Fruit for the Bay Area?
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Can blog readers in the greater San Francisco Bay Area offer any suggestions about their favorite fruit trees? I'm looking for dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties, that are productive and not terribly fragile. I've already got lemons, persimmons and an unidentified plum tree.
(Check out this nifty ripening calendar -- click for a larger sized image.)
About the time that we moved, I joined an online discussion group for East Oakland gardeners. And in the past few weeks, I've been meeting with some of my fellow gardeners for swaps. I've gotten bamboo, which is intended for trellises, and last night I traded some of my lemons for baby broccoli plants.
I love this.
Not only do I get to engage in some neighborly-garden-kindness with people who would otherwise be strangers, I also get to gawk at some of the glorious gardens in the posher parts of my neighborhood. There are some huge urban gardens around here.
I really would like to hear what fruit trees work for you. Please leave a comment, and tell me who you are. I'm sad to report that the spam-bots have found this blog, and that I'm having to approve all the comments before they appear on the blog. I'd so much rather be reading garden advice than unsolicited financial advice from strangers with questionable grammar.
Can blog readers in the greater San Francisco Bay Area offer any suggestions about their favorite fruit trees? I'm looking for dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties, that are productive and not terribly fragile. I've already got lemons, persimmons and an unidentified plum tree.
(Check out this nifty ripening calendar -- click for a larger sized image.)
About the time that we moved, I joined an online discussion group for East Oakland gardeners. And in the past few weeks, I've been meeting with some of my fellow gardeners for swaps. I've gotten bamboo, which is intended for trellises, and last night I traded some of my lemons for baby broccoli plants.
I love this.
Not only do I get to engage in some neighborly-garden-kindness with people who would otherwise be strangers, I also get to gawk at some of the glorious gardens in the posher parts of my neighborhood. There are some huge urban gardens around here.
I really would like to hear what fruit trees work for you. Please leave a comment, and tell me who you are. I'm sad to report that the spam-bots have found this blog, and that I'm having to approve all the comments before they appear on the blog. I'd so much rather be reading garden advice than unsolicited financial advice from strangers with questionable grammar.
Comments
We just had an apple tree split apart during the January storms (it was original to the house, we think- very old and rotted out in the center) and are looking to replace it...we have lemon, blood orange and satsuma, so we are thinking of an apricot...if you hear of any good varieties of those, I'd love to hear about them!
Ladyaero
(Emily from San Jose)
Apple trees are not self pollinating- so if you have more space, go for it.
Plant only trees that will give you fruit you 1-want to eat 2-is valuable and you can sell. Fruit that can NOT be preserved eaasily is a pain in the butt. A fruit tree gives a LOT of produce. We like apples cause they can be eaten, cooked, baked, dried, canned, frozen...you get the idea- get a versatile fruit!
I'm still looking for a money tree, myself. Also we need to get a Colorado blue spruce tree, since snow melt splashed in our front yard has road salt in it, and will kill anything except the blue spruce. Think of how your tree will live all year long before you plant. And always put a $10 tree in a $20 hole.
Annalisa
We just planted a 3-variety apple tree. We chose apples for the same reason Annalisa mentioned. It went in in place of the old plum tree...which made so many plums that we couldn't eat them all an couldn't give away enough. They didnt' freeze well and I never quite figured out how to make jam from them. The apricots, however, freeze well and make for amazing jam!
Stacey
(Mountain View)
IdhunnKnits
Grumpy
I think Oakland might be a bit cool for them. . . .
~~Doublesaj~~
We are supposed to get 1 foot of snow this weekend, so of course Gary and I were outside on ladders screaming bloody murder at each other trying to get plastic tarps to cover our big hole in the barn roof that blew off last week.
Please don't ever get a barn unless you have a lot of insurance and are prepared for heartbreak.
Annalisa
We also have Korean Dwarf Lilacs. Of course you can't eat them, but as a bush along the walkway or near the front or back steps of the house, it can be something just amazing when it's in bloom. They're small lilac flowers, maybe 3" or so, but they just cover the bush and send a beautiful fragrance throughout the area. We keep ours at about 3 1/2 feet high & just trim in down after it blooms. Everyone talks about it-it's more fragrant than the large version & is covered in blooms for a longer period of time where we find our large lilacs are a bit temperamental under the same conditions.
Good luck with your planting and with your lovely new home!
BJ (Mamakin on Rav)
I've given a lot away, as I said, and most often I've been told that they die...or so they thought...then they start up when you least expect it. So if you're mowing over the spot where you planted them, you may be mowing over new growth. If you leave the area alone, you may find that they'll surprise you & come back up. Also check on the species. We have some that only grow well in shade & do die out if they move down the hill into the sunny area. Oddly enough, they're all moving into a side area that's shady and we haven't seen any more coming up in the sunny spots. Smart little buggers!