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My wife planted an APRICOT tree just over a year ago. It was maybe 3 feet tall and its first yield wasn't all that sweet. This year it's huge and sprawling all over. The harvest is very sweet. (So glad to have a juicer here!)
An Aerial view of tree from our upstairs office
I found this inspiring and now we want MORE trees. Well.. wifey envisions one more tree in our tiny back yard behind our condo. I envision 20. ORANGE trees, POMEGRANATE, LOQUAT, APPLE, GRAPEFRUIT, FIG, PEAR... NUTS?.. whatever might thrive in Southern California. (My mother in law has a nice apple tree in Huntington Beach, so I know it's possible for some northy-type fruits to grow here).
We are already surrounded by most of these fruit trees in our area.
Passion fruit growing in the lot behind us.
See earlier thread about this fruit, entitled:
"What Kind Of Fruit Is THIS Growing Behind My House? (pics)"..
We live in a heavily urbanized area near Pasadena. So we are fortunate to have a huge undeveloped lot behind us with multiple trees, vines, shrubbery, heavy foliage, wild feral cats, scrub blue jays, monarch butterflies, hummingbirds...
So far we suffer from no natural predators eating our fruit (except for our Golden Retriever who heartily "harvests" anything she can get too.)
Lady Francis - our Golden who eats everything in sight
But that's another story..
So, I thought to dedicate a thread to growing fruit trees. It's so fun and so easy. Yet there's so much to learn. Maybe someone can give me some tips? It's just so exciting to see SO MUCH fruit grow.. organic, without pesticides, wax coatings and those dumb little labels you have to peel off each one. (Am I the only one who finds those so annoying??)
Best of all, the fruit we grow is FREE!
I know this doesn't even approach the vast realm of organic gardening. But there's something about fruit. Some say that fruit is our highest form of sustenance. (Highest vibration level.. you know... all that). Some may say it's some superfood or other. That's fine. Let's explore some fruit trees we can grow.
My wife bought this little tree for just a few dollars and now it's just inundating us with all this incredible fruit! Apricot juice for fasting! Apricot smoothies. Dried Apricot.. on & on it goes.
Hi FG, here is another thread already started a few months ago about the fruit trees, with some good info from many of us. Btw, thanks for opening this new thread, it just shows how we all think the same way about fruit!
Thanks for the link, Mosaica. What a great thread! Somehow I missed that one along the way. Well, I guess that makes our forum all the more fruitful.
Love & blessings,
~fg~
P.S. - I changed the thread title from "THE Fruit Tree Thread" to "What Fruit Trees Grow In YOUR Area??" That's a lot less pretentious sounding, now that we know there's another thread.
I am growing 2 Apple trees and 4 Blueberry bushes. They were just planted this year and I won't get to enjoy any fruit from either of them for a couple more years. I should wind up with more apples that I will know what to do with, and enough blueberries to last me for 6+ months! In just a few more weeks I will plant some strawberries (not a tree or bush, but are a fruit).
Around here the common fruiting trees/bushes/vines to choose from are Apple, Pear, Cherry, Peach, Plum, Apricot, Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry and even Grapes (some varieties).
I really, really, really wanted to plant cherry trees. There were two main things that kept me from doing so.
The biggest one was not knowing why the Locust tree in my front yard died 5 years ago when we moved in, or whether the Maple tree in my back yard had died and why. The maple dropped all it's leaves late last July, and is definitely dead now. The reason this kept me from Cherry trees, and made me choose Apple was because a disease called Verticillium Wilt is a common rapid-killing tree disease that commonly affects the kinds of trees growing in my yard and neighborhood (tons of maple trees). This is a fungal disease that grows in the ground, and shuts down the trees vascular system, clogging it up. There is nothing that can be done to get rid of it once Verticillium Wilt fungus gets a hold in your ground, all that can be done is try to prevent it from happening in the first place. Once a tree has died from it, you are not supposed to plant any other species susceptible to Verticillium Wilt within 100 feet of the victim for at least 7 years. Thus, not knowing what happened to the first tree, and not being willing to cut down the second one because I was not (at the time) sure if it was dead, I did not want to take the chance. Cherry Trees are very susceptible to Verticillium Wilt, so that was the number one reason for not choosing them.
The other reason for not choosing Cherry was that birds will eat all the cherries off a tree in less than a day, and they will eat them long before they are ripe. Hanging Cd's or putting up fake owls will not keep them away. Cherries are a birds favorite food and they will risk it all to eat them. The only way to keep the birds away to keep any cherries for yourself is to put an impenetrable (to birds anyway) net over or around the trees. Considering how big Cherry trees can get, this seemed like too much of a hassle. Combined with the other factor, Cherries just seemed like something I should not attempt.
