Jeepers, Chuck. First thing you need to do is call the previous homeowner, and have her go through care and maintenance of this little grove. She certainly should have given you a tour of the grove, the drip system, her fertilizing system, products, timing, pest management system, etc. Write everything down in detail. Write all your questions down ahead of time, then make sure as she reviews everything, all YOUR questions are also answered. You say this previous homeowner really knew what she was doing, so tap into that. Then, I would call the UC RIverside Extension office, and see if you can speak to one of the extension agents. I'd refer you to Tom Shea, but I believe he is no longer working for UCR, which is really too bad. Another great resource is the San Diego County Master Gardeners. They can assist you to some degree, or at the least, put you into contact with someone who can guide and advise you (back to the UC extension folks). Lastly, the UC Davis Home Orchard web site is very helpful. I will give you a few links that will provide you with basic info, but it's your previous homeowner who can give you the exact details of their orchard. (If these hyperlinks are broken, simply copy and paste them into your browser window): http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/files/140618.pdf http://www.mastergardenerssandiego.org/downloads/citrus%20for%20home%20garden.pdf http://ucanr.edu/blogs/slomggarden/blogfiles/4260.pdf http://ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg/files/115406.pdf UC Davis Advanced Avocado and Citrus Training Classes (closest is Riverside, HIGHLY recommend attending): http://camastergardeners.ucdavis.edu/?blogpost=9519&blogasset=4537 http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Citrus/ UC Master Gardener Handbook: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/GrowingVegetablesFruitsNuts/3382.aspx Integrated Pest Management for Citrus (this is from the ANR Catalog, several other very helpful resouces for citrus available, just search by "citrus"): http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/IntegratedPestManagement/3303.aspx And this site should be bookmarked for info about citrus varieties. Sadly, I think it's too late for you to squeeze into the UC Riveride Citrus Variety Collection Citrus Day, which is being conducted tomorrow, but definitely something you'll want to consider attending next year, as they provide great presentation about citrus care: http://www.citrusvariety.ucr.edu/index.html And lastly, the Sunset Western Garden Book and the Sunset Western Garden Book of Edibles. Patty S.

Maybe go walk around the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinatas to look for candidates. A bit of a drive but it's a fun place anyway, with a pretty well developed children's garden, a convincing jungle garden with large trees, a subtropical orchard fruit garden, a bamboo collection and so on.

With a Palo Verde, I would consider another themed native in the same endemic area to give your space a related harmony like Prosopis glandulosa torreyana, Prosopis pubescens, Chilopsis, x Catalpa, some accompanying flowering cactus like Saguaro, Echinopsis (flying saucer), Trichocereus, red Barrels, Cereus, Opuntia, Bergerocactus, Cholla, Yucca, Dudleya, Agave, native grasses - desert mallow has nice coral flowers. Also, consider that they all should have similar watering requirements and inorganic mulch, like locally sourced permeable landscape rock and/or decomposed granite.

Thanks molewacker. Leaving it on the tree is a good tip. How do you know when the fruit is ready? I don't really like the Oroblancos I've had at the markets... do you think the farmers aren't leaving them on the tree long enough? I've liked Melogold better so I may try that or the Star Ruby (and hope I don't kill it like the OP). Regardless of the tree I start with, citrus budwood is cheap, so I can create a franken grapefruit/pummelo and see what fruit gets sweet my location. I have 2 precious south facing spots that are against my stucco house. I am not sure what I want to use those spots for... so many things I want to grow. A banana or a fig that needs heat may beat the grapefruit out for that spot. Eventually I want to get a small greenhouse (6'x8' is all I can fit) and put some marginal plants in there. A Red Grapefruit would definitely get a greenhouse spot.