The Tropical Fruit Forum

There is so much to learn about the importance of the complex microbiome of plants and our bodies. 

Bacteria can transfer and integrate genetic material between plants without physical contact.  Horizontal gene transfer is relatively common and can affect hundreds of plant genes.  This can enable rapid adaptation. 

Seeds also transmit entire communities of microorganisms in addition to genetic material from one generation to the next.  This process is known as microbial inheritance.  These microbes can help plants grow, fight disease, and adapt to stress.

Microbes on the plants and in the soil can help it achieve full genetic potential. 

The way we grow, what we spray on our plants and put into the soil matters. 

Janet

I’ve posted previously about an old avocado orchard we are restoring in Fallbrook.
https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=49059.0

This post is about the first property we bought a couple of miles away.  We refer to this property as the Farm and the second as the Orchard.

In May of 2020, we found a 16 acre property in San Diego County to start our family farm.  We had been looking at farm properties on and off since 2006.  There are really nice farms for sale, but anything with a decent house and mature trees come at a premium.  We were looking for a diamond in the rough where we could build value over time through sweat equity.

The previous owner had cleared the flat area at the top of the property which I think is about 4 acres.  They put a tiny house trailer on it and put up solar panels and a little shed.  The structures are not built well.  Scott put some temporary supports in areas that were falling apart.  We will rebuild, but for now we’re focusing on the land. 

We are hooked up to city water for irrigation, but one of the first things we invested in was a well.  They had to drill twice because the first hole collapsed.  The well is 490 feet deep and we get about 35 gallons per minute. 

Most of the property has been left undisturbed and is covered with natives.  It’s completely overgrown and there’s lots of dead underbrush and old trees that need pruning and lots of love.  We have to clear trails to access the property and there’s a lot of poison oak. 
There is a seasonal creek that flows for half the year and when the rainy season starts in the fall, the property comes to life.  When we first visited the property in early May, we could hear the creek flowing from the top of the hill.  There wasn’t any access to see it, but it was one of the main reasons we decided to buy it that day.

For those not familiar with the climate in Southern California, we usually don’t get any rain from late spring until the fall around November.  That’s the biggest challenge to farming here.  The natives have adapted and go dormant during the summer months, so the property seems so dry especially after the creek dries up around the beginning of July.

Our goal is to develop our farm using concepts of agroecology and utilize rainwater harvesting techniques to try and be as efficient with water as possible.  We are working to restore the native ecosystem, grow a diversity of food, and co-create a beautiful farm with nature.

Janet

Just wanted to share one of my favorite Youtube channels.  There is a new video featuring a Bellamy Trees Nursery Tour.

https://www.youtube.com/@VirginiaFruitGrower/videos

Highly recommend checking out his videos and watch till the very end, there are some great outros.

Janet

Want to share a free PDF publication by the Perennial Agriculture Institute.

Trees with Edible Leaves by Eric Toensmeier
https://perennialagricultureinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/trees-with-edible-leaves.pdf?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Janet

Earlier this year, I had brought up that I had thought the Peluche loquat offered by Adam (Flying Fox Fruts) is white fleshed.  I noticed the one sold by Viking Guy was orange. 

https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=41284.msg452560#msg452560
https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=43679.25

This is one of the videos I referenced, the other was on Austin Barnhill's facebook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHeThpaBLz0

So there was a question of what color Peluche loquat Flying Fox was selling.  I noticed last week he sold another Peluche on ebay, and this week he is selling a second one showing a picture of the white colored flesh.

Does anyone else have a white fleshed Peluche?  Did Flying Fox sell orange Peluche in the past?

Janet

March of this year we bought an old avocado orchard about 5 minutes away from our farm in Fallbrook.  It looks like it had been declining for a few years due to the costs of water.  There were past due water bills of 85K on the property that had to be paid before the meters could get turned back on.  By the time we bought the property, the irrigation had been turned off for over a year.

There are three water meters to the property with 70 manual valves.  My husband has been spending the last 6 months converting the manual valves to automatic and finding and repairing all leaks in the irrigation above and below ground.  It's been pretty challenging.  We had our 2 inch main line break one night losing over 100,000 gallons of water.  Thankfully, he's almost finished with the irrigation.

Next main project will be pruning all the dead wood.  There's so much, it's pretty overwhelming, but we're going to just take it one tree at a time.  We haven't done a final count yet, but we estimate we still have over 2,500 live trees.

The main thing I wanted to share today is how amazingly resilient old trees are.  All the trees and plants on the property that are still alive have survived on zero irrigation and only about 10 inches of rain for over a year. 

Next up are some photos...

Janet

Hi guys,

Just wanted to share that Annie's annuals has Mission Dolores passion fruit for sale right now for 20 bucks.  This is a cross of 2 of the rarest passifloras, Parritae and Antioquiensis.  Rare and hard to find if you have the right growing conditions.
https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=3611

Janet

Yesterday morning there was a mandatory fire evacuation a couple miles from me and we were on standby.  As the helicopters and planes were flying over my house and officials on loudspeaker saying to prepare for evacuation, we were prioritizing what we needed to take.  Fortunately, the firefighters were able to get it under control, but it was really windy and Laguna Beach had a huge fire in the past, so I was seriously assessing what I would save.  Besides my pets, photos and important documents, the only thing I cared about were my plants.  Our van is in the shop, so I couldn't really take anything with me.

In the past couple of years, we have been simplifying our life and considering what really matters to us as we plan our future.  Now I was in a situation thinking I could lose my garden and plants and what I've worked to create over 20 years.  I surrendered to the moment and put the container plants that would be difficult to replace in the garage, my jaboticaba collection, yangmeis, hilo white pineapple, passiflora antioquiensis, a young surinam cherry that is said to be large and taste like tangerines, yellow grumichama, butterscotch sapodilla, a couple eugenias, and my favorite rare orchids.  As I walked through the garden later, I was/am so grateful to have all these plants in my life.  Also, so grateful for the firefighters, they are heroes to me.

This opportunity also made me realize I need to make back ups of my rare plants to keep at the farm, and share the genetics with others so they're not lost.  In my personal life, there aren't very many people passionate about plants and fruits.  So I am thankful to have found this community here.  I am assuming there are others here who would be priortizing plants during an emergency evacuation.

Janet

Hi everyone,

I’d like to share with you the beauty and abundance even a small garden can provide.
I live in a cool microclimate in Southern California.  I’m a couple of blocks from the ocean and at the base of our local hills, so my garden can be foggy many months of the year with summer highs in the low 80s.  This year has been especially cool with highs only in the upper 60s until July and only a handful of days in the 80s.  My total outdoor space is about 4,000 square feet and my native soil is heavy clay.

This is the right side of my front yard.  Tropic Snow and Midpride peaches bloom early February.  Loquat, kumquat, lemon, Surinam cherry, plum, mandarin, grape, and persimmon.


Red Baron peach blooms late February


Garden Prince almond is self fertile and has a soft shell


Marcona almond blossoms are huge and smell like honey.  It grows next to Tuono, an Italian variety, for pollination.


Hood pear is self fertile and blooms late January.  Blossoms do not smell good, kinda fishy

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share my favorite source for root crops from a breeder in Washington.  He just made items available for pre-order for next season.

Cultivariable.com

He specializes in Andean potatoes, yacon, oca, mashua, and ulluco.
I’ve also ordered perennial sea kale and dwarf Jerusalem artichokes.
I love his potatoes.

Janet