by Greg Alder | Mar 10, 2023 | Citrus |
Mid-March is the perfect time to compare the eating qualities of these three excellent mandarins. For me in San Diego County, their harvest seasons all begin around February, and by now they are approaching the apex of their flavor potential. So let’s pick,...
by Greg Alder | Mar 10, 2023 | Citrus |
“If I only had one citrus tree to live on for my entire life, this is it,” said our guide through the collection of about 1,000 varieties of citrus selected from around the world. That’s quite a claim. But, coming from Ottillia “Toots” Bier, we would be wise to...
by Greg Alder | Mar 10, 2023 | Citrus |
Nothing about the story of Shiranui is straightforward. There is mystery and there is hype. Even my own Shiranui tree (above) is complicated. But let’s start with the name. In stores, Shiranui mandarins are sold under the trademarked brand name...
by Greg Alder | Feb 27, 2023 | Avocados |
Coming to you from the Laferriere grove in Redlands, San Bernardino County, are avocados of the refined Pinkerton variety as well as the Carmen variety. See here for ordering details. Pinkerton Pinkerton originated about 1961 as a seedling among trees of the Hass,...
by Greg Alder | Feb 17, 2023 | Avocados |
Old avocado groves in California have been chainsawed and turned into houses throughout the past hundred years. I’m grateful that some are still standing. How does it feel, what do you see, and what do you hear inside one of these living museums? All of my Yard...
by Greg Alder | Feb 17, 2023 | Avocados |
Lamb is a late-season avocado variety, meaning that its fruit isn’t ready for picking until the summer. I start picking my Lambs in July. But when does the season end? How long can mature Lamb avocados be stored on the tree? *In his article for the California...
by Greg Alder | Jan 27, 2023 | Avocados |
At times an avocado tree will set more fruit than it can grow to maturity without negative consequences. The tree might be too small such that carrying much fruit will stunt its growth, or the fruitlets might be too numerous on a single branch such that it will bend...
by Greg Alder | Jan 6, 2023 | Avocados |
Enjoy this video profile of an avocado variety that comes from Florida and is rarely grown in California. Here the fruit matures early, even earlier than Fuerte. In Israel, the Day variety has been found to be a good rootstock in some situations. I present the Day...
by Greg Alder | Dec 30, 2022 | Avocados |
Thank you to everyone who ordered avocados in 2022. It was a joy to share with you different varieties and to connect you to the farmers throughout Southern California who grew them. For 2023, I’m predicting the following harvest schedule: January: Fuerte,...
by Greg Alder | Dec 23, 2022 | Fruit |
My son and I were pruning our macadamia nut tree when his loppers couldn’t cut through a branch. I saw that they were undersized for the branch. “Don’t force it,” I said. “If it feels like you have to use a lot of strength, it means you...
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