by Greg Alder | Nov 3, 2023 | Citrus |
As the weather cools in fall and the citrus fruit on my trees start turning from green to yellow, they catch my eye. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten a tangerine or a navel orange. I can’t wait until this new crop is ripe. And I look at the amount...
by Greg Alder | Nov 3, 2023 | Avocados |
Thille is the low-pro link between numerous famous avocado varieties. Even though Thille trees barely exist anymore, and not many were grown in the first place, it is the daughter of Hass, the mother of Gwen, and the grandmother of Lamb, GEM, and the new Luna. So the...
by Greg Alder | Oct 27, 2023 | Fruit |
Last week, I took my kids to the San Diego Zoo and we headed toward a less crowded area where the giant Galapagos tortoises reside. As often happens, on our walk I pointed out the plants as much as the animals. “Do you see this avocado tree over here?”...
by Greg Alder | Oct 25, 2023 | Avocados |
If avocados have a royal family, this is it: Hass and its heirs. Take a look at the family’s most prominent members, as well as some lesser known relatives. Where and when were they born? Who first grew them? Is there a next generation on the way? I hope you...
by Greg Alder | Oct 20, 2023 | Avocados |
From sunrise to sunset on October 14, it was avocados for me. I was touring groves, talking to farmers and researchers, stuffing my head with more than I could process. But I took photos. And here I share some with you. My morning began with an offshore breeze at...
by Greg Alder | Oct 12, 2023 | Avocados |
In 1916, not long after graduating from Pasadena High School, Wilson Popenoe headed south to explore the highlands of Guatemala on horseback for avocados to bring back to growers in California. He rode over three thousand miles, he tasted a thousand different...
by Greg Alder | Sep 29, 2023 | Avocados |
My favorite time to plant avocado trees is March; my second favorite is October. So I might be planting some this month, and you might want to, too. Then what? How to water the new tree? In the last handful of years I have established most of my newly planted avocado...
by Greg Alder | Sep 25, 2023 | Avocados |
You are invited to the biggest shindig of the year for California avocado growers, which will be held on Saturday, October 14 at Brokaw’s Long Canyon Ranch in Ventura. It is the California Avocado Society’s 2023 Annual Meeting. A day of connecting with...
by Greg Alder | Sep 16, 2023 | Berries and Vines |
“Paul McLane gave the L.E. Cooke Co a grapevine he grew from his grandmother’s seedling in Chico, California . . .” I’m a sucker for a vegetable or fruit variety with a background story. With Blueberry grapes, both the variety and my own vines...
by Greg Alder | Aug 25, 2023 | Avocados |
It’s baffling out there. Advice about growing avocado trees in containers comes from every direction and often conflicts. Should you use a potting mix that includes organic materials? Which kind of pot should you use? What’s the best variety for growing in...
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