Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Monday, March 23, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. on KPBS 2
Who doesn't love a delicious peach, a juicy pluot, or a tangy apricot - especially when picked right off the tree. New varieties appear in the nursery every year, each more delicious than the last. On this episode of A GROWING PASSION, we go on a fruit tasting tour in the experimental orchard of internationally renowned Zaiger Genetics, the Modesto California fruit tree breeders who have revolutionized the world of stone fruits, apples, Asian pears and almonds.
Breeding fruit trees starts with pollinating a flower and ends with millions of trees grown by nearby Dave Wilson Nursery.
Most of the dozens of fruits we taste won't ever make it to market, while those that do, might take another 10 or 15 years to get there. Breeding is not a fast process! From Zaiger Genetics, we head to nearby Dave Wilson Nursery to see how the selected few are propagated, grafted, grown, trialed, and distributed both to commercial growers and to retail nurseries.
In Dave Wilson's propagation green houses, we see young rootstocks and fruit stocks that are graft together to create fruit trees with the optimum combination of taste and hardiness. We also tour Dave Wilson Nursery's demonstration orchard where we see how home growers can grow more trees to produce more fruit in less space than imagined. We also offer a primer on how to select and plant the best fruit tree for your backyard.
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About The Series: From earth-friendly and water-wise gardens to organic foods and habitat restoration, San Diegans demand options that protect our health, feed our communities and protect our natural resources. Hosted by Nan Sterman, A GROWING PASSION explores backyard food production, major horticultural growers, low-water landscapes and sustainable practices around the home and in the garden.
