September 2026 Meeting - Raleigh Barnes - Organic Vanilla Growi

September Meeting - Raleigh Barnes - Organic Vanilla Growing

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, September 14th, 2026, 7pm

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Our September Speaker

From the Program Committee:

Our September meeting will feature another longstanding member of the MRFC, Raleigh Barnes. He is a graduate of the Tropical Tropical Fruit Production Course (perhaps better known as “Jonathan Crane’s course”) at the Tropical Fruit Research and Education Center in Homestead. More recently, Raleigh has studied horticulture in Central America and Asia, and now ranks as one of Florida’s well-known tropical fruit experts. His multifaceted business, Third Insight Design (thirdinsightdesign.com), continues to be one of the top vendors in our annual tree sale.

Raleigh has volunteered for the MRFC in many capacities, and last spoke to us in 2022. His topic this time will be Organic Vanilla Growing, Tudor Tree Importance and Simple Clonal Propagation. He will have vanilla plants, tudor trees and ice cream beans for sale.

August Meeting - Darryl McCullough - Growing Avocados in Southwest Florida

Link to Presentation

August Meeting - Darryl McCullough - Growing Avocados in Southwest Florida

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, August 10th, 2026, 7pm

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Our August Speaker

From the Program Committee:

Our speaker for the August meeting will be MRFC member and treasurer Darryl McCullough. Darryl retired from academia in 2012 and moved to a 2-acre property in north Sarasota County, where he grows avocados, mangos, jaboticabas, and other fruits. He became treasurer of the MRFC in 2013, and is also volunteer treasurer of the local non-profit organization Sunshine Community Harvest, which supports local food producers and businesses, charity harvesting, and community composting.

The presentation, Growing Avocados in Southwest Florida, will include some advantages and disadvantages of growing avocados; avocado ecotypes; buying, planting and caring for avocado trees; pests and diseases; variety selection; and some of Darryl’s favorite varieties.