|
| hi all! ive not gardened for many years, and have moved from beautiful washington state, to desolate desert, duncan arizona, also known as Drunkan Duncan. you get the picture! lol anyway we are at about 3900 ft, I want to grow some citrus trees, everyone says they dont grow here, BUT at about another 1000 ft higher, or more, there is ONE, just ONE, huge old grapefruit tree! big yummy juicy grapfruits. it is the ONLY grapefruit, or citrus tree in the whole town of Clifton AZ. even in safford az, about 1400 lower nonone grows them, its more of a pecan tree kind of place. does anyone know what type of tree, or things i could do to get positive results? I bought a little lemon tree (dwarf) today, with many fragrent blossoms on them. oh, and a necterine tree. I would love to introuce some rasberry starts, and am thinking of having some blackberry starts shipped to me from a friendin washington state? any ideas? i just cant get any local info or find much online either! any info would be appreciated. I have hated this move here, its been 6 yrs, and Ive been fighting it, kicking and screaming, we are here for my dear husbands arthritis. its of town of about 600 people, and 1/2 of them are in the local bars, living up to the town name of drunkin duncan.lol nothing to do here, Im trying to find something to do that i love, and wont be a waste of time and money. The nearest town is 100 miles round trip. so i cant buy anything here in town, we have 2 gas stations, old joes, hildas meat market, and 3 bars. thats IT!! please HELP!!!! lololo thank you march 15 2013 sharon |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by canadianplant (My Page) on Sat, Mar 16, 13 at 6:43
| You may want to look up Penny Livingstons permaculture garden in New Mexico. That may give you some ideas...... |
|
- Posted by desertdance So.CA Zone 19 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 16, 13 at 9:38
| I bet you can grow stone fruits like cherries, plums, apples, peaches and things that require chill hours. Citrus will grow, but the fruit dries inside (juice goes away) if the weather drops to freezing. You could try potting your citrus, then bringing it inside during winter months. I think your blueberries should do great! There are a few figs that will do well too! Hardy Chicago is one. Figs love heat in summer, but only the hardiest will survive snow in winter. Don't forget wine grapes! You can make wine for all your drunken friends! Good luck! |
|
- Posted by franktank232 z5 WI (My Page) on Sat, Mar 16, 13 at 11:05
| You can get those drunks to build you a high tunnel. I'd worry about late spring freezes/frost...but i can't find much on your climate (i do see you have a high school)... |
|
| sharon: That's not a very grower friendly looking climate. Worse than here at 4500ft and we have spring freeze injury most years. Things in Duncan are going to be pushed into bloom by warm spring days and then get frozen at night. My suggestions for fruiting plants would be jujube, pomegranate, and possibly persimmon. You could grow stone fruit but without a shelter February to April freezes would get you most years If there is a grapefruit in Clifton (3500ft elev) it must be up on a hillside. Hillsides or terraces above the valley are the best spots in AZ. At night cold air drains to the low spots. Below is a comparison of Jerome AZ to Duncan. Jerome sets on a mountain at about 5200ft elev over in central AZ. Jerome is colder day and night all year long due to higher elevation. But check out the record lows. Jerome has a two month longer growing season because of it's superb air drainage Personally I'd get out of a drunken town in AZ ASAP. Or at least never drive at night. Rural NM and AZ have a bad drinking issue. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Ducan vs Jerome AZ climate
|
| Santa Fe is full of apricots. Try those? |
|
- Posted by fabaceae_native z6b NM (My Page) on Sun, Mar 17, 13 at 16:09
| I think you're going in the wrong direction by trying for citrus, which is certainly marginal in your climate. Instead, just focus on what you can grow: - pomegranates - figs - jujube - prickly pears - Myrtillocactus fruit - persimmon - olive (in warm microclimate) - carob (in warm microclimate) - strawberry tree - dates (possibly) - pistachio - pecan - blackberry - grapes You obviously are not fond of the area in which you live, but when it comes to growing, I think it is better than you might think (as long as you have the water, and spend time building a good soil). Your Sunset zone, 10, is shared by places such as Albuquerque, NM, which grows superb fruit of many types, as well as areas near Tucson and Phoenix. The following are grown commercially in various parts of Sunset Zone 10 that I am aware of: |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Fruit & Orchards Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.