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Suncoast Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Club

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Meetings This Year

Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm at the
Nokomis Community Center
234 East Nippino Trail
Nokomis
FL 34275

Enjoy monthly guest lectures on
tropical fruit, vegetables and related topics, a free tasting table,
plant and seed exchange while enjoying the fellowship of new friends with similar interests

Meetings 2019	Speaker	Topic
9 January	Alex Salazar, Tropical Acres Farms West Palm Beach	Alex will present a unique perspective on the history, traits, uses, applicability, growing practices, and information about different Sapodilla (Manilkara Zapota) cultivars that can be found in Florida. Sapodilla, Slide Show Presentation ^{pdf 32 pages}
1 February Friday	ECHO Farm Tour
13 February	Marc Williams	Wild Edible Plants of Florida^pdf
13 March	Ali Sarkhosh, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Tree Fruit and Viticulture, Horticulture Sciences Department, UF/IFAS	Peaches, Persimmons, and Pomegranates Peach, Slide Show Presentation ^{pdf 43 pages}Pomegranate, Slide Show Presentation ^{pdf 45 pages}
16 March Saturday	Spring Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	Information^pdf From 9am to 2pm
10 April	Alexander Howe, Bush Ninja Botanicals
8 May	Dr. Daniel Carrillo and Dr. Alexandra Revynthi Tropical Research & Education Center Department of Entomology & Nematology University of Florida	Lychee Erinose Mite and Laurel Wilt and its Impact on Florida Avocado Trees^pdfLaurel Wilt, Slide Show Presentation ^{pdf 29 pages}Research update: Lychee Erinose Mite, Slide Show Presentation ^{pdf 27 pages}
12 June	Dr. Robert Weisberg Distinguished University Professor, Physical Oceanography, College of Marine Science University of South Florida.	Red Tide Forensics: So That's What Happened 1. Red Tide: What we know, don’t know and what is needed 2. Circulation tools/applications for Florida’s West Coast, Slide Show Presentation^{pdf 25 pages}
10 July	Dr. Larry Brand Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Department of Marine Biology and Ecology.	Red Tide and Blue/Green Algae, Causes, Human Impacts and Health Consequences
14 August	Dr. Gary Mormino the Frank E. Duckwall Professor Emeritus in Florida history, University of South Florida	Ten Florida Foods That Define Florida
11 September	Dr. Lauren Diepenbrock Assistant Professor, Entomology, Citrus Entomology Extension Specialist, Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida/IFAS.	Citrus Pest Management Update and Its Impact Beyond Citrus
9 October	Steve Cucura, Fruitscapes Nursery	Members Special Order Fruit Tree Sale, 6pm Breeding New Varieties of Fruit Trees, 7pm
13 November	Marc Frank Extension Botanist, University of Florida Herbarium	How Plants Work: Understanding Plant Toxicity What is a Herbarium?
11 December	Members' Only Holiday Party

Meetings 2018	Speaker	Topic
10 January	Alex Salazar, Tropical Acres Farms	The Challenge of Growing Mangos in Florida in 2018 ^pdf
14 February	Marc Williams, Ethnobotanist Executive Director, Plants and Healers International	Food as Medicine ^pdf
10 March Saturday	Spring Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	Information ^pdf From 9am to 2pm
14 March	Bill Mee, Lychees Online	Growing Lychees in Florida ^pdf
11 April	Dennis Giardina Everglades Region Biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission	Exotic Species Control, Endangered Species Recovery and the Florida Panther^pdf
9 May	Sharon Juraszek Creator and Owner, Fermentlicious	Fermentation: Cultivation and Benefits^pdf
13 June	Andy Firk Bamboo Grove Oranic Farm	40 Clumping Bamboo Species for Florida
11 July	Roy Beckford, Ph.D., Lee County Extension Director and Agricultural/Natural Resources Agent, UF/IFAS	The Impact and Status of Honeybees in Florida Slide Show Presentation^{pdf 30 pages}
8 August	Dr. Seonghee Lee, Assistant Professor Strawberry Molecular Genetics & Genomics, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, UF/IFAS	New Technologies with Traditional Breeding to Improve Florida Fruits and Vegetables^pdf
12 September	Ed Rosenthal Founder and Chairman of the Board of Florikan ESA	Veggies in Space^pdf
10 October	- Canceled due to Hurricane Michael - Dr. Daniel Carrillo Assistant Professor Entomology and Nematology, Tropical Fruit Crops, UF/IFAS, Tropical Research and Education Center	Avocados, Lychees and Longans ^pdf
13 October Saturday	Fall Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	Information ^pdf From 9am to 2pm
18 November Sunday	Marc Minno, Ph.D	Conserving Florida's Insect Pollinators - Lessons from Cuba 12:30pm
12 December	Members Only Holiday Party

