Bob Starn

Ok, thanks. I'll give it a shot...

I have an endless supply of coffee grounds, but have been finding that they are too nitrogen rich for many of my fruiting plants (container garden). I've been thinking lately of growing comfrey directly in used coffee grounds (or something like 75% coffee grounds, 25% soil) to create lots of comfrey biomass and then make comfrey tea for my plants. I figure I can put composting worms in there too so that I get worm castings as well.

Anyone have thoughts on whether this will work, or other alternative approaches to processing the coffee grounds easily to get a more balanced amendment out of them? (I've considered doing a worm bin with them, but I'd like other alternatives as well.)

Drainage can be a problem for Avocados in California -- enough to get root rot anyway. The main problem is that we get our rain in a small number of winter storms, so there can be a few weeks at a time in the winter where cold water pools around the roots. The general solution is to 1) plant the tree above grade (in a wide mound) and 2) make sure the soil nearby drains well (and if not, plant some fava beans or other such annuals to break up the soil). Also planting on a higher spot in the yard helps so the water drains away, along with the cold air.

Cassie,

In the SF bay area it's pretty easy to grow avocados. There are a few important things to know: 1) the types of Avocado and 2) growing conditions.

1. There are three general types of Avocado tree -- Mexican, Guatemalan, and West Indian. Guatemalan varieties are the kind most people (at least here in California) are familiar with -- they're creamy and rich. Mexican varieties are smaller, with thinner skin (sometimes edible) and sometimes are good tasting. West Indian varieties are large and watery. Guatemalan trees are very frost intolerant while Mexican varieties are more frost tolerant (for example, the Mexicola variety can handle down to 22 F). Nobody in California grows West Indian varieties.

Avocados don't grow true to seed, so growing it from a seed (unless you plan to graft it yourself) isn't really worthwhile. So buy a grafted tree from a nursery. If you live in a part of the bay area that's coastal and has minimal frost (e.g. East Bay from Fremont to Richmond, San Francisco, San Rafael, etc.) then a Guatemalan variety is a good bet -- Reed is a good choice, as is Lamb Hass, Hass, Pinkerton, and a few others. If you are in a less coastal area, one that gets more heat in the summer and frost in the winter (like San Jose, Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, etc.), a hybrid Mexican-Guatemalan variety like Fuerte is a good choice. If you're in a spot that gets a lot of frost (like Santa Rosa, Napa, Petaluma, etc.), then go with a Mexicola.

2. Avocados like a mostly-sunny to sunny spot, with as little frost as possible (so not in a low spot) and in a spot with good drainage. They don't really fruit in containers, so it's not worth trying that route. The best approach is to dig a big hole to loosen the soil but then just push the soil back in, and plant the tree so it's about 6-12 inches above the natural soil grade. Heavily mulch the mound with tree trimmings and leaves and such, and keep any weeds or grass or other plants away from the tree. In the summer the trees can be watered 1-2 times a week -- deep waterings are best. In the winter there's no need to water -- the main danger is root rot if you have bad drainage. As the trees mature you can water less frequently.

Some people talk about the need for cross pollinators -- this is more true in Southern California and Mexico. It's not that important in the bay area. Reed is known as a good self-fertile variety, but most will fruit without another tree here.

Has anyone tried growing all the feed they need for their ducks? I'm curious how it can be done, so no feed needs to be imported. I'm guessing that there are things that produce well that are good for ducks that also grow in marginal parts of a yard, and I'm curious what those might be.

I'm in the process of building a rooftop garden with fruit trees (likely citrus, avocado, persimmon, kiwi, and maybe others) and want to ensure that the pots I use are big enough that the trees will fruit. The downside, though, is that I want to ensure that the pots have enough drainage and that they aren't too heavy so they can be moved if necessary.

Any suggestions for how I can make such pots and how to go about planting there? (I don't have access to a kiln.)

That sounds great about the ducks.

I've heard that blueberries, cranberries, and pears can do well by creeks. Are there other fruit truees that do? I know most don't like wet feet.

We're thinking of moving to a place that has a small creek in the back in Northern California. (By small I mean maybe 4-5 feet across, slow moving water.) It's covered with all sorts of grasses, shrubs, vines, and a few big trees, many of them invasive, but we could slowly replace those.

What sorts of vegetables, perennial edibles, or fruits can grow alongside a creek?

Would it be possible to have backyard ducks and let them have access to the creek instead of providing them a pond?