This guy grows some amazing stuff in zone 9B
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Latitude-wise he’s in central CA. “Northern” adds a little glamor. I’ve also grown those fruits in 9b. Now if he were in Fort Bragg CA, that would give him true northern bragging rights!
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Wow, who knew he would be able to grow those in NORTHERN California
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He’s in Modesto the home of DWN and Zaiger genetics. I’d say that Modesto has about the best climate in CA for overall fruit production. Much more chilling than Southern CA but no more rain. Cooler than Fresno or Bakersfield in summer but not much colder in winter. All are in the central basins of CA.
Modesto and Fresno both have 6 months with lows in the 40s. That’s the part that makes mango growing questionable. For growing mango in my greenhouse I’ll have lows in 40s for no more than 60 days. Once chilling of stonefruit is done I’ll heat into the 50s, maybe low 60s. If I’m getting too much blooming and not enough vegetative growth I’ll heat nights to the warmer end of that range.
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Think he works pretty hard at it. 12 days ago, he had a setback, but it did not phsse him. It is pretty amazing what he is growing .
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I had trouble growing lemon or lime in the Bay Area, I got zero fruit.
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There is a commercial avocado grove in Shelter Cove, north of Fort Bragg. I go there often to fish. It’s only about an hour and a half away from my place. We grow all the same stuff this guy does far north of Modesto.
Where in the Bay Area? I had meyer and Eureka lemon trees growing at my house in west Berkeley, not even 1 mile from the bay shore, and they were absolutely covered with fruit. Many of my neighbors did too. Citrus grows and produces very well all over the Bay Area and Northern California in general, even in some coastal locations right on the Pacific. There are even commercial avocados in Shelter Cove, Humboldt County, and the guy has fruiting citrus growing around the property.The only location in the Bay Area where growing citrus would be somewhat difficult are places that aren’t wind sheltered and on the immediate coast. But move back from the water sometimes less than a mile and you’ll find very happy prolific citrus trees.
Recently I learned about people growing meyer lemons outside and getting fruit as far north as the California and Oregon border region. Brookings, Oregon in Curry County is known as a Banana Belt on account of the Chinook Winds flowing out of the Siskiyou Mountains. Low temps in the Brookings area rarely fall drop below 36 and those winds keep the temps very high for a coastal location.
Maybe I didn’t grow them right. I was a newbie. But I notice citrus trees are in abundance here with fruit, not so much in the Bay Area. People don’t even pick them here.
The trees are literally covered in citrus all over Northern California. There are also commercial citrus operations up here. Drive around any town in the Bay Area and you’ll find countless lemon, kumquat, satsuma, grapefruit and orange trees overflowing with fruit. Just some casual research online will show you how prolific citrus is in Northern California. There are also bananas, cherimoya, guava, avocados as well as citrus growing and producing lots of fruit all around the Bay Area. I grew up in Southern California and I know what you means about citrus being everywhere down there. That’s true, it is a sublime region for growing citrus. And while Northern California isn’t as perfect for growing commercial citrus as SoCal, make no mistake, the bay area is well known as an excellent citrus growing region. Good enough to support significant commercial citrus.
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