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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Tylt33's formal introduction!
 
 


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Tylt33

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
A lot of this is cut and paste from another thread, but I saw others doing introductions, and I thought I would do one!  I'm relatively new to the fig world, having only two trees of any size, but am currently rooting around 20 varieties.  I live on a quarter of an acre in the middle of my town in Northern California, and I try to squeeze viable gardening space into ever spot that I can.  I currently have around 125 varieties of fruiting plants, not counting cuttings.  I label all of my trees with their variety names as well as their Latin names.  

My hope with my garden is that my children can learn from it.  The names of plants, trees, fruits, vegetables; the beauty in cultivating and caring for life.  A preference to be among the trees and animals, rather than on a couch staring at a television screen.  In 2015 we will be part of our town's garden tour, and I will have the chance to share my passion with more than 1000 people.  To teach people of the many varieties of trees, the joys of gardening, and the accessibility; they too can do it!  Don't limit yourself to store bought, rock hard peaches, battery produced eggs; don't dismiss a whole family of fruit based on the sub par food being offered!  I cannot wait to have this opportunity, and work on my yard every chance that I get.  I also am applying for display garden status with the American Hemerocallis Society, so that I can share my garden with visitors throughout the summer months.

My late maternal grandparents fostered my love of gardening, as I spent my summers from age two or so until I graduated high school working in their daylily nursery.  They've long since passed on, but I feel that they are with me as I am out in the garden, tending to many of the same daylilies that they themselves did.  My paternal grandparents were tomato farmers, and being of Japanese descent had their land and most of their possessions seized during their years of internment at Tule Lake here in California.  So, a love for plants runs on both sides of my family.

I recognize that I cannot live forever, that life is fleeting, and that in some unknown amount of time, no one will be alive that will ever have met me.  How neat would it be though, if even one of my descendants took a cutting from one of my trees and passed it on, from generation to generation?  A great-great-great grandchild of mine, tasting the same delicious fruit that I once did?  My children, fostering our love for gardening to their children in turn?  Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic.

Now, on to the photos; my apologies that most of my tree pictures are from the dormant season.

2013-05-29 21.20.23.jpg 
My number one garden helper, trying out one of my new pots.  Also, the number one fresh peach thief.

2011-12-24 16.34.49.jpg 
The girls!  Helpful enough to strip my vegetable garden anytime the gate accidentally gets left open.  

2012-08-02 18.04.06.jpg 
Vegetable garden, summer of 2012.  Chicken coop in the back!  

2013-12-31 16.15.53.jpg 
Peach, nectarine, and pears, spaced on 3 to 4 foot centers.

2013-12-31 16.16.03.jpg 
Trying to get every viable square inch of gardening space, even if the sun exposure isn't ideal.

2013-12-31 16.16.40.jpg 
Interspecifics- pluots, pluerry, apriums, etc.  Spaced on 2.5 foot centers.

2013-12-31 16.17.15.jpg Some of my potted citrus currently; huddled closely to the house for warmth.  My Wekiwa Tangelolo (courtesy of Patty from CRFG in southern California) has some fruit on it!

2013-12-31 16.24.56.jpg 
One of the orange trees that was already growing here when we moved in.  Between it and its sister, they produce somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds of oranges per year.  I'm not a big orange fan, so we end up giving most of them away.

2013-05-23 19.46.51.jpg 
Daylily, "Wild About Harry" cultivar, named after my late grandfather, Dr. Harry Harwood.  Hybridized and named by the late Ra Hansen.

Betty Loves Me.JPG Daylily, "Betty Loves Me", named after my late grandmother, Betty Harwood.  Hybridized and named by the late Ben Hager.

2013-12-31 16.23.52.jpg 
These two very special daylilies, planted next to each other.
jtp

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Nothing wrong with dreaming and being a romantic. It is a great vision and a beautiful garden. Welcome!
GreenFin

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Nice work, everything looks great!

