Greetings Everyone,

Thank you to everyone that came out today for lychee.

I have 13,  5 pound bags of Mauritius lychee left.  Father’s Day special $50.00 each.  I will be open on Sunday from 11:00 am to 1 pm
for pick up.  First come first serve.

Payment:
We accept cash and this will be first come, first serve.

Operations:
Those of you that have been here before, know we do not allow everyone to crowd the stand at once.  We allow 2 -4 people to come under the pavilion at any one time.

New people that have not visited our farm before;
We like to have an orderly operation.  Therefore we don’t let lots of people under the pavilion at the same time.  We allow between 2 – 4 under the pavilion at any one time.  The others we ask that you stand across the small road under the oak tree.  We also ask that you do NOT stand in the road as it is an active easement for neighbors.

Directions:
Those of you that have not visited us before and would like to come for the first time, our address is 60 Hilliard Lane, Merritt Island FL 32952.
Unfortunately, most GPS and Google directions cannot find the location.  So, if you are using a GPS, you should use 6845 South Tropical Trail, Merritt Island.  This is NOT the farm location, but it will take you right to Hilliard Lane.  The green roof pavilion is the fruit sales stand.

No Pets allowed.

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings Everyone,

OK, we will be opened this Saturday at 10:00 am for Mauritius lychee.  They are $12/pound and will be a 3 pound minimum, or $36.00
We may also have some Brewster lychee available aw well, if we do they will be the same as the Mauritius.

We will also have Wax Jambu for 3 pounds for $10.00
We are not officially opened for mangoes yet. 

Payment:
We accept cash and this will be first come, first serve.

Operations:
Those of you that have been here before, know we do not allow everyone to crowd the stand at once.  We allow 2 -4 people to come under the pavilion at any one time.

New people that have not visited our farm before;
We like to have an orderly operation.  Therefore we don’t let lots of people under the pavilion at the same time.  We allow between 2 – 4 under the pavilion at any one time.  The others we ask that you stand across the small road under the oak tree.  We also ask that you do NOT stand in the road as it is an active easement for neighbors.

Directions:
Those of you that have not visited us before and would like to come for the first time, our address is 60 Hilliard Lane, Merritt Island FL 32952.
Unfortunately, most GPS and Google directions cannot find the location.  So, if you are using a GPS, you should use 6845 South Tropical Trail, Merritt Island.  This is NOT the farm location, but it will take you right to Hilliard Lane.  The green roof pavilion is the fruit sales stand.

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings Everyone,

Want to give you an update.  We will NOT be open this weekend 6/8/24.  The Mauritius lychee need another week to fatten up.
I anticipate selling them on 6/15/24.  The Brewster may be ready by then as well.  Emperor is probably 3 weeks away.

Mangoes are probably 1 -2 weeks away.

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings Everyone,

We were able to harvest more Sweetheart lychee.
I have 12 more 5 pound bags $75.00 available.

I can extend the pick until 12:00 noon.
Text me at 321-243-2997 if you would like a bag.

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings Everyone,

I hope this note finds you well. As I mentioned before, this is a bad year for fruit.

We have a very limited amount of Sweetheart lychees available. 
They are $15 per pound and are sold in 5 pound bags, which comes to $75.00 for one 5 pound bag.
All sales are cash.

Use this link to place your order;  https://islandtropicalfruit.com/product/lychees-5lb-bag/

Pick up is this Saturday 6/1/2024,  10 am to 11am.
The stand won’t be open for mangoes or other fruit, so do not make a special trip to the farm if you don’t have an order to pick up.

Mauritius lychee will probably be available next week 6/8/2024. 
They will be $12.00 per pound.
We will update you with details during the week.

That’s it for now.

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings Everyone,
I hope this note finds you well. 
First of all, I’d like to congratulate those of you that are graduating high school/college and those that have family that are graduating high school/college.
Congratulations.

Some of the workers you see out there, Nick, Jason, and Bryce are graduating high school as well.  Randy, the grove manager, is one credit short of getting his GED and that should happen within the next few years.

Now for the bad news, the mango outlook is worse than I thought.  Another mango vendor is not even going to open to the public.
Some trees appear to have a normal set, but overall it’s just not good.  You should expect to pay $5.00 per pound across the state for fresh Florida mangoes.

