Since everyone is joining us in this venture, we will share events as they happen.
LOTS HAVE BEEN JOINED. See below. No information on the assessment though. All zeros.
LOT CLEARING. After receiving prices from $800 to $12,000 to clear the lot, we figure we need to know EXACTLY where our property line is. The survey price is $250 and we are on a waiting list. We hired a local person for $3200 to clear the lot, remove the roots, spread compost that we will have delivered and dispose of the debris.
POST OFFICE. We had to chat with the post office about the neighbor's mailbox which is currently positioned DEAD center of the new lot. We acknowledge it has to be on our lot but it doesn't have to restrict our access to our lot. At our cost, we will be moving it to the edge of the lot once it is surveyed.
CODE ENFORCEMENT. Contacted code enforcement to see if there are any issues with putting down landscape fabric or erecting a grape "fence". The "fence" must have a gap in it so it does not look like a fence. This works for me. They then suggested I check to see if I needed a permit to clear the land and we don't need to have a permit where we live.
COMPOST. Contacted Lee County Solid Waste and 50 cubic yards delivered to Lehigh is $615. $10.50 a yard and $90 for delivery. We plan on buying two loads.
TREE RESEARCH TO DATE on cold tolerant (25º) varieties:
* = Self pollinating.
= Acquired
Oliver Loquat (sweetest, have other loquats to cross pollinate)
Cogshall, Carrie and Malika Mango* (dwarf and not 25º until mature)
Lila Avocado (dwarf)
Dwarf Evergreen Mulberry
White Sapote (variety yet to be determined, must be small, self pollinating, cold tolerant, not bitter)
Scarlet Beauty and Hupoluxo Plum
Pineapple Guava
Strawberry Guava
Fuju Persimmon*
Cherry of the Rio Grande*
Noble Muscadine Grape*
Green Thornless, Chico, and Li Jujube*
Citrus: not decided yet
Prickly pear cactus*
Thornless Loganberry* (These sound like the best of blackberry and raspberry without the thorns!)
Darrow Melon Berry Tree*
Peach* varieties requiring only 100-150 chill hours: Tropic Beauty, Tropic Prince, Florida Glow.
Bananas: dwarf orinoco, musa gran nain, super dwarf, dwarf cavandish, dwarf nam wah, Clark's banana
Goji Berry*