Wish I had those orange trees...
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James, zone 6a Kansas (zone 10 greenhouses); wish list is in my profile
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kubota1

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
Great photos! Especially the citrus!!
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Art- Western Pa. 6a
pino

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
Very nice!  Makes me wish I can grow citrus.
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Pino, zone 6, Niagara,  JCJ Acres
Wish; Peace on earth and more figs Italian 258, Galicia Negra, Luv, trade suggestions welcome.
nycfig

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Beautiful!  Welcome to the forum!
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Danny NYC Z7a

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strudeldog

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
You must spent a lot of time on Dave Wilson's Backyard Orchard pages. I grow a wide variety of fruiting plants pretty much anything I can and things pretty sure I can not. The interspecific hybrids will likely never do well for me in the southeast, but I have several of the Pluot, a Pluerry and I envy your growing conditions. I am not a convert on the high density planting, but sitting on acreage so I don't have to. My citrus is screaming for light right now and my back is screaming as I shuttle them in and out seemingly twice a week. 

 I can relate to your daylilles as well. I thought in early 90's I was going to be a Hybridizer. Spent more on a daylilly then I ever spent on a fig. Ida's Magic I had to have it, rationalized the cost as a business expense. I had several of Ra Hansen's introductions I was living in central Florida surrounded by all those Daylilly folks.
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Phil N.GA. Zone 7 Looking for: De La Reina, Del La Senyora, Martinenca Rimada, Parfum De Cafards, Ponte Tresa,  Sangue Dulce, Emalyn's Purple, and on and on
Smaritza

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Welcome to the forum. Your number one peach thief is so adorable.
The daylillies are beautiful! I just started growing those last year.
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Smaritza
Bronx, NY
Wishing for: Ronde de Bordeaux, Aubique Petit, Pananas Purple, Longue d Aout, Lebanese Red, Ischia Black, Scott's Black, Martineca Rimada,
Tarantella, Jolly Tiger, Nero,
Tylt33

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Quote:
Originally Posted by alanmercieca
We have an improved myer lemon, which is a pot friendly hybrid variety believed to be a mixture of mandarin orange, and Lemon, Spring is the time of it's largest crop, it has lots of flowers on it now, 3 of which are open, I hand pollinated two of them with a tiny paint brush. This dwarf tree has lots of large lemons. This is our first spring with it so I hope the weather warms up enough, and is sunny enough when it's ready to fruit 


I have an IML as well; fantastic tree. Delicious, and prolific. Very fertile here, never needed to pollinate.
Tylt33

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strudeldog
You must spent a lot of time on Dave Wilson's Backyard Orchard pages. I grow a wide variety of fruiting plants pretty much anything I can and things pretty sure I can not. The interspecific hybrids will likely never do well for me in the southeast, but I have several of the Pluot, a Pluerry and I envy your growing conditions. I am not a convert on the high density planting, but sitting on acreage so I don't have to. My citrus is screaming for light right now and my back is screaming as I shuttle them in and out seemingly twice a week. 

 I can relate to your daylilles as well. I thought in early 90's I was going to be a Hybridizer. Spent more on a daylilly then I ever spent on a fig. Ida's Magic I had to have it, rationalized the cost as a business expense. I had several of Ra Hansen's introductions I was living in central Florida surrounded by all those Daylilly folks.


Strudel, wow, small world. Ida's magic was the "it" daylily, arguably of all time. The first $300 daylily, and in the 80's to boot. My grandfather bought it when it was first released. I think it put out two or three extra fans in the span of a decade. The slowest grower I have ever met, for sure.
GRamaley

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Wonderful garden and i love your helper, mine are too old to be much help, too many other things than Mom's garden...
Look forward to seeing more in the future..
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Gloria
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7a, maybe 8
Chapman

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Your place looks really good.  Welcome to the forum.
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strudeldog

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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Yes It was  1989 I think and that's what I paid. I justified that if I was going to hybridize I needed the latest genetics. I created some nice flowers, but daylillies unless you come up with something completely unique, or have a established name is a hard road. There is something special about walking down your rows of seedlings each morning looking at the unique flower blooming for the 1st time ever. When the preacher across the street asked what I was doing in the garden each morning while hand-pollinating. I just stated I was having sex in the garden.

 On IML mine are loaded right now. Mine has always had sparse foilage? but she lays it out. If I was to recommend one citrus for pot culture it would be my Variegated Calmondin, not so much for the fruit which I squeeze and drop in to flavor my water, but as a small compact beautiful tree suited for pot culture.

