VOTING for CONTEST (head to head, Ashok vs BelleIsleSteve)

[FlyingFoxFruits]

calling all members of the TFF!

please cast your vote for the best essay!

below is a link to the original thread, with a description of the contest

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=19522.msg242107#msg242107


looks like it's a head to head battle between Ashok and BelleIslesSteve!

I will close the poll (or count the votes) in approx 72hrs from the time of this post.

Thanks for participating!!

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.)

Hello, my name is Steve and I have been enjoying this forum for about a year as a guest lurker so I appreciate Adam’s generous offer as incentive for those like me to join. I live in East Orlando on Lake Conway in a great little city called Belle Isle. Due to the chain of lakes that surround my location we enjoy a margin of higher temperatures during cold spells. I have lived in Florida for about fifty years and my family has almost always had fruit trees, mostly citrus. I was exposed to gardening from my mother and grandparents and I developed an interest in growing plants in my teens. Throughout my life I have dabbled in gardening based on time allowances provided by career and living location. I also have always enjoyed tropical locations such as the Florida Keys due to their lush tropical plants and have a bunch of plumerias in my yard. I also have an interest in eating healthy and the benefits provided by certain fruits. About seven years ago I bought an avocado tree, planted it and last year enjoyed my my first crop. I came across this forum from the link on Carlos’s MyAvocadoTree website as I researched various avocado varieties in an interest to graft and grow more avocado trees. The forum has expanded my interest to mango trees and additional tropical fruits. I have recently successfully grafted about five avocado seedlings from budwood from my tree and neighbors trees based on information from this forum and Carlos’s website/videos. Today to celebrate the first day of Spring, I coached my nine year old daughter on doing her own avocado graft as I try to instill in her an interest in gardening and healthy eating.

I feel I am a good candidate for this contest due to owning a home/yard that is well suited for tropical fruits and my passion towards expanding my tropical fruit knowledge, growing abilities and fruit diversity.

[Raulglezruiz]

Hi both storyes are good and nice, however I like the part in Ashok's were he talk about the challenge of fight against expectisism trying to grow fruit outside of their ideal weather,he also touch my heart where he mention he likes to grow fruit trees four his parent,so my vote goes for Ashok's! Is there a poll to register the votes?

[michsu]

I don't think you should reveal the names.. maybe just Essay #1 or Essay #2.. that way people can't tell.. 

[FlyingFoxFruits]

I don't think you should reveal the names.. maybe just Essay #1 or Essay #2.. that way people can't tell.. 

the answers are public already so there's no way to hide them!

Raul,

this thread is a poll, check the top, there should be two options you can vote for!

[Ashok]

Oh dear, has the Thunderdome battle been cancelled on account of rain? (Or, alternatively, complete lack of interest?)

Should we move on to the swimsuit phase of the competition?

[FlyingFoxFruits]

thanks to all who participated (voting, and writing essays)

the winner is BelleIsleSteve!  Please send me an email at FlyingFoxFruits@gmail.com

please put, your forum name in the subject, and I will start the process of issuing you your store credit!

Congrats!

(btw, runner up Ashok, please send me an email with your username, you will get some sort of prize as well)

[skhan]

Great initiative to get more people contributing Adam.

Maybe we can do some more contest like fruit hunting in their own locality. Finding more delicious annona specimens. 

Last year i had a few different seedling avocados that were great and big, this year i'm going to be fact checking these growers and see the tree. I'll post to that thread when i find out some more info

[Ashok]

For some reason, on my browser, it looks like nobody at all voted on this ... hence my earlier comments. But, apparently I was mistaken. Congratulations to Steve!