San Diego garden photos

[spaugh]

Hey Brad,

Just checking in, how are the erdon lee grafts doing?!?!


-joe

thry seemed still pliable last time i checked but they never grew.  Looks doubtful at this point but who knows. 

[Mark in Texas]

Living the dream, just incredible.  Successfully executing your dreams of location, land, family and a healthy livelihood has paid off, something to be really proud of.

yeah its hot and dry here.  Not quite a desert but almost.  It barely ever rains and it never freezes.

The fact that tropical fruit trees (which are indigenous to humid areas) grows in such desert climes as SoCal blows me away.  How they manage in your ultra low RH and occasional Santa Anna heat is beyond me.  As some of us have learned first hand avocados once established are pretty tough trees though.  As I've said before my Reed has been subjected to lows of 18F and recently 21F and come right thru it.  GEM, Lamb, Ardith and Sharwil also took that hit in Feb. and are doing fine.  Lost the somewhat mature fruit and flowers that were setting....
 
The avocado's origin dates back to an area between Laredo, TX and Monterrey Mexico and south in the state of Nuevo Laredo.  Sabinas Hidalgo is the northern range located north of Monterrey.  100's of creoles, native and improved cultured varieties are found there.   That mountainous area receives a lot of rain and heat and RH is rather high all the time.   https://www.google.com/maps/@26.4067241,-100.2349791,10.25z

Mexico is considered the center of origin of avocado, and in the mountains of Sierra Madre Oriental in Nuevo Leon the remains of an avocado have been found, which are evidence of the place or origin of Persea americana var. drymifolia, or the Mexican avocado.
https://www.intechopen.com/books/molecular-approaches-to-genetic-diversity/genetic-diversity-of-mexican-avocado-in-nuevo-leon-mexico

[johnnym33315]

As I've said before my Reed has been subjected to lows of 18F and recently 21F and come right thru it.  GEM, Lamb, Ardith and Sharwil also took that hit in Feb. and are doing fine.

That is incredible, great to hear!

I'm assuming these are in your greenhouse...

I had a couple 7g soursops in my small 12x20 hoophouse that took 28F like champs. I pulled them out around Valentines, soon after we hit 33F which totally defoliated them with some pretty significant die back, they survived and are doing well now.

[Jabba The Hutt]

Hey Brad,

Just checking in, how are the erdon lee grafts doing?!?!


-joe

thry seemed still pliable last time i checked but they never grew.  Looks doubtful at this point but who knows.

Hey Brad, would you happen to be backed up against Camp Pendleton?

[spaugh]

Hey Brad,

Just checking in, how are the erdon lee grafts doing?!?!


-joe

thry seemed still pliable last time i checked but they never grew.  Looks doubtful at this point but who knows.

Hey Brad, would you happen to be backed up against Camp Pendleton?

No I live around 30 or 40 minutes south of camp pendleton.  Near the east side of Miramar Marine base.

[roblack]

UFO country!

Impressive job generating so many fruits in such a hilly and dry spot. You grow the best moyas and cados I've ever had.

[spaugh]

I love this place but the politicians and public healthy officials are going to drive me out of here. Their authoritarian bullshit is becoming unbearable.  I need to move...

[roblack]

I love this place but the politicians and public healthy officials are going to drive me out of here. Their authoritarian bullshit is becoming unbearable.  I need to move...

"Sweet talkin' people done run me out of town..."

Politicians suck, some worse than others, and ya'll are way over-regulated.

Sad to think you can't even be free on your little mountain top.

That's why I can't live in an area with and HOA, even less freedom.

When you find freedom and paradise, send word and keep it on the down low.   

On another note, should we put together a choice lychee group buy, just in case those Erdon Lees don't start pushing?

[Itay Gazit]

I love this place but the politicians and public healthy officials are going to drive me out of here. Their authoritarian bullshit is becoming unbearable.  I need to move...

Hi Brad,

Your land looks awesome! I'm thinking of moving to your area in the future, either Poway or Fallbrook.

What kinds of trouble do politicians make?

Itay

[spaugh]

I love this place but the politicians and public healthy officials are going to drive me out of here. Their authoritarian bullshit is becoming unbearable.  I need to move...