IML.jpg VCAL.jpg

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Phil N.GA. Zone 7 Looking for: De La Reina, Del La Senyora, Martinenca Rimada, Parfum De Cafards, Ponte Tresa,  Sangue Dulce, Emalyn's Purple, and on and on
HarveyC

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Welcome officially to F4F.  Are you from anywhere near me in the delta?
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Harvey - Correia Farms
Isleton, CA (Sacramento County) USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14

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blueboy1977

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Nice orchard Brian, I have a couple cute little helpers as well for my garden. Instead of peach thiefs, mine are blueberry thiefs;) I put up netting to protect them from my 2 young boys first, and the mocking birds second. I too am invious of the orange trees. I absolutly love citrus and have several varieties my self. None are as big as yours but I bet the fragrance in full bloom is out of this world. In the spring  when the citrus are blooming you can find me sitting on a 5 gallon bucket with my head in the center of a citrus tree taking it all in. The wife thinks Im nuts! Welcome to the forum.
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Rob
Zone 9a/9b were the too meet. South Houston Tx

Growing:  Black Madeira, Smith, LSU Scott's Black, Improved Celeste, VDB, MBvs, RDB, Unknown Peach/Apricot, Salce, Malta Black, Texas BA-1, JH Adriatic, Atreano, CDDN, CDDB, CDDG, Strawberry Verte
aphahn

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Posted Reply with quote  #16 
What a great looking garden and orchard. I only have about 85 varieties of fruiting plants on my 1/3 of an acre (not counting what I'm currently propagating), but I will catch up... 
I also promise not to post any pictures of the "random shades of yellow" open pollinated daylilies I have growing around the yard ;)

Welcome! 
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Andy - Zone 6a Lat 39.9º N, Alt 5390' Westminster CO ⚘ Scion List
rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #17 
Great yard!  I have citrus in a grow room.  What's a Tangelolo?  I grow a few edible peel citrus, the best of which is an indio mandarinquat.  The fruit is slightly larger than a golf ball, the peel is edible and it's sweeter than a kumquat.  I let my calamondins ripen to red-orange and they're much better tasting than if you pick them yellow-orange.  I eat them whole.  I'm not a fan of the meyer lemon.  I have a few Valencias on my tree that are now ripe and I have a cara cara navel and Budda's Hand that have not yet fruited.  I want to get a fingerlime this Spring.  I wish we had the colors available that they do in Australia.
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Zone 6, MO

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Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
cis4elk

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Posted Reply with quote  #18 
Great intro, great yard. Welcome. I wish I could grow citrus effectively, every year I get a small bag of mixed citrus from my boss who grew up in Florida. The variety of oranges come from a friend of his family who owns a small orchard. I savor them, they are so delicious!
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Wants List: For everyone to clean-up after themselves and co-exist peacefully. Let's think more about the future of our planet and less about ourselves.  :)
armando93223

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Posted Reply with quote  #19 
My Barber told me about a new orange that is a cross between a grapefruit and orange, He said its called the Morgan Orange named after the Citrus Farmer...looked online and found no information, will talk to my friend again and see if I can make contact with the Farmer.
He said the taste is very sweet and the size is huge. So I am interested.
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blueboy1977

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Posted Reply with quote  #20 
Sounds interesting Armando. I was just introduced to Golden Grapefruit last week and found a new taste bud! If y'all ever get a chance, try it. If you like grapefruit it's a must have IMHO. I had to get a tree;) I feel this post is getting hijacked alittle, so to keep it between the ditches, Welcome to the forum again Brian!
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Rob
Zone 9a/9b were the too meet. South Houston Tx

Growing:  Black Madeira, Smith, LSU Scott's Black, Improved Celeste, VDB, MBvs, RDB, Unknown Peach/Apricot, Salce, Malta Black, Texas BA-1, JH Adriatic, Atreano, CDDN, CDDB, CDDG, Strawberry Verte
Norhayati

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Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Wow, daylilies named after your grandparents....that's something to be very proud of.
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Norhayati Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Wish list: Black Madeira 
newnandawg

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Posted Reply with quote  #22 
@strudeldog and @Tylt33 I am sure we are not the only ones on this forum to hybridize day lilies. The one difference in you two guys and myself is my
infactuation with them took place in the early 1970's, well before Alexandra. I can not remember what was the hot cultivars back in the day, however I
can remember teaching my seven year old daughter how to cross pollinate them and mark them. I needed some assistance while I was at work early in the morning
before the bees would do their thing. My wife had no interest in my hobby. As to the testament of your pics above, it was very rewarding to see that first bloom
open on a plant that you had helped create.

