Welcome to Arbuckle Creek, where we explore the world of rare, tropical and unusual fruit trees and show how they can be grown, enjoyed and potentially turned into a source of income right in your own backyard.
Whether you’re an experienced gardener or planting your first fruit tree, you’ll find practical information to help you grow better fruit in Central Florida. If you don’t live in Central Florida, but have a comparable climate, you’ll find this website helpful as well.
From longan and dragon fruit to mangoes, guava, jackfruit, sugar apples, finger limes and star fruit, we’re growing, researching and sharing what we learn along the way.
🌱 Grow More Fruit
Discover practical growing guides designed for Florida gardeners.
Learn about:
– Planting and soil preparation
– Watering and fertilizing
– Pruning and training
– Propagation from seed and cuttings
– Flowering and pollination
– Harvesting
– Container growing
– Protecting tropical fruit trees from cold
– Choosing varieties suited to Central Florida
Our Fruit Growing Guides
Learn how to grow longan trees, encourage earlier fruiting, select productive varieties and potentially turn a backyard tree into a source of income.
Discover how to grow dragon fruit, build a productive trellis, propagate plants, encourage flowering, hand-pollinate flowers and protect plants from Florida freezes.
Learn about mango varieties, planting, fertilizing, pruning, flowering, fruit production and growing mangoes in Central Florida.
Explore growing guava from seed and established plants, tree care, fruit production, harvesting and ways to enjoy your harvest.
Learn how to grow one of the world’s largest tree fruits, including propagation, planting, tree care, fruit production and cold protection.
Discover how to grow sweet, creamy sugar apples in Florida, including propagation, pollination, fertilizing, pruning and harvesting.
Learn about growing the unique “citrus caviar” fruit and why finger limes can be an interesting specialty crop for Florida growers.
Explore how to grow star fruit in Florida, choose varieties, care for your tree, harvest the fruit and potentially sell your crop.
🌴 Growing Fruit in Central Florida
Central Florida offers a unique opportunity for backyard fruit growers. Our warm climate allows gardeners to grow many tropical and subtropical fruits that aren’t practical in colder parts of the country.
But Florida has its own challenges.
Heat, heavy rainfall, sandy soils, pests and occasional freezes can all affect fruit production. That’s why our growing guides focus on real-world Florida growing conditions rather than generic advice designed for somewhere else.
Learn which fruits can handle your conditions, how to protect sensitive trees and how to get the most production from the space you have.
💰 Can You Make Money Growing Fruit?
A backyard fruit tree can be more than just a source of fresh food.
Some specialty fruits can command surprisingly high prices when sold directly to consumers, at farmers markets or through other local outlets.
At Arbuckle Creek, we’re exploring the economics of growing fruit on a small scale.
Learn about:
– Potential crop yields
– Local fruit prices
– Specialty fruit markets
– Production costs
– Direct-to-consumer sales
– Farmers markets
– Selling homegrown fruit
– Selling plants and cuttings
– Potential income from different specialty fruits
Explore Our Profitability Guides
We’ll look at the numbers—not just the possibilities.
🍴 From Backyard to Kitchen
Growing your own fruit is only half the fun.
We’ve created recipes that turn unusual tropical fruits into memorable meals, desserts, sauces and drinks. You’ll find recipes featuring:
– Longan
– Mango
– Guava
Some recipes are completely plant-based, while others pair tropical fruit with seafood, chicken, steak and other savory ingredients.
Our goal is simple: grow something unusual, then show you what you can do with it.
🌱 From Seed to Fruit
Growing a fruit tree is a journey.
A seed becomes a seedling.
A seedling becomes a tree.
The tree flowers.
The flowers become fruit.
And eventually, you get to enjoy something you grew yourself.
We’ll walk you through that process with practical guides, photographs, growing tips and step-by-step information.
🛒 Plants & Fruit Trees
Looking for a new fruit tree for your Florida garden?
Check our current selection of plants and cuttings, including rare and unusual fruit varieties when available.
Before purchasing, learn about the tree’s mature size, growing requirements, cold tolerance and expected time to fruit so you can choose the right plant for your property.
🌿 Why Arbuckle Creek?
We’re interested in something a little different.
Not everyone has acres of farmland—or wants to become a commercial farmer.
But many homeowners have a backyard, a few fruit trees and a desire to grow something useful.
We believe that even a relatively small piece of land can produce an impressive amount of food, and with the right crops and planning, it may even provide an opportunity to generate additional income.
Arbuckle Creek is about growing, learning, experimenting and sharing what works.
Start Growing
Whether you’re looking for your first tropical fruit tree, trying to make an existing tree produce more fruit, searching for profitable backyard crops or simply looking for something delicious and unusual to grow, you’re in the right place.
Explore Arbuckle Creek
🌱 Growing Guides
Learn how to grow rare and tropical fruit in Florida.
💰 Profitable Fruit
Explore the economics of growing and selling specialty fruit.
🍴 Fruit Recipes
Turn your harvest into something delicious.
🛒 View Plants & Cuttings for Sale
See what fruit trees and plants are currently available.
Welcome to Arbuckle Creek.
Grow something unusual. Grow something delicious. Grow something that can grow with you.
As always, we can be reached at arbucklecreek@yahoo.com