What kinds of trouble do politicians make?

Itay

Itay, I'm sure you can think of a few examples.

[Mark in Texas]

That is incredible, great to hear!

I'm assuming these are in your greenhouse...

Yep.  Happy to hear about your soursops.  I have 2 annonas doing real well.  Huge leaves on this grafted cherimoya cocktail tree.

[Mark in Texas]

I love this place but the politicians and public healthy officials are going to drive me out of here. Their authoritarian bullshit is becoming unbearable.  I need to move...

I was wondering about that.  You Cali guys put up with a lot of stupid government induced shit.

[spaugh]

I love this place but the politicians and public healthy officials are going to drive me out of here. Their authoritarian bullshit is becoming unbearable.  I need to move...

I was wondering about that.  You Cali guys put up with a lot of stupid government induced shit.

They are seriously ramping up their BS by the day it seems.  Its amazing people are on board with some of this crap. 

[spaugh]

I did go take some pics of the yard today.  It's pretty nice out here.  A cool 88f today

[spaugh]

[FV Fruit Freak]

I did go take some pics of the yard today.  It's pretty nice out here.  A cool 88f today

Nice pics, thx for sharing. What’s the pineapple variety with the bright red leaves? And when can I get a slip?

[Mark in Texas]

VERY impressive Brad.  Thanks for sharing.

[jtnguyen333]

Looking good Brad!! you have enough land to secede from CA 

I love this place but the politicians and public healthy officials are going to drive me out of here. Their authoritarian bullshit is becoming unbearable.  I need to move...

I was wondering about that.  You Cali guys put up with a lot of stupid government induced shit.

They are seriously ramping up their BS by the day it seems.  Its amazing people are on board with some of this crap.

[zands]

Up this thread you said your soil is decomposed granite. People pay for granite dust to apply to trees and vegetable gardens. This dust supplies many trace minerals. You added drip irrigation to it to make it come alive. Plus with your very dry climate you have zero? harmful insects and much fewer fungus problems.

In many ways your growing situation is ideal. One possible negative is your irrigation water is quite mineral laden. Perhaps you use a filter? How far down did you have to drill for your well?

All looks great! In a way you are imitating the Persians who have a long history of growing melons and watermelons on their arid lands. I bet you grow some Persian watermelon varieties.

[spaugh]

Hey Zands, the hole in the ground is around 650ft but the water table is at 100ft down.  The water is a little hard but not that bad.  It's around 600ppm of mineral.  The water here has a lot of iron, manganese, and calcium.

We did put in some watermelons in a newly cleared area that's planted out with avocados.  I just pop the watermelon plant next to the baby avocado trees to share the water and mulch.  It doesn't look like much yet but thats going to be loads of avocados and watermelons.

Theres some pics of the chicken area in the previous posts, we planted pomegranates and mulberry plants in there.  It looks pretty bare still but in a few years that will be loads of poms.





I've also started popping artichoke plants throughout the older orchard area that's getting irrigated with spinners.

[spaugh]

This is one I'm super excited for its an air layer Simon took from Leo Manuel's Brewster lychee.  It set a few fruit this year for the first time. 

[simon_grow]

Damn Brad, Leo’s special Brewster took off! I’m glad it’s doing so well at your place, there’s only a handful of surviving air layers from Leo’s tree because his mother tree died. Everything’s looking good, I need to stop over soon.

Simon

[ScottR]

Wow Brad, your place just keeps growing and looking good that DJ ground is great stuff, congrats on all your continued successful growing.

[Johnny Eat Fruit]

Your Brewster Lychee tree looks great. Excellent Job.  My Brewster looks similar to yours just smaller. Probably about 1-1.5 years behind yours in growth. Great wide-angle photos. Your irrigation system looks very good. It's what I use on my property as well.

I love DG (decomposed granite) for growing. Great drainage and excellent material for growing mangos and other subtropicals trees. Last Monday, I received a new DG shipment and sandy loam topsoil (see attached photos). I use a 50/50 mix and use this to backfill for my mango and avocado tree holes after I remove the heavy clay soil at my location. 

Keep up the good work.

Johnny


DG


Sandy Top-Soil and DG

[spaugh]

i should sell DG.