Meetings 2017	Speaker	Topic
11 January	Dr. Kevan Main Director and Senior Scientist Program Manager for the Marine and Freshwater Aquaculture Research Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL	Sustainable Approaches to Growing Redfish and Sea Vegetables for Local Communities^pdf
8 February	Dr. Noris Ledesma Curator of Tropical Fruit Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden	Training and Pruning a Mango Orchard to Improve Blooming and Yield in South Florida^pdf
4 March Saturday	Spring Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	Information ^pdf From 9:00am to 2:00pm
8 March	Marcie Dallmann	Forest Gardens in East Kalimantan, Borneo ^pdf
22 March Wednesday	Pine Island Farm Tour	Conducted by Dr. Roy Beckford Lee County Extension Director and Agricultural/Natural Resources Agent University of Florida/IFAS
12 April	Bob Stuhlman	Growing and Keeping Citrus Trees Healthy and Productive
10 May	Jim Ewing	Creating an Edible Forest in a Permaculture Model^pdf
14 June	Dr. Shinsuke Agehara, Assistant Professor, Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida/IFAS, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center	Developing Alternative Specialty Crops in Florida: Opportunities and Challenges^pdf including Blackberry, Pomegranate, Artichoke and Hops.
12 July	Jenny and David Burd	Everything You Wanted to Know About Mangos...and More ^pdfMeeting notes^pdf
9 August	Qingren Wang, Ph.D. University of Florida/IFAS	Growing Asian Vegetables^pdf
13 September	- Canceled due to Hurricane Irma - Dr. Seonghee Lee, Assistant Professor Strawberry Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida/IFAS, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center	Next Generation Disease Resistance Breeding for Florida Strawberry and Other Fruits and Vegetables^pdf
11 October	Andy Firk Bamboo Grove Oranic Farm	50 Southeast Asian Plants for Florida^pdf
14 October Saturday	Fall Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	Information ^pdf From 9:00am to 2:00pm
8 November	Roz Barminski of the Hope Clubhouse in Fort Myers	Recovery from Mental Illness Through Community Garden Based Work^pdf
13 December	Members' Holiday Party

Meetings 2016	Speaker	Topic
13 January	Andy Firk Bamboo Grove Oranic Farm	Edible Gingers and Edible Bamboo^pdf
16 January Saturday	Trip to Pine Island Botanicals
27 January	Members Workshop Meeting	Build Your Own Grow Box presented by Gary Patton
10 February	Noris Ledesma, Ph.D., Curator of Tropical Fruit Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden	Pruning and Shaping Mango Trees ^pdf Slide Show Presentation^{pdf 56 pages}
24 February	Members Workshop Meeting	Creating Sustainability in a Small Garden Plot by Molly Bartlett and Peg Witek
5 March Saturday	Spring Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	Information^pdf From 9:00am to 2:00pm
9 March	Dr. Jeffrey Williamson, Professor Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida/IFAS	Blueberries, Blackberries and Olive Trees ^pdf Slide Show Presentation^{pdf 112 pages}
23 March	Members Workshop Meeting
13 April	Marty Mesh, Executive Director Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers Association	What's Organic About Organic ^pdf Slide Show Presentation^{pdf 30 pages}
11 May	Dr. Jonathan Crane, Tropical Fruit Specialist and Professor of Horticulture, University of Florida/IFAS	Flowering of Tropical Fruit Crops ^pdf Slide Show Presentation^{pdf 75 pages}
8 June	Adrienne Diaz	Growing Edibles in Small Spaces ^pdf
13 July	Laura Reiley	Farm to Fable ^pdf
23 July Saturday	Member’s Workshop conducted by Bob Stuhlman	Growing and Keeping Citrus Trees Healthy and Productive From 9:30am to approximately 12:00/12:30pm
10 August	Cristina Babiak, M.D. cristinababiakmd.com	Homegrown Medicine^pdf
14 September	Roy Beckford, PhD County Extension Director UF/IFAS Lee County Extension	Best Practices for Tropical Fruits in the Southwest Florida Environment^pdf Slide Show Presentation^{pdf 32 pages}
8 October Saturday	Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	Information ^pdf From 9:00am to 2:00pm
12 October	Xin Zhao, PhD Associate Professor Organic and Sustainable Vegetable Production Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida	Vegetable Grafting^pdf
9 November	Debbie Hughes, Senior Horticulturist Edison & Ford Winter Estates	What is Old is New Again in the Garden ^pdf
14 December	Members' Holiday Party

