Citrus out, Pomegranates in??

[bsbullie]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ap/ap/florida/pomegranates-could-become-floridas-newest-crop/nSMTX/

By KEVIN BOUFFARD

The Associated Press

LAKE ALFRED, Fla. —

After a 35-year career in citrus, the state's signature agricultural commodity, Bill Castle would like to help Florida growers diversify.

Castle, emeritus professor of horticulture at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, chose pomegranates, one of the world's oldest fruits, as a candidate for Florida's next commercial crop.

"There are four fruits of antiquity — dates, figs, olives and pomegranates," he said. "We don't have a commercial pomegranate industry in Florida yet. What we're trying to do is determine the possibility to have a commercial industry."

The early buzz is encouraging, said Castle, a founding member of the Florida Pomegranate Association. He spoke to The Ledger on Friday, one week after 120 people showed up at the Lake Alfred center for the association's first meeting.

Castle has passed out about 7,500 pomegranate plants to more than 60 people and companies, most of them interested in developing a commercial enterprise, he said.

His research, which began in 2008, has tested 96 different kinds of pomegranates, or "selections" growing on 400 acres in Lake Alfred and a research farm near Winter Garden.

Castle has identified four pomegranate selections that appear to grow well in Florida, producing 40 to 60 fruit each year, he said. That compares well to pomegranate plants that grow in their native environments in the Middle East and southern Asia.

"There's a lot of interest right now, and I think we'll see a lot of planting next year," said Cindy Weinstein, a Zolfo Springs pomegranate grower.

Her business, Green Sea Farms, has five acres of pomegranate plants plus a pomegranate nursery with about 6,000 young plants over 75 selections, she said.

Weinstein estimated fewer than 100 commercial pomegranate acres currently in Florida.

Most commercial operators are growing on one- and two-acre test plots, Castle said, but larger operations are coming.

"There's quite a bit of enthusiasm right now," he said. "There's going to be people planting 10 to 20 acres next year."

Emory McTeer, who is growing citrus and blueberries on about 64 acres near Haines City, also got 180 pomegranate plants from Castle since 2009 and is growing them on a single acre.

"There is definitely potential and demand for the fruit," McTeer said. "The supermarkets tell us, 'If you have any local pomegranates, we'll take all you can give us.'"

Even if pomegranates become a commercial crop in Florida, however, it's likely to remain a small industry for the foreseeable future, Castle and McTeer agreed.

"We're not dismissing the citrus industry and saying this is going to replace the citrus industry," Castle said. "In my view, the best potential is on a small-farm enterprise, perhaps five to 20 acres. Twenty acres would be a big pomegranate enterprise."

Copyright The Associated Press

mod edit: added link

[johnb51]

And how about figs and olives?  How would they do in central Florida?   (www.qualitygreenspecialists.com)

We might have better luck with those.

[edself65]

I will be really curious to see if this will really be successful. I tried a dozen or so varieties in Houston and always had a bunch of small sour fruit that were horrible looking from the humidity. I definitely never seen a chance for a commercial crop. The years we had summer droughts the fruit would look a little better. I finally gave all the plants away.

Ed

[Hollywood]

Hmm. I don't think the varieties that do well in Florida are anywhere close to being competitive with Californian pomegranates. Among my first trees were a couple pomegranates as I had just returned from travel in Israel. They grew fast with no inputs and produced early and often. But the fruit quality was not worth the trouble of processing them to eat, so those trees got the ax. They were the first fruit trees (of several to follow) that I murdered.

[johnb51]

Hmm. I don't think the varieties that do well in Florida are anywhere close to being competitive with Californian pomegranates. Among my first trees were a couple pomegranates as I had just returned from travel in Israel. They grew fast with no inputs and produced early and often. But the fruit quality was not worth the trouble of processing them to eat, so those trees got the ax. They were the first fruit trees (of several to follow) that I murdered.

The infamous Ax-Murderer!

[HMHausman]

Upstate, they might get better results.  My experience with growing these in South Florida left me with strong desire to get my pomegranate supply from Costco.

[nullzero]

Perhaps the pomegranates could be used for processing? I doubt they would be able to compare to CA grown ones for fresh eating. Problem is the low humidity plays a key roll with developing sweeter fruit without cracking. The competition coming from CA will really make it hard for FL growers to come ahead with profits. I see lots of new pomegranate orchard springing up in the central valley.

[Jsvand5]

And how about figs and olives?  How would they do in central Florida?   (www.qualitygreenspecialists.com)

We might have better luck with those.

Some olives grow really well here in central FL. Mission, Arbequina, Manzanilla, Sevillano, and a few others. I have quite a few little trees going. There is actually a small Olive farm up near Gainesville.  Not sure how far south you could go with them. I think they do need some chill hours.

[Squam256]

I think peaches are a much better alternative crop to replace citrus.

[Jsvand5]

Peaches are great, but the fruit flies get to them pretty bad in my area.

[bsbullie]

Peaches are already commercially grown in Florida, more northern portion I believe, and are successful.  They can be found to some degree in supermarkets.  Not sure how far south they could be commercially grown, especially with the fruit fly issue.

[Tropicdude]

Not sure why it has to be one super crop of just one thing,  mono cropping is what gets people into trouble in the first place.  Jujube, Passionfruit, Mangoes, Avocados, Olives, Persimmons, Lychee, Some spices, Dragonfruit, Annonas, Some palm crops,  many "nut trees", every micro climate zone should take advantage of what would grow best in that area.

[Squam256]

Peaches are being grown commercially as far south as Palm Beach County. Mostly the UF Sun cultivar down here, which only requires around 100 chill hours or less to fruit well. I suspect Florida Grande could be grown commercially this far south too but don't know if its been tested yet.

The nice thing about the Florida peaches is that they make it to market sooner than the Georgia and California peaches do, so they command a higher price. Their eating quality is also every bit as good.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

I had the most outstanding pomegranate from a tree from Pine Island (i forget the name, but its Vietnamese, and never gets dark red on outside)

the pomegranate started to barely split, and was slightly intruded with mold, maybe 2% of edible portion.

My family all enjoyed the fruit, and we ate the whole thing, which is unusual.