Do any fruit trees help the native plight in Santa Monica?

[Anonymous]

I'm interested in planting an avocado, lemon, apricot and/or plum tree in my yard. Do any of these or possibly others fit into the native plant life of Santa Monica? thanks.</p>

[Anonymous]

The fruit trees you mention aren't native to California, but they will grow well in Santa Monica if you pick the right varieties. Since the trees will need to be watered, you should keep them separate from native plants that need to be kept dry in the summers. Otherwise there is no problem with growing fruit trees and native plants in the same garden.</p>

[Anonymous]

thanks for the helpful tips-but now you have me curious, are there any fruit trees native to Santa Monica, or at least Southern Cal.? thanks,laura</p>

[Anonymous]

These fruits have been developed over the history of mankind. Their original parents were humbler, with small fruits with less desirable flavor and horticultural qualities. You would not want to plant natives with the expectation of significantly supplementing your food supply although it may be interesting to learn about native foods, and may save your life if you are stranded in the wilderness. I must add, however, that is definitely an environmentally sound thing to do and may actually benefit natural areas in several ways.

By growing your own fruit, you have eliminated transportation from the farm to the store and from the store to you: less fuel consumption and less pollution.

A little less land is needed for food production and, maybe, that will prevent the conversion of more natural area to agriculture use.

Hopefully, your fruits can be grown without herbicides and pesticides. It will be easier for you to do this than for commercial growers because they have a large monoculture one crop that is more susceptible to insect 'blooms' and must be weeded efficiently. If you have natives in your yard, they will harbor a variety of insects and since most insects, by far, are 'beneficials' that eat pest insects, this will help you out! Your spray free crop will be healthier and, again, will reduce the transportation impacts and chemical byproducts of pesticide and herbicide production.

There is no doubt that the quality of fruit that can be produced in your back yard and picked just as it falls into your hand, is vastly superior to store bought fruit. ENJOY!</p>

[Anonymous]

I don't know about trees, but there are many fruiting bushes and vines native to s. Cal. There are gooseberries, golden currant which is supposed to make good jams and ade drinks, and many others. check out the 'canative' site for every CA native imaginable -- trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses etc.</p>