California Rare Fruit Growers, San Diego Chapter

What is CRFG?

The San Diego Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers was created to educate people about rare fruits (and now vegetables and herbs too), and to identify non-commercial edibles that may be adaptable to our changing microclimates, and to propagate and to exchange related plant materials and share personal gardening experiences and knowledge.
Contact Us:
CRFG Co-Chair: James Lively  -  crfgsd@gmail.com
CRFG Co-Chair: Jeremy Tuler
CRFG Secretary: Robin Rivet - crfgsecretary@gmail.com
CRFG Treasurer: Irene Dulaney

Upcoming events

Monthly Meetings:
Where: NEW LOCATION!
Our new meeting room is at our propagation area address: 
San Diego Youth Services
3845 Spring Drive,
Spring Valley, CA 91977

When: 4th Wednesday each month (except Nov & Dec)
Time: (these are approximate)
6:00 - 6:45pm: social time
6:45 - 7:00pm: business
7:00 - 8:00pm: speaker presentation & Q&A
8:15-9:00pm: fruit tasting & opportunity table 
9:00 - 9:30pm: questions, wrapup, cleanup with gates locked by 10:00pm 

We are meeting live again, but only when feasible, will we try to provide a link via Zoom to some speaker's presentations. As possible, any link will be posted in the newsletter.

THE FESTIVAL OF FRUIT IN ORANGE COUNTY
was well-attended and our members are welcome to share their experiences
at our upcoming meetings
(Bring your photos and stories)

CRFG Incorporated -
Festival of Fruit at Cal State Fullerton in Orange County(This was a great opportunity to meet members from other chapters, hear interesting  speakers on a variety of topics, and attend awesome tours. Plus, there were fruit tastings, plant sales, and vendor and sponsors tables.)

ONLINE STORE


Become a member

Join us

California Rare Fruit Growers

A membership of like-minded fruit enthusiasts dedicated to: 

  • Growing fruiting plants that may or may not be commonly found in the San Diego County area.

  • Sharing information about fruits potentially adaptable to the San Diego area, and varieties of established fruit better suited to specific areas and growing conditions.

  • Exchanging seeds, cuttings, scion wood, and plants with each other, primarily for home use/growing.

  • Following all federal, state, and county agricultural regulations.

For people who attended our April 22nd monthly meeting, the presenter MG Dawn Standke shared this link to her video about Gregg's mistflower - a great pollinator: She also offered a document of soil lab testing locations. 

All chapter membership renewal dues
should have been paid by January 1, 2026
Everyone who did not renew their
2026 San Diego chapter dues by March 31 has been archived. 
HOWEVER, WE WANT YOU BACK!
Everyone who was current in 2025 - can still renew their 2026 CRFG membership online. If you have difficulty logging in, please contact the secretary. CRFGsecretary@gmail.com 

If you renewed on or before February 4, 2026 your new 2026 name tag was printed. These are now available to pick up at most regular meetings and  some events  - if pre-arranged for Saturday learning and work days. Contact the crfgscretary@gmail.com 

If you unable to login to renew and pay - or have tried updating your password and cannot, please contact a CRFG administrator to be reinstated in order to renew for the calendar year 2026. Need help? 
Contact: crfgsd@gmail.com or crfgsecretary@gmail.com

Please also note: If you have had - or are having financial difficulties or have been unable to afford - even our lowest local annual fees, please let us know. This could apply to students, seniors, families or others - who may be in need. Our board can approve a temporary exemption for various personal reasons, but you do need to ask. crfgsecretary@gmail.com 

IMPORTANT NEWS
NEW meeting location:

3845 Spring Drive, Spring Valley, CA 91977

August 26, 2026 - 6:00pm

Our August Meeting Speaker presentation starts: 7:00pm 
Ellen Maisen - Valley Center 
"Dragon Fruit Production"


Ellen Maisen began farming commercially in 2012 when she and her husband bought a small ranch in Valley Center, CA. They applied for Organic Certification and began re-developing the land, Their first priority was installing a well. It had been an avocado grove, but they gradually morphed the business into a mixed-fruit orchard serving Organic grocers in the surrounding counties. Currently their main crop is Pitahaya -aka “Dragon Fruit”. 

Avocados required vastly more water, and those trees may soon be a distant memory without subsidies or better economic incentives for organic production. 

Ellen will talk about the history and characteristics of Pitahaya, and how scientists can identify them. She'll also discuss growing and propagation strategies, and a little about marketing. Dragon Fruit cultivars are available in many colors with variations in Brix and texture, Flesh may be white, pink, red or even purple, with surface skin colors varying from yellow to hot-pink or deeper shades of red.

Unfortunately, many sources (and even some commercial growers) do not know how to identify different cultivars, This is further complicated since amateurs are propagating dragon fruit from seed-creating unknown crosses. As a result, there's plenty of confusion. Ellen will suggest a few reliable sources she trusts to obtain named cultivars. She is aware of breeders who have done vetted background research and have proven field experience producing quality fruit.  

crfgsd@gmail.com
crfgsecretary@gmail.com

California Rare Fruit Growers
San Diego Chapter
PO Box 1863
Spring Valley, CA 91979
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