O.K., I'll de-lurk. (Just under the contest-deadline wire ... but, I suspect, if there is but one contestant, the deadline may need to be extended, which would be fine.)
Like Svennagel, I've been fascinated by plants since I was a small child. I wonder whether most members of this community share that history! (If my mother really feels like embarrassing me, she can start reminiscing about how I knew the names of all the flowers by the time I was eight ... I guess it could be worse.)
I live in an area where we can get some significant freezes, so, to be honest, I think it is safer to keep the "backbone" of the garden in temperate deciduous fruits and relatively hardy subtropicals (citrus, feijoa, white sapote, etc.). Also, I hate to lose plants during cold-snaps ... it makes me feel so guilty. (Of plant-abuse, that is ... good thing there are no vegetable prosecutors, or I might be in San Quentin right now...)
However, my interest in attempting marginal tropicals/subtropicals has been re-kindled recently, partially under the influence of two HARDCORE local fellow enthusiasts, both of whom sometimes post here. (Both of whom have also shared many nice plants with me.)
The development in tropical fruit that I am observing with most interest: Tim Thompson's mangoes! Yes, I know what the "regulars" here think about his project, and I have my own doubts, but it would be nice to see the skeptics surprised. (I like to grow things for my dad. He is from India. Can you guess what his favorite fruit might be? You get only one guess, but that should be enough.)
Why I would be a good candidate: Because ... uh ... I have tiger blood? No, scratch that, that's already dated, like talking about The Macarena. O.K., the real reason is because I would, in due course, share scionwood, etc., with friends in Bay Area rare fruit circles.
(If I have exceeded the word-limit, I throw myself upon the mercy of the court.)
