 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Oct 16, 2025 | Fruit | 
Shoemaker Farm (now called Ramona Fresh Fruits) will open for the 2025 persimmon picking season on Wednesday, October 29. The farm address is 18131 Traylor Road, Ramona 92065. Bring cash or Venmo to pay for your persimmons. Check for hours and updates at the Ramona...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Oct 12, 2025 | Fruit | 
I continue to plant apple trees in my yard because my kids eat so many and they’re easy to grow. Yes, apples are very easy to grow in Southern California. Some of the best varieties even grow well here despite apples being associated with colder climates. In fact,...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Oct 4, 2025 | Avocados | 
You’ve never been to an avocado grove like John Schoustra’s. At least I haven’t. From afar, it’s just avocado trees on some hills and it doesn’t appear unique. But up close, and with a guide to explain what you are seeing, you realize...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Sep 26, 2025 | Fruit | 
When my friend Brad started growing dragon fruit some years back, his friend Simon told him not to bother with any variety except 8-S, which is also called Sugar Dragon. “I’ve tried all the other ones,” Simon told him. “Don’t bother. Just grow 8-S.” “But I have to try...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Sep 19, 2025 | Avocados | 
Right on the coast this is less important, but inland you’ll find it beneficial to thin the crop on certain branches of avocado trees. By inland, I mean roughly five miles or farther from the water, and by thin, I mean remove some of the avocados. Rather than...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Sep 19, 2025 | Avocados | 
Below is my video profile of the Hellen variety of avocado. You can read my full profile of the Hellen variety here, where I share my experience with the Hellen tree and its characteristics also. Interested in buying an avocado tree or finding scion wood to graft? See...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Aug 29, 2025 | Avocados | 
In June of 2023, I planted a GEM avocado tree. It was a good-looking tree, on top and bottom. The leaves showed healthy new growth and the roots were abundant and with new white tips. I planted in the best way I knew, a way in which I’d planted many trees before that...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Aug 22, 2025 | Avocados | 
“The skin is tough and leathery and peels easily (as a glove would),” wrote Carter Barrett of the Hellen avocado in the 1939 Yearbook of the California Avocado Society. Mr. Barrett was right. Hellen avocados do peel like a glove. They are also large, usually weighing...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Aug 7, 2025 | Avocados | 
On August 23, you can join John Schoustra in a tasting of six varieties that are in season at Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, Ventura County: Pinkerton, Hass, Nabal, Reed, Lamb, and Gelado. Schoustra is the orchard manager at Apricot Lane. In addition, he cultivates...				
					
			
					
											
								 
							
					
															
					
					 by Greg Alder | Jul 19, 2025 | Fruit | 
Among the first words out of my two year-old son’s mouth every morning was, “Can I have a banana?” He would have eaten five a day if allowed. So I was hearing the call to grow more in our yard. Here in Southern California? Can you really grow bananas? Climate for...				
					
						 
Recent comments