Barath Raghavan discusses his experiences with Subtropicals and Tropicals in California Agrosystems, including notes on various species and cultivars that may be suitable in central California coast locales.
Video: How to Graft Deciduous Fruit Trees
Freddy Menge has graciously brought his grafting tutorial online.
In this video, Freddy demonstrates cleft grafting via a proven method that has gotten many local newbies propagating deciduous fruit trees for the first time. He makes mention of knife style (and “caveman grip”), cleft graft technique, the physiology of grafting (cambium contact), tensioning and sealant materials (demonstrating an inexpensive and effective graft with masking tape), and post-graft training (removal of competing shoots).
Kauai – enough fruit to make a Californian jealous
California winters are a mixed bag. Cold weather, rains, sleeping plants and of course scion exchanges. After the scion exchanges in January I get antsy for fruit and looking at pictures isn’t enough.
A towering Davidson plum
This February I packed up my family – plus my parents, my brother and our significant others into the plane to our timeshare in Princeville on Kauai. We’ve been to Kauai several times and each time we’ve been able to experience something new. This time was no different. Having done all of the usual tourist activities, and seen the recommended botanical gardens (National Tropical Botanical Gardens are a must), I opted this trip to find more local growers to get a real feel for Hawaii fruit life.
Continue reading “Kauai – enough fruit to make a Californian jealous”Growing Cherries on the Monterey Bay
Cherries on the Monterey Bay? Is that possible? Do we have the chill? Depending on who you’re listening to, and what you are choosing as your planting site, the answers can run the gamut.
Cherryvale and other parts of Soquel were known for their extensive acreage devoted to commercial cherry orchards up into the 1960s. It is also common knowledge we are in an observable trend toward warmer average winter temperatures, so is successful cherry-growing a thing of the past?
Continue reading “Growing Cherries on the Monterey Bay”How to Plant an Avocado: Ensuring a Good Start
It’s Springtime in the Monterey Bay, swallows are plying the sky and peaches are in full pink. That means frost danger is passing, and it’s nearing time to plant avocados. If you can find trees, they need to go in now to start their race against the seasons. First freezes can hit in November, and the bigger you can grow your young trees, the better chance they have of surviving the cold. From our vast experience with killing trees, we would like to offer help in avoiding the blunders we’ve committed in trying to get our trees to grow.
Continue reading “How to Plant an Avocado: Ensuring a Good Start”Notes on a Few New California Apples
A number of the apples sampled at our 77 variety apple tasting in 2018 would be unfamiliar even to knowledgeable apple growers. These are local discoveries and novel varieties from nearby breeding projects, many of which exist only as a single tree each. All of these apples have distinguished themselves in one way or another over their years of existence, enough so to earn a place at our tasting tables, where several of them have performed quite well among the stiff competition. Freddy Menge, grower of a preponderance of the apples at our tasting, has offered some comments on these novel apples which I thought were worthy of pulling aside and illustrating on their own. —Andy Moskowitz
The Growing of Persimmons
This article is a companion piece to the Eating of Persimmons, published on the Birdsong Orchards farm blog here.
Four years ago, in the winter of 2014/2015, we planted around forty persimmon trees in our orchard. Most have thrived, a few have died, a few more have been planted, and I have learned a few things along the way. I cannot claim to be a master of persimmon horticulture, for my trees are still young and have many years of growing to do, but I’d like to share what I know.
40 “Rare” Fruit Species to Try Growing on the California Coast
Below are some lesser known and underrated fruits that you may find worth growing in California. Indeed, depending on your area, you are likely to find at least a couple things in this list to be both easy to grow and an utter delight to eat. Continue reading “40 “Rare” Fruit Species to Try Growing on the California Coast”