can just walk into the garden and eat fruit anytime of the year. Unfortunately, the rare tropical stuff is really just a complement to the rest of the fruit. The cold California current alas cools things off too much so that most tropicals just don't do so well. It's nice to get a few fruit here and there that are rare, but 90% of what I grow is just the usual stuff.

So my advice to you is make sure you have a base of things that are known to work, and add the difficult stuff as a complement.

Jason (palo alto)

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 364

Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:04 pm

Location: East Palo Alto, CA

Climate Zone: Z17, 9b

Hey Fletch. Welcome! Sounds like you are ambitious. You are in a great climate down there, milder in AG than in a lot of places up here in Northern California.
I graduated from CalPoly so I have fond memories of that area. Just read a great article on the Central Coast CRFG and on avocado growing in this months 'Fruit Gardener' magazine put out by the state CRFG.
My family is going to various islands in Hawaii in August so I'm looking forward to the tropical climate and getting to taste some exotic new fruit.
-Jason

Fletch

 

Posts: 2

Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:25 pm

Climate Zone: 9

Hi Axel and Jason,

Thanks for the kind words from both of you. Axel mahalo for the great advice. That sounds like a sweet set up you have in your orchards and sweet waves in surf city SC. I will definitely be taking your suggestions into account on all future planting.
Jason if you went to Cal Poly for Agriculture you got to be the man on growing cool stuff or did you do engineering? That CRFG mag sounds cool the local article on Avocados would have been fun to read. I'll see what I can do to get a issue of it. Im going to get signed up for CRFG asap. Have a great time in Hawaii.

Thanks Guys

Fletch

Jason (palo alto)

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 364

Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 9:04 pm

Location: East Palo Alto, CA

Climate Zone: Z17, 9b

Fletch wrote:Hi Axel and Jason,

Thanks for the kind words from both of you. Axel mahalo for the great advice. That sounds like a sweet set up you have in your orchards and sweet waves in surf city SC. I will definitely be taking your suggestions into account on all future planting.
Jason if you went to Cal Poly for Agriculture you got to be the man on growing cool stuff or did you do engineering? That CRFG mag sounds cool the local article on Avocados would have been fun to read. I'll see what I can do to get a issue of it. Im going to get signed up for CRFG asap. Have a great time in Hawaii.

Thanks Guys

Fletch

Not an aggy. Graduated in Computer Engineering. Didn't really even venture over to the ag side of campus much at all while I was there.

RobertS

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 402

Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2010 10:55 pm

Climate Zone: Sunset zone 17

Hi Fletch welcome to the Cloudforest, sorry I didn't post earlier but must admit I don't look add this section to often. Anyway I'm a local CRFGer make sure you introduce yourself at our next meeting. By the way are meeting are mostly on the 2nd Sat. of the month. Next one in August is up in Paso Robles. Check it out go to CRFG.org then click on Central Coast Chapter. Meeting will be at a Wormfarm!

shawnb

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 222

Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2011 11:49 am

Location: San Pedro, CA.

Climate Zone: USDA 10b/11 Sunset 23/24

Hey Fletch and welcome. I go up into Arroyo/Pismo on a regular basis, perhaps we can meet up some time. Reteaching myself grafting, joining CRFG is a great way to meet people in your area and get good advice.

nullzero

Cloudforest Expert

 

Posts: 784

Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:26 pm

Climate Zone: Sunset Zone 21

Welcome Fletch to the forums. Jack in Nipomo lives nearby you, as do some other members of the forum. You can do a lot in your area, avocados will do great as a canopy fruit tree in your location. I would start trialing what works well for you, find a focus. If your main goal is food production and space is limited, then a lot of the rarer plants may not have a spot in the yard. I would start making a wanted list and then start giving every tree a number from 1 to 5, on what you really want and what your goals are with the use of the plant.