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Richard
03-14-2016, 05:08 PM
I am a median baby boomer. My father's side of the family went up the Hudson River in 1605 and established a family farm there. Subsequent generations expanded to Wisconsin, Iowa, and then by horse and handcart to what is now Redlands CA. My mother's side of the family were Hungarian immigrants to Chicago and Los Angeles in the last half of the 1800's. They were craftsmen and artisans. Growing up in Redlands CA on a 1/2 acre we always had vegetables and fruits growing and bought little more than meat, rice, and flour in the summer.

From this, I entered college as a music major and exited in graduate school in applied physics/mathematics. I too always had gardens growing. After 9/11 research jobs tanked throughout the country. I polished off my resume and finished a few certificate programs in teaching and horticulture. Eventually I started a new career selling edible plants at a local farmers market and fertilizer products online, plus designing new fertilizer formulas for crops.

After a year-long battle with cancer my wife passed away at the end of 2012. I closed my plant sale business and moved to a smaller house on a 1/4 acre lot in Vista CA. I'm growing approximately 60 different species and cultivars of fruiting plants plus another 100 or so annual and perennial vegetables and herbs. I plan to fully retire by the end of 2016.

JP
03-14-2016, 07:18 PM
Well, nice to know you Richard. That is a proper intro and we should all do it.
I'm very sorry about your wife.
I'm retired and I know that you'll love it too.
I hope you will continue sharing your knowledge with us all.

HMelendez
03-15-2016, 06:17 AM
Richard,


Thank you sir for sharing the story of your life with us!


I am very sorry to hear the loss of your wife!...As you, I also loss my first wife battilng with cancer.....Just in the beginning of my military career at 18 years old and two kids to grow!....Now years of happily married again growing six kids in total (2 previous marriage and 4 current marriage) retired from the military after 22 years of service and three conflicts/wars under my belt and still working for the US Government!...


Good luck with your retirement and please keep sharing your suggestions, advices and knowledge with us!

crazy banana
03-16-2016, 08:35 PM
Richard, it sounds like a well deserved retirement with lots of enjoyment of your great new garden is in your near future.
Hope you are not giving up selling the awesome "Fruit Fuel". BTW, need to get my 2016 FF pretty soon....

Richard
03-16-2016, 08:50 PM
... Hope you are not giving up selling the awesome "Fruit Fuel" ...

Someone else will need to carry the torch. The Grow More factory of course would be thrilled if someone did.

:birthdaynana:

Richard
05-21-2016, 05:59 PM
An aerial photo from last year, updated with annotations of present and planned structures for this summer.

http://growingfruit.org/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f8a775932060cedcf973620b0812e823528a92eb.JPG

Richard
06-03-2016, 05:52 PM
I have nearly everything in the ground now :). What remains are the Blueberries and the planter beds to the right of them, the Mulberry bush (waiting on patio installation), the Dragon Fruit, and the evergreen fruit marked "??". The latter will be a replacement for a tree that died this spring. I'm not certain yet what I'll choose. It needs to be evergreen and work in my western zone 10b climate.

http://growingfruit.org/uploads/default/original/2X/f/fdafcc1c81420e0c5cc8e8fd3e690849195e89c2.JPG

Kat2
06-03-2016, 06:29 PM
So have you yet harvested any cherries from your Royals? Living here with no chill hours, I truly miss real cherries.

Richard
06-03-2016, 07:01 PM
So have you yet harvested any cherries from your Royals? Living here with no chill hours, I truly miss real cherries.

Yes, a few dozen this year.

Worm_Farmer
06-03-2016, 07:45 PM
Your yard seems so packed! I just don't know how everything is doing so well. I thought the roots need a lot of room or the stronger plant will overtake another.

Richard
06-03-2016, 07:54 PM
Your yard seems so packed! I just don't know how everything is doing so well. I thought the roots need a lot of room or the stronger plant will overtake another.

They are in 8-foot diameter basins and spaced at least 10-foot on center. Here's the Green Sapote (http://growingfruit.org/t/green-sapote-pouteria-viridis/6064) I planted yesterday:

http://growingfruit.org/uploads/default/original/2X/e/eb687f4517277547d4cf356647dd17f74274a3ec.jpg

Kat2
06-04-2016, 07:57 AM
Yes, a few dozen this year.Taste report would be appreciated. :)

Richard
06-04-2016, 09:29 AM
Taste report would be appreciated. :)

Outstanding. They are a Rainier type.

saltydad
06-06-2016, 03:32 AM
Hi Richard. I haven't been on in ages; just stopped by and saw your thread. Sorry to hear about your wife; you may have heard my mom (who I was nursing for 13 years), passed away in 14. I now am in Leisure World, and my gardens are restricted to an enclosed balcony as I live in a co-op I bought on the 3rd floor. Glad to see you're still as active, just in a different place. Take a look at a pic I put in my gallery.

Worm_Farmer
06-06-2016, 09:52 PM
Richard, I have a 1/4 acre lot. Would you help me with consulting on a new planting lay out for my zone?

Richard
06-14-2016, 04:53 PM
It's true!

I'm getting married in the morning ... (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V6QGXhFr-zA)

Kat2
06-14-2016, 05:09 PM
Congratulations and best wishes! Lucky girl.

