I had a gardening revelation last week

[tamlynn]

I've lived in SoCal for nealy 5 years now. This entire time I've been trying to find special varieties of fruit trees that are adapted to this climate -low chill peaches, apricots, apples, etc. The fruits I am used to having around.

This was the revelation: grow the fruits that naturally do well in this climate, stupid!

I just placed an order for 2 Japanese plums, a persimmon, boysenberries and a pomegranite. On the list for the spring are a banana and a kiwi, possibly a guava! What was I thinking before? Who needs apples? Add these to the orange, lemon and avocado I already have and we'll have quite a nice fruit selection from our very own yard.

So there you are. Research possibly lesser-known fruits/nuts that you may not find readily at the grocery store. We are all so used to the apple, orange, banana routine, we often forget about the lesser known or non-commercial produce local to our climate.

What are some plants that are near-native or especially suited to your area that are not typical produce?

 

[Ldychef2k]

We are a heavy citrus area, lemons, oranges and tangerines. We also grow pomegranates and kiwi. I am not a fan of the latter, and the former take up a lot of space except for dwarf varieties. I am planning Elberta peach, nectarine and Santa Rosa plum as soon as I can scrape together the money. I have a 25 foot run of chain link fence that will support boysenberries and raspberries, such as we had when I was a child here in the same town.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Well, around here, apples, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries all are native around here. I have an apple and a pear tree, but I go up the road to the u-pick farm and buy what I need. Can't beat the prices or the varietes. Eventually I will add more fruit plants to my space here, but not really in a hurry.

 

[FarmerChick]

so true
don't fight nature--work directly with mother nature and you will produce!!

so simple to know what thrives in ones area...do that and succeed!

 

[Wifezilla]

There are a lot of apple orchards near me. It figured I would do well with apple trees so we got 2 a few years back. They are growing well and we have managed to get some apples away from the squirrels.

Now, Colorado gets weird random frosts, so no matter what I grow it is always a crap shoot.

Surprisingly my pear tree does well and I don't know why. I am not ever sure how that thing is getting pollinated! LOL

The pear tree was an end of year "Charlie Brown" tree we got on super-duper clearance. We figured it if didn't grow, no biggie.

I say take a chance if you can get a really good price or a free cutting, but you are better off "going native" as a general rule.

 

[enjoy the ride]

There are places that are too extreme in temperature and it does limit your plant choice. Going with nature is certainly the most productive.
But I have always been a "push-the-envelope" kind of gardener. I have found that generally there are lots of microclimates around a house that allow many things to grow and flourish outside of the designated zones.
You can grow heat lovers next to the house in a sheltered place or a tree that needs more chill time in a place where it's in the shade til much later than the rest of the area.
As long as it is not a burden to keep it going, I vote for trying anything at least once.
Right now I'm trying to puzzle out what food plant I can grow in a strip alongside my house that has standing water 6 inches below ground all winter and fries in the sun all summer. THe roses love it but I want something to grow that can handle it- I've been thinking artichokes and/or alpine strawberries. But I don't know about the strawberriy picking between rose thorns.

 

[dragonlaurel]

" You can grow heat lovers next to the house in a sheltered place or a tree that needs more chill time in a place where it's in the shade til much later than the rest of the area.
As long as it is not a burden to keep it going, I vote for trying anything at least once.
Right now I'm trying to puzzle out what food plant I can grow in a strip alongside my house that has standing water 6 inches below ground all winter and fries in the sun all summer. THe roses love it but I want something to grow that can handle it- I've been thinking artichokes and/or alpine strawberries. But I don't know about the strawberriy picking between rose thorns.

"

Rose hips are are good for jelly and tea. They taste good and are high in vitamin C. You might just let the roses have their way. If you don't want them there- Elderberries like water close to the surface.

I agree about the Microclimates. Those zones are not carved in stone. Elavation, nearness to a warm house, shade, windbreaks, slope, and which direction it is can all make a difference.

 

[Lady Henevere]

I've lived in SoCal for nealy 5 years now. This entire time I've been trying to find special varieties of fruit trees that are adapted to this climate -low chill peaches, apricots, apples, etc. The fruits I am used to having around.

This was the revelation: grow the fruits that naturally do well in this climate, stupid!

This so funny to me, because I recently had sort of the "opposite" revelation: There are low-chill varieties of fruits?!? I'm not stuck with the typical California stuff?!? Woo-hoo! (Perhaps this is because I've lived here my whole life.)

You are so right about working with the climate, keeping in mind both temperature and water needs. There are lots of great things that grow here, like figs, grapes, persimmons, citrus, avocados, and pomegranates (I harvested lots of pomegranates from our trees last weekend and will be making pomegranate jelly this weekend -- yum!). I have heard that we have a Mediterranean climate -- hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Thus most things that grow well in the Mediterranean should grow well here. Some Asian things and tropical stuff grows well here too, although some of that stuff needs lots of water, which is not so plentiful here. (Good for an area that gets graywater runoff, perhaps.)

After lots of research about chill requirements, climate zones, etc. I recently ordered ten trees that should do well here:
black mission fig
garden prince almond
Li jujube
mid-pride peach
flavor king pluot
weeping Santa Rosa plum
seckel pear
cinnamon spice apple
victoria limbertwig apple
white pearmain apple

I also just planted an avocado tree, and I'm considering getting an olive tree. We already have 2 pomegranates, 2 lemons, a tangerine, navel oranges, a blood orange, and another orange tree of some type that's great for juicing. This year I planted grapes, blackberries, boysenberries, and low-chill blueberries. I'm hoping they will all do well here -- we'll see!

 

[tamlynn]

Lady Hen, I am in LA county too. Is your yard big? It sounds like you are going to have some awesome fruit. We are going with the Mariposa and Beauty plums.

We have a mid-pride peach and it has done very well in a short time. This last summer was its second season and it produced a ton of fruit and grew higher than the roofline of our house.

What do you do with the jujubes? I have seen them at the local farmer's markets but am not sure what to do with them.

 

[me&thegals]

Well, this isn't too exciting, but greens and brassicas here. Our cool seasons are great for all types of greens, broccoli, cabbage, and my lettuce, spinach, beets, kale and chard are still looking awesome out there after multiple freezes.

And, not to rub it in, but apples do great here in WI. We have loads of apples and cherries in this state, but they're not doing so hot in my yard!