Meetings 2015	Speaker	Topic
14 January	Crafton Clift and Berto Silva	Survival Foods and Part 2: Unusual and Rare Fruits That Adapted, or may adapt to Cultivation in Florida ^pdf Presentation Part B ^{pdf 20 pages}
11 February	Noris Ledesma, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden	Growing Tropical Fruits in South Florida ^pdf Presentation: Golden Harvest Canistel ^{pdf 44 pages}
11 March	Danny Blank of 12 Seasons Farm	Edible Landscaping with an Organic Approach ^pdf
14 March Saturday	Tropical Fruit Tree Sale/Spring Garden Festival at the Nokomis Community Center	Information ^pdf From 9:00am to 2:00pm
30 March	Grafting Class at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden conducted by Noris Ledesma	Grafting Class Handout ^{pdf 8 pages}
8 April	Andy Firk www.bamboogrovefarm.com	50 Perennial Vegetables for Florida ^pdf
25 April Saturday	Earth Day 2015 at the Florida House Institute and Suncoast Science Faulhaber Fab Lab	10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities . Food . Free Admission . Free Parking ^pdf www.flhouse.org www.suncoastscience.org
13 May	www.floridaurbanorganics.com, Christian Colarusso, Director of Operations	Hydroponics and Aquaponics ^pdf Slide Show Presentation ^{pdf 27 pages}
10 June	Dr. Mercy A. Olmstead, Ph.D. University of Florida - IFAS Peach, Nectarine, Plum and Grape Specialist	Florida Stone Fruit – A Taste of Summer in the Spring: Production and Challenges ^pdf Slide Show Presentention ^{pdf 68 pages}
8 July	Picnic and Movie at the Community Center (Members Only)
12 August	Dr. Brent Weisman, Ph.D. Master Beekeeper University of South Florida Botanical Gardens	Pollination: What Do Bees Get Out of It? ^pdf Slide Show Presentation ^{pdf 17 pages}
1 September Tuesday	Fruit Tree Pruning Class conducted by Noris Ledesma and Dr. Richard Campbell Fairchild Farm, Homestead, FL Lecture and Hands-on Instruction	Details of the tour ^pdf: Pruning Seminar at Fairchild Farm, Tour of Verde Community Farm and Market, Lunch at Verde Kitchen
9 September	Stephen Brown University of Florida/IFAS Lee County Extension Horticultural Program Leader Agent, Commercial and Home Garden Horticulture	Some New and Old Pests of Tropical Fruits and Fruit Trees ^pdf
10 October Saturday	Tropical Fruit Tree Sale Garden Festival at the Nokomis Community Center	Information ^pdf From 9:00am to 2:00pm
14 October	Laurel Schiller, Florida Native Plants Nursery www.floridanativeplants.com	Native Edibles for All
11 November	Martin Price, PhD Served 25 years as ECHO International’s founding Executive Director	Southwest Florida Gardening Through the Three Seasons ^pdf
9 December	Members' Holiday Party

