Edible Estates. Someone had the same idea as me.

The nice thing about heirloom is that many have superior taste than their grocery store counterparts, but for various reasons they aren't suitable for stores. Usually they are too delicate to transport and bruise or they don't keep long enough or something like that. That's why I planted Royal Blenheim apricot trees. They taste the best, but aren't very practical for commerical produce.

 

Even if it is a little late, join that local garden club. They'll let you know when it's time to plant whatever and will help you get started. They are excellent sources for seeds, seedlings and finding something unusual. There are garden club meetings in Balboa Park in San Diego every month. They often have a sale after their meetings where anyone can buy something. They are seedlings and cuttings from the members. And you can find some really unusual plants. I've mostly gone to the flower shows. But I think I'll be looking for some vegetable garden clubs locally. I'm lucky in that I have a family run little nursery in my neighborhood and they clue me in on anything new they get. Like my columnar apple trees. Sometimes called Colonade. You can grow them in pots. They're narrow, like a column and only get about 8 feet tall.

 

I'll ask. So far I only know of columnar apple and peach trees. (Didn't know about the peach; just found it on the internet)There are several varieties of apple and one peach called Crimson Rocket. Apparently columnar is the new, hot shape and breeders are expanding the varieties available. If they've already done apple and peach, I'm sure other fruits are sure to follow. They've developed a dwarf pear. The ARS Kearneysville lab is working on dwarves and columnars. This is excellent for people with smaller yards.

I think Colorado is too cold for figs, so you'd have to grow it in a pot and take it in the winter or something. Not sure if figs come that dwarf or in columnar. There is one that does OK in the Pacific Northwest but it's not a dwarf or Columnar.

I love my apple trees and hope they look like this in a few years:

 

I've used those gel water retention things to help pots. For tall pots or strawberry pots I've drilled holes along a length of PVC and planted that in the center and watered that way.

I haven't done vegetables in pots, mostly annuals so fertilizer and dirt quality haven't been that much of an issue. But I have a wormtopia now and plan on using the worm tea as my fertilizer and supplementing potting soil with the worm compost.

If you can mix your own dirt as opposed to just buying a bag of potting soil, you can custom mix it for an individual plant's preferences.

I put a broken terra cotta pot piece over the drainage hole in the bottom, over that with a piece of old screen, then add soil. This helps keep the dirt from clogging up the drainage hole. Drip and timers are the way to go.

 

They're called by various names but are water absorbing polymers. I usually see them at nurseries but they might be at some home garden centers.

 

Another community garden program.

For seven years, Harry Rhodes' Chicago-based non-profit, Growing Home, has provided jobs and training for the homeless, the previously incarcerated, and people with low incomes. At Growing Home's four farm sites, participants learn organic farming and produce marketing. They also acquire general job skills. Over 70% of them end up getting work.


"We now have our first year-round urban farm that we own, the Wood Street Urban Farm -- leading to a huge increase in interest in our work. When you can show a model of what an urban farm is and what can be replicated, people pay attention. Every week we give tours, with people coming from the Chicago area, from all over the country, and many coming from other countries.
"We have increased the number of people we train annually to about 30. This is just a drop in the bucket. Our mission has expanded from job training and organic agriculture to community and economic development.
"We are showing how urban farming can be used as the catalyst for turning around low-income neighborhoods, such as Englewood on the south side of Chicago."

 

Edible Estates is mentioned in this month's (Sept. 2008) issue of Sunset Magazine. It's on page 16.

If you don't subscribe to this already, I highly recommend it.

There are 5 regions available to the west:

Southern California, which includes Hawaii
Northern California, which includes Nevada
Northwest, which includes Oregon, Washington and Idaho
Rocky Mountain, which includes Montana, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming
Southwest, which includes Arizona, New Mexico and the teenie, tiny southeast corner of Nevada.

Tripp: you would be Rocky Mountain issue

Sorry, SSimon, but they don't go any farther east. But if your climate is like any of the regions listed, you could use that.

I high recommend this. It is the first magazine I'd subscribe to as a homeowner and the last one I would give up. It has recipes, gardening, home renovations, decorating, vacation travel and reports on interesting products for home and garden. There is also a planting calendar for what to do in your yard each month. I also like the information on new plants that have come out for your area (hence the regions) and where you can get them.

 

Slow Food Nation is having an event in San Francisco Labor Day weekend.

I wish they'd come to San Diego.