Now, blueberries have the same bird problem as cherries, but blueberry bushes only get between 3 and 6 feet high depending on the variety. I can manage wrapping netting around that. I can not imagine trying to net a 20 foot tree.
I ultimately chose Apple trees because they are IMMUNE to Verticillium Wilt. So are Pears. My fear of Verticillium Wilt is because virtually every tree in my entire neighborhood is a variety that is highly succeptible to Verticillium Wilt, and a common way of the fungus starting is from the growing of potatoes, eggplant or a few other common garden vegetables. I figured anyone could plant a garden, try to grow a couple of these things and cause problems! Actually, I may be to blame. I did plant some potatoes about 70 feet away from the Maple that died last summer. I had no idea at the time that doing so may kill the trees. If it did die from Verticillium Wilt, then all the rest of the Maples in my back yard may soon follow. That is both sad, but could be a blessing. I could replace them all with Apple and Pear trees!
__________________ Health is not simply the absence of sickness. - Hannah Green
Last edited by RawVegan4Health : 06-10-2008 at 01:04 PM.
You might want to check out this yahoo group. Even though they're based in Altadena, I just picked up strawberries, lavender and oregano from a member in Arcadia.
You might want to check out this yahoo group. Even though they're based in Altadena, I just picked up strawberries, lavender and oregano from a member in Arcadia.
It looks like a co-op sort of arrangement.
I'd like to contact these folks. Maybe they also sell outright at great prices.
Did you buy? If so, what did they charge you?
It looks like a co-op sort of arrangement.
I'd like to contact these folks. Maybe they also sell outright at great prices.
Did you buy? If so, what did they charge you?
Haven't bought a thing except some really good blackberries ($3 per basket) on Sunday. They share! So far I've gotten lavender, a unique lil strawberry plant, oregano, (from a member in Arcadia); lemons, watermelon seedling and green onions and that was just today! Gratis!
The other day we got some grape leaves (for smoothies), grapefruit and pomelos.
We just started our gardens and don't have anything to share yet but will put it out to the group when we do. They are all about sharing excess. Apricots and plums are out now!
These are some of the nicest people I've ever met. I LOVE Altadena!!!
Oh, I didn't see you'd moved to T.C. Well, I'm new with the group and maybe they'll want to keep it Altadena oriented... Could start a group yourself, no?
These are some of the nicest people I've ever met. I LOVE Altadena!!!
Oh, I didn't see you'd moved to T.C. Well, I'm new with the group and maybe they'll want to keep it Altadena oriented... Could start a group yourself, no?
I've been in Temple City the last 4 years. Before that we were in Arcadia for 7 years, 12 yrs in Pasadena before that.
Yes, parts of Altadena are very nice. Are you familiar with the area there? Some of my old fave hiking paces are up there. Way up at the top of Lake Ave is one. Then up Cheney Trail and up the windy road is a nice campground, then a waterfall and nice nature spots. Also, up behind JPL Lab is miles of great hiking.
The other reason for not choosing Cherry was that birds will eat all the cherries off a tree in less than a day, and they will eat them long before they are ripe.
I am intrested in fruit for jams and jellies. I am willing to purchase or exchange for finished jams or jellies. I also have rosemary, oregeno,thyme, and some basil. If your intrested e-mail mr at klemond1@hotmail.com. thank you Kris
here in pennsylvania in my backyard we have 2 pear trees, 2 cherry trees, a grapevine.....a lotta rabbits and squirrels... rabbits, squirrels usually get the grapes before we can oh well they need somethin to munch on too!!!
Veggiefried, cool that you bumped this up!
Unfortunately the house I live in now has just a tiny backyard (which, of course I made into a veggie garden ), but the area itself is actually the so called "fruit basket" of Canada! Orchards and vineyards all over the place, and it's only about a month 'til the cherry season, yippeeeeeee!!!
ORANGE trees, POMEGRANATE, LOQUAT, APPLE, GRAPEFRUIT, FIG, PEAR... 
NUTS?.. whatever might thrive in Southern California. (My mother in law has a nice apple tree in Huntington Beach, so I know it's possible for some northy-type fruits to grow here). 
(Am I the only one who finds those so annoying??
) 
Btw, thanks for opening this new thread, it just shows how we all think the same way about fruit! 
apricots
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