ENCANTO FARMS NURSERY
"Specializing in Figs and Bananas in San Diego"
Thank you for your interest in Encanto Farms Nursery.
FIGS BANANAS
I have enjoyed growing fruiting plants all my life and selling plants locally in San Diego for more than 20 years, and nearly 3 years online. I do not want you to buy a plant that is not good for you, so I have shared what I know about each one at Figs 4 Fun and We Be Bananas. My experience is in Southern California, and may not be applicable to your location. If I don’t know something, I will tell you so. I know what it is like to be in the customer’s shoes because I have purchased more than my share of plants over the years. It is my hope that I can treat you in the way that I would want to be treated. Because I have been more oriented to growing, experimenting and educating (as well as keeping up with a "regular" job) some things will be are differently than you may be used to. Please read this introduction in its' entirety.
Shipping to many states requires me to provide a Phytosanitary or Snail Certificate. E-mail me with your address and I can have the Ag Inspector check the requirements for your state. States which have been checked and which do NOT need this paperwork, so far, are Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Utah. States which have been confirmed as requiring this inspection are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. In general, northern states are more lenient and southern states are more particular. This costs me (and you) $35 per shipment. I think this is excessive, but that is the reality of the nursery business here in San Diego. The fee is assessed per shipment and per addressee, regardless of the number of plants in the shipment. One plant is $35 and 100 plants are also $35. Hopefully, that is full disclosure.
For Hawaii, an import permit is required, along with a 1 year quarantine costing $600, for plants shipped bareroot. See 808-832-0566
See Canadian Food Inspection Agency 613-225-2342 x 4359 for information about shipping to Canada. We can now ship to Canada, but the cost of inspection and USDA paperwork is $110 per shipment. For friends in other parts of the world, I feel your pain (for me, importing is a huge, huge pain as well), but the restrictions and requirements are prohibitive. For 2012, it appears that we will be able to to Canada for 3 years, following the end of a quarantine for Light Brwn Apple Moth.
I accept Paypal and checks for payment. Credit card fees are still too expensive for a boutique business.
Many of the plants that I have are one-of-a-kind. That means that they are irreplaceable, so both you and I need to take very special care of them. It also means that not everyone will be able to have everything they desire. Some are in 1 gallon pots, while others have grown more and are now in 2 gallon pots. Many are only available in one size or the other. So, after reviewing the list of available plants, e-mail me, and I will set the plants aside (if available) and advise you of their size, their costs, shipping, etc. After we have worked that all out to our mutual satisfaction, then I will ask you to make payment. I ship in Spring and Fall, when temperatures will be more conducive to the plants arriving in a healthy condition.
Generally, one gallon plants will be $15, and 2 gallon plants are $20, though there will be a few (yes, few means few) exceptions for things which have been especially difficult to propagate. There are a few plants that are in 5 gallon pots, and probably not suitable for shipping because of the expense ($35ish each), but I am willing to try and accommodate anyone who so desires.
If you are interested in fig trees, you must be aware that I have an extensive collection of varieties. As a result of their many places of origin, including USDA/UC Davis, they have all been exposed to Fig Mosaic Virus (FMV) and most likely are infected with it (though not all exhibit symptoms). Some of my varieties have come from the finest sources in the country, and they have been similarly infected. I do not consider this to be a problem and the United States Department of Agriculture agrees, noting that it is “ubiquitous” even in many wild populations of trees. But I understand that some people are concerned. It is not possible to have a collection of this size and not have FMV, just as it is not possible to obtain most of these varieties from uninfected sources. If this is of concern to you, you will probably want to refrain from purchasing. I have used names for all of the figs which they had when I received them, unless they were unmistakably mislabeled. The pictures at Figs 4 Fun will serve to identify them as what they actually are here in San Diego (given the difference of climates, soil, fertilizer, caprification, etc. "your results will vary"). Again, hopefully this is full disclosure.
If it is not on my plant list, it is not likely that it is available at this time. Also, I make fig cuttings available February 1st each year, until they are gone, usually sometime in April.
I have almost 150 in-ground varieties of figs, and more than 250 more still in pots. There are about 100 fig varieties available this season. I continue to add new varieties each month and late 2008 brought the release of quarantined varieties received from England almost 3 years earlier. Encanto Farms is definitely a "boutique" nursery, producing my own plants in very limited quantities, as I have my own cuttings available for propagation. Everything I sell, I also grow in my orchard, so I have real experience with these plants.
I have plants of more than 60 banana varieties available. All banana plants will be pups from my in-ground orchard. This limits availability, but provides a better plant and a shorter time to maturity than tissue culture. Everything I sell, I also grow in my orchard, so I have real experience with these plants
Finally, I owe debt of gratitude to many people who have shared cuttings and plants with me over the years, which has enabled me to make many of these varieties available. If you have varieties which are not yet a part of my collection, I would enjoy receiving cuttings or plants to add to the collection (at my expense, of course).
To be added to our mailing list, and to be notified of available varieties and future news, please click the e-mail link below. I hate spam and junk e-mail more than you, so your e-mail address will be used by the nursery and no one else on the planet for any other reason whatsoever.
Our figs and bananas living peacefully together with many other fruiting trees.