Lychee update
The mauritius lychees are turning color, but currently are small due to the lack of rain.  We typically start selling them around the first or second week of June.
Our opening date all depends on Mother Nature.  Sweethearts will be in short supply, expect $15 per pound.

Wax Jambu
I am finally starting to see flowers on the trees.

Longans
They are starting grow and are currently the size of a green pea. We expect them in the August tie frame.

That’s it for now.

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings everyone,

I hope this note finds you well.

I want to set your expectations for this year……..

….There’s no other way to say it…… this is going to be a bad year.  Although the trees flowered like crazy, they didn’t set much fruit.
After looking around today I didn’t see many; Carrie, Kent, Nam Doc Mai, Little Gem, Kesar, Alphonso  The list goes on.
Trees that are holding alot of fruit are Galaxy, Graham…that’s about it.  Other trees have a small crop like Fruit Punch, Philippine.

Most of the other growers on Merritt Island are in the same boat.  I spoke to somebody in Homestead and they are reporting the same thing.
The lychee crop will be small as well.

Stay tuned.

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings everyone,
I hope this note finds you well.  In one of the previous e-mails, I told you I had a forth coming announcement.  Well, today is the day!

With the grant of a US Patent, and the U.S. Trademark “Root Boot” the Root Boot is born!!  www.therootboot.com

For the past three years, I’ve been working on a way to simplify the reproduction of trees and plants with a focus on fruit trees.  I’ve used this in my own orchard with great success.  Finally, after many hours, a lot of testing, and the help of a few beta customers, I got it.

The Root Boot is a simple device that saves on labor costs and simplifies the technique known as “Air Layering.”  Air layering is not limited to fruit trees.  Many different plants and trees can be propagated by this technique; we just made it easier!

The Root Boot helps commercial growers meet their sustainability goals as it is reusable and doesn’t end up in the landfill after one use.  Its simplicity helps reduce labor costs and its rigid construction keeps unwanted pests from destroying one’s hard work.  As the Root Boot’s volume is deterministic, growers can better forecast how much propagation media they’ll need.

On the hobbyist/ home gardener/ front, the Root Boot along with the horticultural ambassador, “Gighortus”, simplifies your entry into the “Gig Economy.”  Turn your home landscape into dollars.  No longer will you think of just cutting and trimming your landscape and throwing it away.  Put a Root Boot on it, make some plants and sell them on places like Facebook, Instagram and your other favorite social media platforms. 

The Root Boot’s innovative design creates a linear indentation for the placement of a stake.  Many root balls are destroyed after being potted up and having a stake added afterwards.  Pop off the Root Boot, add your stake into the indentation, secure with a rubber band, then pot up your new tree without having to worry if you’re going to hit the root ball and damage it.   

The Root Boot also makes for a great shipping container.  Why ship soil and water with the added cost?  Ship your plants in the Root Boot!

The Root Boot comes in three sizes.
Small Root Boot or the “Mini”
Medium Root Boot.
Large Root Boot.

All Root Boots are available in three colors, Black, Red, and Yellow.  The Medium Root Boot is offered in two types: Type A and Type B.  They are the same size and volume, but Type A can be used on a smaller branch.
Thank you all for your support. 

Check it out at http://www.therootboot.com/

Thank you,
Okie

Greetings All,

I just received this information about some Fruit Tree Sales.
Unfortunately, one is tomorrow, but the other is in a few weeks.

Hello everyone,

I hope all is well.  I thought I share something I just read in the paper.  Apparently “Mango Ice Cream” is all the craze now.
Here is the article;

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/money/food/2024/02/17/propitious-mango-viral-ice-cream-where-to-buy/72596908007/

So, I was thinking, most of you live within 1 hour of the best mangoes available.
On Amazon there are a bunch of Ice cream makers;

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ice+cream+maker&crid=29GR0K3JK33PI&sprefix=Ice+cream+%2Caps%2C112&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_10

You could make fresh mango ice cream, and I’m sure it would be a lot better than TikTok. 

You could have NicTok ice cream and bring a some to Randy and Dano to sample. They love ice cream (..and hot dogs, and pizza, and ..)
They would probably even give you a few extra mangoes.

Anyway, we’re looking forward to a good year.

Regards,
Okie
(Vegetarian)