FRUITS and VEGIE'S IN CALIFORNIA (Oxnard, Salinas: houses, buy, live)

[Ilovefall]

I was hoping someone could tell me what type of fruits and vegies as well as any thing else that is edable you can grow in California.

[Inthesierras]

Calif has many different climate zones. The high desert is very different then the northern coast. This site should answer some questions http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/calif/

[Kingsnkali]

The state is way too big with many many climates to just push out a list.

I'm in the Central Valley and we can grow just about everything from citrus to sweet corn, to strawberries, persimmons, melons, squash, tomatoes, almonds, walnuts, kiwi, peaches, pears, apricots, plums, olives, grapes, cherries etc. Just about everything thrives here. You can grow specialty and lessor known varieties or just buy the fresh produce at the roadside stands.

Other areas grow artichokes, celery and carrots (near the cooler coast and Salinas Valley). Lettuce, melons and celery (Imperial Valley). Asparagus in the Delta and avocados and citrus in SoCal.

There are very good apples grown in the Sierra foothills along with blackberries etc.

About the only things we might not be able to grow too well (and I'm probably wrong) would be cranberries, blueberries, potatoes or onions. Nevada grows very good onions just on the other side of the Sierra mountains though.

[guide]

If you can think of it, it grows and grows well in CA. Lots of onions around Vacaville and tons of potatoes in various areas, we used grow kennebecs, used for chips, the taters are round like apples, but big. Cranberries and blueberrys can be grown, but few commercial growers in CA.

Our home orchard as a kid, persimmon (sp?), navel orange, valencia orange,
avocado, apple, pear, apricot, peach, grapefruit, guava. Our garden was similiarly diverse.

[goatherder]

The list of what we grow is a lot longer than what we can't. parsnips and endives need more cold I think. I have fig, apricot, apple, persimmon, peach, pear, and plum trees and grow tomatoes, corn, peppers, broccoli, lettuce. Gilroy is to garlic as Fulton is to fish as Newcastle is to coals.

[Zorina]

In California they grow lots of things having ideal sunny weather but they have to irrigate for most things as Summer is NOT the rainy season.

[Californiaguy2007]

I think CA grows practically everything except purely tropical fruits or veggies.

[kansaslady]

CA rules as the producer of avocados! If you ever decide you'd just love to visit Kansas....check out the avocados in our grocery stores....oh my....they are about the size of the pits in "real" avocados you'll find in CA!

How would I know? I grew up in CA....and sure miss the excellent produce!!!

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by kansaslady

CA rules as the producer of avocados! If you ever decide you'd just love to visit Kansas....check out the avocados in our grocery stores....oh my....they are about the size of the pits in "real" avocados you'll find in CA!

How would I know? I grew up in CA....and sure miss the excellent produce!!!

Yes, this is true! I've seen avocados in the grocery stores in Omaha, Nebraska, when I visited my friends who live there, and I was astonished at how puny they were compared with what you get here in California. The same goes for citrus fruits like lemons and oranges.

[goatherder]

Strawberries. Have you ever seen one that is over two inches across? There are places down on the Oxnard plain where the topsoil is seriously deep and rich and some of the best growing spots in the country are growing houses now. The local farmers markets are great, I am always seeing thing that I cannot recognize.