JP
06-14-2016, 06:39 PM
Congrats!

luisport
06-15-2016, 04:51 AM
Congratulations! I wish the best and happy marriage all your life!

crazy banana
06-15-2016, 01:23 PM
Congratulations to you and Janet.
So happy for you both.

Lau
06-15-2016, 08:49 PM
Congratulations :nanadrink::woohoonaner::goteam::goteam::goteam:

HMelendez
06-16-2016, 02:04 PM
Congratulations!.....All the best wishes for you!....:bananarow:

Richard
06-16-2016, 04:47 PM
http://growingfruit.org/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d31fc381b81101c00f646e1292f101159019c6b4.png

Richard
06-26-2016, 01:14 PM
Tomorrow we're flying into Alaska for an eight-day stay in Homer and Seward. :)

crazy banana
06-26-2016, 01:29 PM
Tomorrow we're flying into Alaska for an eight-day stay in Homer and Seward. :)

Great time for an Alaska trip. Save travels.
BTW: I think it is time to change your Avatar photo again: happily retired, yes - but certainly not a grumpy old man with a walking cane :ha:

Richard
06-26-2016, 05:12 PM
... certainly not a grumpy old man with a walking cane :ha:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=60028 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=59492&ppuser=1558)

Worm_Farmer
06-26-2016, 08:33 PM
AWESOME! We are going to Alaska July 26th.
Tell us what activity's you are doing! We have rented and RV so we will be nomads in AK.

Richard
06-26-2016, 10:52 PM
AWESOME! We are going to Alaska July 26th.
Tell us what activity's you are doing! We have rented and RV so we will be nomads in AK.

Homer: June 27-30
Seward: June 30 - July 3
Anchorage: July 3-5 (morning)
Return to Vista CA 7/5.

Snarkie
07-12-2016, 06:21 PM
Hope you had a great time. I really liked Alaska. Spent my time along the Inside Passage though.

Richard
08-07-2016, 06:30 PM
I have all but two trees in the ground now, and I'm waiting on the hardscape installation next month.

:woohoonaner:

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=60313&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=60313)

Richard
08-13-2016, 12:59 AM
Some updated hardscape plans.
Black = existing.
Gray = new brick or masonry.
Tan = 3/4" recycled concrete (actually ~white).
Parquet = Tuscany brick patio.
Green = put-put course.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=60358&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=60358)

merce3
08-13-2016, 02:05 PM
nice! please don't spare any details on the put-put. ;]

Richard
08-23-2016, 03:51 AM
Details of outdoor electric circuits.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=60420&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=60420)

Richard
01-12-2017, 06:14 PM
Just signed the "final" final quotes, paid the deposits and put the remainder in construction trust. Start date is set for March 1.

Richard
02-23-2017, 02:10 AM
Prepping a new found location for a Placentia Walnut tree :)

http://growingfruit-images.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/original/3X/c/6/c60706bfa093854745cf64e5bd8307c29f8e5c49.jpg

JP
02-24-2017, 06:55 AM
I really have to buy one of those!

cincinnana
02-25-2017, 07:44 PM
Richard ,

Before you plant what other amendments will you add to the tilled area.

Richard
02-25-2017, 08:22 PM
Richard ,
Before you plant what other amendments will you add to the tilled area.

With the rototiller: I mixed in 8 cu.ft. of decomposed granite sand, 2 cubic feet of Canadian Peat Moss, and 2.5 cu.ft. of Sunshine General Purpose Soil. The planting hole has about 1 cu.yd. (27 cu.ft.) volume, so that's just short of a 50/50 mix with the native soil.

crazy banana
02-25-2017, 08:33 PM
With the rototiller: I mixed in 8 cu.ft. of decomposed granite sand, 2 cubic feet of Canadian Peat Moss, and 2.5 cu.ft. of Sunshine General Purpose Soil. The planting hole has about 1 cu.yd. (27 cu.ft.) volume, so that's just short of a 50/50 mix with the native soil.

Refresh my memory, what is your native soil? I do get the Peat Moss and the General Purpose Soil, but DG? I put DG in my horses coral to prevent it from being muddy. We put it on the dirt road to the ranch for the same reason and it makes it rock hard. But for drainage (even in my horse coral) I rather use river sand.

Richard
02-25-2017, 10:22 PM
Refresh my memory, what is your native soil?

In that location it's 100 years of agriculture residue (about 6 inches) on top of a million years of calcified sands.

I do get the Peat Moss and the General Purpose Soil, but DG?

The DG is mostly medium grain sands which were used to fill in the rear half of my yard. Nowadays I'm building planter beds there, so I excavated a bit and used it for these planting holes. If I wanted more, I'd order some horticultural sand from A-1 soils (near you).

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=61231&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=61231&ppuser=1558)

cincinnana
03-01-2017, 08:18 PM
With the rototiller: I mixed in 8 cu.ft. of decomposed granite sand, 2 cubic feet of Canadian Peat Moss, and 2.5 cu.ft. of Sunshine General Purpose Soil. The planting hole has about 1 cu.yd. (27 cu.ft.) volume, so that's just short of a 50/50 mix with the native soil.

Thank you... that sounds like an awesome ratio.. do you salt the soil with anything else?

That rear tine really works the soil ....

Richard
03-01-2017, 09:38 PM
do you salt the soil with anything else?

Nope, I rely on fertigation for that.
:nanadrink: