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
July 22, 2026 - 6:00pm

NEW meeting location:

3845 Spring Drive, Spring Valley, CA 91977

Our July Speaker: Pat Nolan
"A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO PLANT PATHOLOGY"

Pat Nolan currently serves on the non-profit board for the San Diego Mycological Society as one of their resident mycologists. We're lucky to have her join us in July as our meeting speaker. Pat had a long career as the plant pathologist for San Diego County's public plant pathology lab before it closed temporarily during COVID19. 

Sadly, that lab is now shuttered and county funding ceased.

 Many fruit growers may recall submitting forms and plant samples to the county (and indirectly to Pat) for help with identification of potential pests & plant diseases occurring their fruit trees. 
You'll likely learn in July that most fungi are not particularly harmful and many are beneficial.



Bring your questions to the meeting, but understand ahead of time that Pat will only be able to address the most basic diagnoses during her public presentation. She will have Q & A, so be prepared with any plant histories, and very clear photos - if you have stories to share. And please be respectful of her time. She is not coming to diagnose everyone's current fruit tree problems. 

crfgsd@gmail.com
crfgsecretary@gmail.com


California Rare Fruit Growers
San Diego Chapter
PO Box 1863
Spring Valley, CA 91979
Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software