Meetings 2014	Speaker	Topic
8 Jan	Stephen Brady	How I Manage to Grow 600 Fruit Trees on 2 Acres
12 Feb	Erica Klopf Florida Edible Landscaping floridaediblelandscaping.com	Edible Landscaping for the Home Garden plus The Grimal Grove, Big Pine Key, Florida
12 Mar	Noris Ledesma, Curator of Tropical Fruit, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden	For the Love of Mangos
15 Mar Saturday	Tropical Fruit Tree Sale at the Nokomis Community Center	9:00 am - 2:00 pm
9 Apr	Steve Cucura, Fruitscapes Nursery	Drip Irrigation for Fruit Trees in the Florida Home Garden Speaker notes
14 May	Monica Brandies Florida Gardens website gardensflorida.com	Growing and Using Herbs and Summer Edibles
20 May	Tours of Fairchild Farm and the Fruit and Spice Park
11 Jun	Fitzroy (Roy) Beckford, Lee County Extension Director and Agricultural/Natural Resources Agent, University of Florida/IFAS	Understanding Vegetable Garden Insects (Pest and Predators). Roy Beckford's Presentation notes ^{pdf 53 pages}
9 Jul	Picnic at the Community Center (Members Only)
13 Aug	Aloe Organics Farm aloeorg.com	Aloe Organics: Organic Farming in Memory of Allison Hall Nelson
10 Sep	Berto Silva	Unusual and Rare Fruits That Adapted or May Adapt to Cultivation in Florida. Presentation Notes
8 Oct	Chris Rollins, Manager, Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead, FL	Tropical Vegetables
18 Oct Saturday	Suncoast Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Club Fall Garden Festival	We will have our Fall Tropical Fruit Tree Sale/Garden Festival at the Nokomis Community Center from 9:00am - 2:00pm. Printable Flyer and Plant List Organic Herb and Vegetable Seed List Heirloom Vegetable Seed List
12 Nov	Peggy Sieburth, PhD Biological Administrator III Citrus Germplasm Introduction Program Bureau of Citrus Budwood Registration Division of Plant Industry Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services	“The Florida Citrus Repository – Creating Citrus for Tomorrow.” Peggy Sieburth's Presentation Notes ^{pdf 45 pages}
10 Dec	Members' Holiday Party

Meetings 2013	Speaker	Topic
January 9th	Wayne Clifton	Vegetables for Florida
February 13th	Crafton Clift	The Fruit Hunter
March 13th	Steve Cucura of Fruitscapes Nursery	Growing Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits in South West Florida
March 16th	Tropical Fruit Tree Sale	At the Nokomis Community Center
April 10th	Chef Pouget	The Art of French Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits from Your Garden Menus and Recipes
May 8th	Cristina Babiak M.D. cristinababiakmd.com	Common Florida Garden Plants with a Purpose Make Infused Medicine with Herbs
June 12th	Dennis Cathcart of Tropiflora tropiflora.com	Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay
July 10th	Barbara Rendell	Fantastic Fermented Foods Meeting Notes and Recipes
August 14th	Stephen Brown, Lee County Extension Director & Horticultural Program Leader, University of Florida/IFAS	Some Fruits of Jamacia (and other sufficiently warm locations) Presentation notes
September 11th	Keyvan Antonio Heydari	Viva Mango
October 9th	Chris Rollins, Manager, Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead, FL	Pesticide Free Gardening with Rare and Unusual Fruits and Vegetables for South West Florida
October 19th Saturday	Fall Garden Festival Suncoast Tropical Fruit and Vegetable Club	The Fall Garden Festival will be at the Nokomis Community Center from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. There will be for sale fruit trees, vegetable plants and more. Printable Flyer.
November 13th	An exclusive presentation for members only We cannot show the film to the public	“A Night at the Movies”, THE FRUIT HUNTERS An exclusive presentation for members only
December 11th	Members' Holiday Party

Englewood, Nokomis, North Port, Osprey, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice

Contact Us
suncoastfruitandveg@outlook.com

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Meetings This Year

Published 2013 KJ. Last update 30 Dec. 2019 KJ