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Expect a sweet time at this weekend’s Mango Festival ... a report from our mango expert
Posted Jul 29, 2010 by Loren Omoto
Updated Jul 29, 2010 at 09:01 PM
FOD Eric “Mangoman” Young finally got to a Mango Festival. I’m sure he was in heaven, surrounded by his favorite tropical fruit, and a lot of people who share his passion.
He took all the photos I’m posting here. (Nice camera work, Mangoman!) Above is—you got it—a mango.
The festival was held at Colorfield Farms in Wimauma, and it’s going to get an encore from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They’ll have speakers at 10 a.m., “Growing Tropical Fruit in Central Florida”; noon, “Mango Mania, Culinary Demonstration”; 2 pm, “Mango Tree Basics”; and 4 p.m., “Selecting a Mango Variety.”
I believe those are scheduled both days, but the website doesn’t say, so if you want to call to doublecheck, the number is (813) 833.2545.
Colorfield is a large nursery on State Road 674. five miles east of U.S. 301. It opened to the public just a couple years ago. They sell everything—annuals and perennials, butterfly plants, herbs, unusual plants, mixed container gardens and, yup, mango and other fruit trees. You may have seen Colorfield at a local plant festival—they’re the extra-large vendor space with screaming yellow, red, orange and piping hot pink blooms.
If you’re thinking about going to their Mango Fest, thank Mangoman for the following great review/preview from last weekend’s event.
“The nursery was very large. Bigger than Kerby’s” in Brandon, Mangoman reports. (That one’s pretty much the gold standard in Hillsborough County.)
“They had a section of mango trees that were not for sale that were around 15 feet tall and in pots! This was very impressive. They also had a very large section of trees for sale dedicated to just mango. They had all sizes from 1 foot to 8 feet tall. Nice selection of herbs, orchids and other various shrubs as well.”
A free tasting table was set up with more than a dozen varieties of mangoes to sample, Mangoman says. He suggests trying Duncan and Valencia Pride. And the mango slushies, just $2, were “really good.”
I talked to the nursery today and Robert says they’ll also have mango ice cream sundaes. They’ve been juicing and cutting up mangoes for two days, so he promises there will be plenty.
But free samples and fruity smoothies don’t cloud even Mango’s keen financial judgment (which is noteworthy, given that he’s 15 and I know how much 15-year-old boys like their chow.)
“I was very impressed with the different types that they sold but not with the prices, $3 per pound,” he writes. “I guess if you were looking for a certain type of mango then the price would be worth it, just not after the deal I just got ... from the Plant City (State) Farmers Market.”
This weekend, the gourmet varieties will be $3 a pound; the “ordinary,” all grown in Florida, are $2 a pound, Robert says.
“Overall, I would give it five stars considering the nursery’s size and the fact that there was no cost to get in,” Mangoman says. “The International Mango Festival in Miama still looks amazing and I can’t wait to get down there but I guess that’s next year ...”
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Reader Comments
Posted by (mangoman) on July 29, 2010
Thank you for the write up, had a great time there and hope whoever goes enjoys it as much as I did!
Those mango-sundaes sound good! I wonder if I can get down there again…
Posted by (Chip) on July 30, 2010
Now you are making me hungry Mango man! Did some one say “ice creme?” You may have a budding “cub reporter” with mango man. This looks like a lot of fun and if we can Diane and I will go. Home depot on Fla.ave had a vendor that sold mango slushies and I made the trip just for them more than once. And so you know the blueberry and blackberry plants I got from you are doing great and even produced fruit! ...“Chip”
Posted by (Chip) on August 01, 2010
You are just to funny KIm! “the vine whisperer” and I have to agree with you we all find tend to see only the bad in our gardens and overlook the stuff everyone else just loves. This is the time of yesr my garden looks it worse. So no wineing for me I have seeds started for the fall and that I always look forward to. “Chip”
Posted by (Chip) on August 02, 2010
Kim, I am working hard not to whine! but if my tomato’s aren’t happy I am not happy. Maybe Penny can come by and whisper to them [they are a vine!] I can hear it now “set fruit” “to hot check back later” on a brighter note my holly hocks are doing great and everything I have plugged into my A.C. is thriving. OK so now I know holly hocks need to be wet to bloom live and learn!...“Chip”
Posted by (Janna) on August 02, 2010
Okay, Mangoman and Penny - this post is giving me the fruit-craving munchies! I would love to get to Colorfield Farms one day as well as to Kerby’s. I’ve never been to either place and I’m convinced that I’m missing out! Did your fruit trees survive the freezes, Mangoman?