Brian, I loved your story as I can relate. Welcome to the forum. I would love to donate MB but unfortunately it is just a little guy.
strudeldog

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Posted Reply with quote  #23 
Mike,

I just knew you were a closet Flower Child:) Edible as well, but I think we would all reach for the fig first. I only moved a very few with me on my last move. And for those of us that are obsessed with collecting every fig cultivar available, don't ever get the daylilly bug, just the number of registered Cultivars is insane, and beyond that  unimaginable
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Phil N.GA. Zone 7 Looking for: De La Reina, Del La Senyora, Martinenca Rimada, Parfum De Cafards, Ponte Tresa,  Sangue Dulce, Emalyn's Purple, and on and on
newnandawg

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Posted Reply with quote  #24 
Yes sir I was and still am a Flower Child. You are so right about the daylilly bug, and it is incurable. LOL
Tylt33

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Posted Reply with quote  #25 
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. And, just to clarify... My name is Ryan, not Brian :)

@ Harvey- I'm in Chico, and I work in Marysville. Not so far away at all.
@Blueboy- Blueberries are also a favorite target. Yesterday she pilfered two kumquats lol. Citrus blooms are one of my favorite smells... Just gotta watch out for the bees!
@Alan- If I recall correctly, Wekiwa is believed to be a (tangerine x pummelo) x pummelo cross. Different than what UCR lists it as.
@newnandawg- Thank you for the warm welcome!
@strudel- Did you ever find a daylily that tasted good raw? I never did... I think they need some deep frying. As to daylily cultivars, my grandparents had around 1100 at the height of their collection... Which is approximately 1% or less of the registered cultivars out there now.
HarveyC

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Posted Reply with quote  #26 
I was raised in this area but worked for a little over five years in Yuba City and Gridley, living in both Yuba City and Gridley.  Chico is a beautiful place and perfect for figs.  What's the coldest you've gotten to there this winter?  I heard that there had been white sapote at the USDA germplasm that was once in operation in Chico and I was wondering if conditions there are really suitable for it.  I have some growing this year and have some damage to my trees after about 25 nights of frost this winter.  There is a scion exchange in Sacramento with the local chapter of CRFG that you might want to attend.  Email me for info, if you'd like.
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Harvey - Correia Farms
Isleton, CA (Sacramento County) USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14

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Tylt33

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Posted Reply with quote  #27 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarveyC
I was raised in this area but worked for a little over five years in Yuba City and Gridley, living in both Yuba City and Gridley.  Chico is a beautiful place and perfect for figs.  What's the coldest you've gotten to there this winter?  I heard that there had been white sapote at the USDA germplasm that was once in operation in Chico and I was wondering if conditions there are really suitable for it.  I have some growing this year and have some damage to my trees after about 25 nights of frost this winter.  There is a scion exchange in Sacramento with the local chapter of CRFG that you might want to attend.  Email me for info, if you'd like.


We spent a lot of time in the mid to low 20's this winter. Sometimes around five hours per night... Pretty rough on the citrus. I will email you about the exchange, thanks :)
trif1010

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Posted Reply with quote  #28 
Welcome to the forum!
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Scot
Saratoga Springs, NY
Zone 5
rcantor

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Posted Reply with quote  #29 
I've worked in Yuba City.  I'm pretty sure they have the fig wasp there.
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Zone 6, MO

Wish list:
Galicia Negra, De La Reina - Pons, Genovese Nero - Rafed's, Sbayi, Souadi, Acciano, Any Rimada, Sodus Sicilian, any Bass, Pons or Axier fig, any great tasting fig.
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