Hi Mike...my Lamb usually is ready in late June and goes through November or later. The Sharwil is earlier. Keep in mind....the best place to store your fruit is on the tree. I only pick when I need some, or I plan giving some away. PS You know sometimes you will get multiple blooms...and different ripening dates off the same tree (usually like 3 weeks or so apart)

So I finally got around to this project, took awhile to get everything ready and moving but it's finally nearing completion. Most of the big trees came from Maddock, at $54 they are a great value. I also sourced from Durling who had great value at about $50 for similar trees. Most of the rare varieties came from Atkins and Persea and while small I was just glad to be able to find them, hopefully they catch up with the others. Hopefully this photo displays ok, will probably be hard to see the small trees in the back. Starting at the left, in the front and going back... Column 1: Carmen Hass on Dusa, Lamb Hass on Zutano, Sir Prize on Zutano, Hass on Zutano Column 2: GEM on Zutano, Lamb Hass on G6, Sir Prize on D9, Hass on G6 Column 3: Kona Sharwil on Zutano, Pinkerton on G6, Nimlioh on Zutano, Queen on Zutano Column 4: Reed on D9, Empty Hole (Jan Boyce still MIA), Fuerte on Zutano, Nabal on Zutano Some trees are showing shock with some leaf drop but that is to be expected. I have them on drips for the time being until they get established then I will go to microsprinklers. Thanks for your advice guys, hopefully these trees take off and I'll be swimming in avos in no time.

I have an opportunity to purchace 350 Dusa trees for $50 each, worried with todays drought and high water prices this is the right thing to do? These trees I understand are in high demand and the best. whats your thoughts?

A way to combine the two approaches would be to espalier evergreen fruit-bearing trees to a fence or framework. But yes Sunset 17 is outer coastal so there will be wharf rats around, which love fruit. So much so that in my area they will even come out during the day and sit in full view on the branches of apple or fig trees, gnaw their fruits. Raccoons may also interfere with home fruit production, as in going for grapes for instance. As with wharf rats (a. k. a. plague rats) it would seem there would be a possible human health implication with these getting on and among fruits people intend to eat themselves. In my state for instance the health department web site says to assume all raccoons are carrying raccoon roundworms - which are fatal when infecting humans - and that all places the animals have been are contaminated. Some relatives of mine that used to have a grape arbor ended up outfitting it with electric lines to keep the raccoons off it at fruiting time.