Here we are in July. Now it really feels like summer. The earth is parched thanks to our rainless Mediterranean climate. The sun is beating down on us (hitting 100 degrees for a few days this week), reminding us how we are always at the whim of Nature. But yet, our plates are gifted with plump blackberries and deep violet plums. The passionfruit flowers are brilliant and attract bees, butterflies, and gardeners’ attention alike.
This month I’ve been struck with the challenge of attempting to grow a mango tree from seed. I recently found out that certain mango varieties can produce genetically identical clones when grown from seed, and that they should fruit within only 3 to 5 short years from planting. Growing a fruit tree from seed isn’t particularly difficult. You need sun, water, soil, and a lot of patience. The main challenge is that many fruit trees grown from seed may take decades to fruit, and since the offspring is genetically different than the parent tree, you may not even like the fruit that it eventually produces. So the ability to grow a mango from seed that produces genetically identical offspring is pretty exciting. If you like the flavor of the parent fruit (like the Ataulfo mango variety I’m trying to grow), you’ll like the flavor of the fruit from the seedling tree. Great. Now, to make things more interesting: mangos don’t really grow where I live in northern California. Sure, they dig the long warm summers, but they detest the relatively cold, wet winters that we get. So why spend all this effort trying something tricky, that may not survive our climate, that will take 4 years of time minimum before I ever taste a fruit? Especially with organic mangos shipped from Mexico selling for only $1.50 a piece at the market right now.
Trying to grow something new from seed is more than just about some potential harvest years down the line. It involves the challenge of learning something novel, which is good for my aging brain. Nurturing something from seed is a special endeavor and requires a certain amount of devotion, attention, and love. You put a lot of yourself into getting these little newborns out of the nursery and into the big, wide world. In a way, they become part of the family. And like tending the rest of our garden, making sure that these little guys are getting the right amount of sun, water, and nutrients gives me yet another reason to get up in the morning. Yes, it’s a bit of a challenge with no guarantee, but the process benefits me whether or not I ever taste a single fruit born on its branches. And if I’m really lucky, and we do get some mango trees to grow, then potentially future generations will also be able to benefit from the time and effort I placed into cultivating a few, little, unassuming mango seeds.
Happy growing this month, and thanks for reading.
(this post appeared first in the July 2024 edition of the Love.Life Telehealth newsletter)
Jeffrey M Pierce, MD 