I agree with Kim that Penny is the vine whisperer. (My blue sky vine isn’t blooming yet, either.)That was a good article, Kim and so true about how we all whine about what’s wrong - time to focus on the good stuff that’s making it through this heat!! Oh yeah, my CROTONS came back from the freeze. Finally.
Posted by (Janna) on August 02, 2010
Chip, glad to hear your hollyhocks are doing well! I’m getting ready to start some more seeds. The ones I had going last fall and winter were untouched by the freezes. If anyone wants any more seeds, I have plenty and will mail them to you, just let me know!
Posted by (Janna) on August 02, 2010
Penny, the day I compared my balloon plant to your photo for positive I.D., it did have a couple of blooms that were lavender/purple. I’ll try to get another picture today. (Hope it’ll pump out some more flowers for the photo op!)
Guess patience is key on the crotons. I only recently realized that mine weren’t totally dead. I am also thankful for the sweet potato vine, pagoda and purple queen. Those are the best looking plants I have right now…
Posted by (Chip) on August 02, 2010
I have tomato plants they just will not set fruit when it is this hot…“Chip”
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on August 02, 2010
It’s actually raining in Riverview. Woo Hoo!
My blue sky vine is humongous and not a bloom on it. Maybe it’s a fall bloomer. I know the black eyed susan has way more flowers later in the season and I think they are related. But the supposedly fall blooming clematis “sweet autumn” is in full bloom. Go figure.
Kim’s Sunday article was great. I think we all loved the “vine whisperer” comment. And the reminder that we need to look past all, what we perceive as, our gardens flaws and see all the beauty that’s really there. Thanks Kim.
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on August 02, 2010
Good “in the field” reporting Mangoman. Sorry I didn’t make the drive out there for the festivities.
Sweet potato vine, caladiums, Florida Friendly pizazz, vincas and lantana’s, pagoda’s, roses, jatropha’s and powder puffs, morning glories and plumbago’s——these are the colors that are getting me through the season. But it’s taken me ten years of living here and making a ton of mistakes along the way—-which I am certain is not over yet.
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on August 02, 2010
I didn’t know that about bleeding heart vine. Mine is still recovering from being cut to the ground but heading to the top of the trellis.
One year I bought 5 or 6 clematis from Wayside Gardens catalog. It was a package deal. The Sweet Autumn is the only one who made it. In fact I’ve placed some cuttings around and they’ve taken off. The bees love this plant. I was staring at them this morning. They are little green bees. I don’t know my bee’s well enough to say what kind they are. And as far as the Sweet Autumn—-I read somewhere it’s one of the only clematis that do well in Florida. Sure worked for me. I know I can start cuttings in the spring. I wonder if I can start them now?
Posted by (Janna) on August 02, 2010
Yay for you on the rain, Susan!! I think it just missed north Tampa, but I remain hopeful. I also have a hose, just in case I feel like sweating and swatting mosquitoes at 8:00 p.m. Glad to hear that your blue sky vine is flourishing and may be a fall bloomer. Penny’s is flourishing but not blooming and so is the one I got at Greenfest. Let’s keep eachother posted on blooms!
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on August 02, 2010
It’s a deal, Janna.
Posted by (Janna) on August 02, 2010
As for the bleeding heart vine…I have a white one that I got at Greenfest - it bloomed profusely. Now it is growing and healthy - just not full of blooms. I also got a cutting of a red/purple one from Gardendipity which is thriving, but not bloomong at the moment. Yeah, maybe it’s a little too hot. Btw, where are you, Dipity? We miss you!
Posted by (Janna) on August 02, 2010
Susan, any recent mosaic art? If so, would love to see it….
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on August 02, 2010
You guys must be psychic. I just posted some mosaics to Flickr today. They were sitting around waiting for me to take their picture. I’ll send them to Penny.
Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on August 03, 2010
According to this little paper I picked up on begonias at a USF sale they need to dry out between waterings and watering in the morning is preferred so they can dry out during the day. They are less susceptible to disease that way. It also seems they don’t like temps above 85 degree’s so maybe they don’t like the heat any more than we do.I guess I’d bring it in from the heat and rain for a while a see if it recovers. There is a Begonia Society of Tampa Bay if your interested.
Posted by (mangoman) on August 03, 2010
Janna, saddly, no. The mango tree did not survive. I did manage to keep several other tropical fruit tree’s though. Just not mango’s. I think I need to move farther south…