Welcome!
Redwood Empire Chapter membership is $5 per year in addition to the CRFG membership, and includes events, an interesting newsletter about member and club items, an online discussion forum where you can get answers from experts, garden tours, pruning and grafting classes, cuttings/scions, classes, and great cameraderie! All CRFG members are welcome to participate in the chapter events. You can join at the chapter webpage by clicking here
Most activities are in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino Counties, north of the
Golden Gate Bridge.
You can find copies of recent chapter newsletters,
events schedules and photos of events, officers, contacts and other current info
by clicking here. That page is kept
current, this one is not.
There are literally thousands of varieties of trees, vines and shrubs that bear edible fruit. Most people are familiar with only the most common varieties of fruits that are available commercially in stores. Many of these commercial varieties are available primarily because of the durability of the fruit for shipping, handling and storage rather than for best flavor. Even though the best tasting fruits can be too fragile for commercial distribution, they are perfectly suited to the home-gardener.
Anyone with at least a six foot
by six foot patch of open sunlight can successfully grow a tree with delicious
fruits, even if only in a box of soil on pavement. Some fruit-bearing
vines, like strawberries, can even grow from a hanging basket without using any
ground at all. Properly selected fruit-bearing plants can also be used for
edible landscaping, proving a pleasing visual display in addition to gourmet
treats. Multiple fruit varieties can be grown on the same plant by means of
simple grafting techniques, resulting in a "fruit salad" tree! One of our members has over 100 varieities of apples on one tree, and 75 varieites of pears on another!
Many of
the best tasting fruits are only available from specialty catalogs and growers,
or through hobbyist organizations like California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG).
CRFG promotes interest in all aspects of fruit growing, with special emphasis on
rare and unusual fruits. North Bay CRFG members in "Luther Burbank country" get
together regularly to taste fruits, trade plants, and to swap tips on local
growing techniques and what grows best in local conditions and micro-climate
pockets. One local meeting featured over 100 different locally-grown fruits to
taste!
Contacts and Calendar of Scheduled Events
You can find copies of
recent chapter newsletters, events schedules and photosand videos of events, officers,
contacts and other current info by clicking here. That page is kept current, this
one is not.
You have to be a member and on our local email list to get notices of unscheduled events by email. Scheduled events are posted to the chapter calendar.
The club has also purchased a modern electric cider-press for loan to members. Members must attend a training prior to using the press. Details at http://www.crfg-redwood.org