Ed Valvidia is a passionate exotic fruit extraordinaire, especially dragon fruit. Chances are when you pick up a dragon fruit at the super market there is a high probability that Ed cultivated it! Ed thought me everything I know in the world of grafting. While Ed has popularized the dragon fruit, his green thumb extends well beyond into other fruits Let’s take a peek into his garden.
Ed has some of the most sought out rare varieties of fruit, including: Lucuma, Black/White Sapote, Jaboticaba, Mango, Guava, Kumquat, Surinam Cherry, Cherimoya, Atemoya, Java Apple and much more. Most of his trees have several limbs that have a different flavor of the fruit.
The grafts are flawless and you would have to do a close inspection of his trees to find where the incision took place many years ago. Ed built his own greenhouses along with the intricate water system piping in his backyard to ensure these trees stay hydrated. There are dozens of planter pots throughout the backyard, some that have overstayed their welcome and have their roots driven straight into the ground.
His neighbors have been some of the biggest recipients of his hobby as many of his trees have found their way into their yards via birds and other animals.
Schools and grafting enthusiasts from all over the world come to visit his garden and his unique tree collection. His generosity is bar none, he has given many of the planters from his personal collection to me
All in all, Ed was the best mentor I could have asked for, he really sparked my interest and as his age shows on him, and his legs aren’t as fresh as they once were, his trees continue to thrive and his contributions to the exotic fruit community will continue to live on.