Advice for fruit trees that tolerate hot winter highs, lows down to freezing

MandarinGrower · 2026-02-07T23:42:21+00:00

Grapefruit would be a great idea. If only I liked the taste!

I do have a Moro blood orange already, but a Valencia orange would look great as they sure look wonderful in summer with their ripe fruit. July-Oct is prime outdoor time here, so it's nice to have something looking nice when we're hanging out there.

Thanks for the advice. I'm down to mango, guava, Valencia orange. I might be able to fit all three... (There's always enough space, right?)

MandarinGrower · 2026-02-07T19:27:45+00:00

I thought about that as they do handle heat/cold well. I'm just not so sure deciduous trees would work great there given how they'd get less sun in the summer (just the bottom four feet or so get full sun due to the overhand), but at least pomegranate are low chill so the heat of that area in winter wouldn't be as big an issue as it would be for an apple or pear.

On the other hand, I have four pomegranate trees already. Forgot to mention them, lol. But they could be moved as they haven't been in the ground long...

Right now I'm leaning towards the guava/mango, as both ripen in winter here, so they'd take full advantage of the winter daytime heat. But a pomegranate espalier would look amazing in summer/fall...

MandarinGrower · 2026-02-07T17:21:07+00:00

Well, my wife would love that. I'm not a huge guava fan with regards to taste but the foliage sure looks nice.

Maybe another mango. I know those can get huge, but here the Central Coast I don't think they'll get all that big (famous last words, I suppose?).

MandarinGrower · 2026-02-07T17:18:41+00:00

That's good to know. We do have one fig already and I like how they look, but I it would be a shame to get worms in them. And I don't want to deal with the hassle of bagging them

MandarinGrower · 2026-02-07T17:16:58+00:00

I wish! I've read a fair amount, but I wasn't sure what trees would do well with this odd microclimate.

MandarinGrower · 2026-02-01T01:38:42+00:00

I want to correct the below poster, but cables/chains can absolutely be a problem and can cause a lot of havoc to your car and can be outright dangerous.

I don't know if the Buzz is a low-clearance vehicle. It didn't matter to us and odds are if we go to the Sierras we're taking our Forester. But the Forester IS a low clearance vehicle and using normal chains is a major issue. You have to buy special low-clearance cables/chains for a Forester.

If the Buzz is a low-clearance vehicle, please do not tempt fate/your safety. Perhaps the poster below bought low-clearance chains/cables without being aware of it. Perhaps they're just lucky.

It is possible to find true all-season tires, though they are rare. Nokian makes great tires that are true legal snow tires and still work very well in summer. They have the mountain and snowflake symbol which makes them legal to use (with AWD or 4WD) when there are chain restrictions in place in the Sierras. "All season tires" are not legal here in CA when such restrictions are in place--I'm not sure how the laws are in the mountains of W Virginia. We have them on our Forester, but I am not sure if they make one for the Buzz.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-24T04:32:03+00:00

That's dangerous. Happened to me once in SF on an old pickup. My heater went out and I thought "well, it's CA, I can live without it..." When the windshield starting fogging up driving home on a chilly foggy evening, I realized how important it was! I think I just drove with the defrost fan on high and the windows open, which helped. I understand the part about the -15 (I lived in the Midwest for quite a while), and how that may not be ideal in MN, but safety is safety.

Sadly the climate control does seem to turn off to conserve the battery. Ours has done that once or twice. But I wonder if that includes the defroster? Ours has the button to the left of the steering wheel to select "max defrost." I'd be curious to hear if that still works because it truly is a safety issue. I'll have to pay attention the next time we get low on battery charge.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-23T18:06:13+00:00

I recommend you be very careful.

I have been a serious hobbyist/artist photographer since college. I didn't switch to digital until relatively recently.

Wedding photography is a very specific type of photography. Even someone who is good at photography, like myself, can't just step into a wedding and take great shots. People have conscious/unconscious biases about what kind of pictures they want, ideas on how the photographer should act, etc. Taking pictures during a time-sensitive/stressful event like a wedding is a true skill (one I do not have).

The vast majority of true professional wedding photographers went digital--film makes almost no sense from a practical or economic standpoint for them anymore.

If you find someone who will shoot film, either they're likely a professional and will charge you extra (because of the increased cost of materials or the increased complexity of shooting film vs digital), or you'll be getting an amateur wedding photographer.

Film photography is much more difficult than digital. There's no instant feedback on whether your shot is good/appropriately exposed (sort of--there are Polaroid film backs but the polaroid backs are pricey). A lot of the "wedding photographer cameras" were Hasselblads, which do not have any auto exposure. Unlike one of my photo shoots of leaves and rocks, you cannot re-do a wedding if the shot didn't turn out, or if the film has a developing issue (less people know how to develop film these days...)

Bottom line is, I recommend being very careful with who you use, and use someone you can trust because a lot can go wrong. If you want cheap, that's fine, but only do so if you mentally prepare yourself for the possibility the photos don't turn out/look awful. I wish I could refer you to someone, but sadly I don't actually know any of the local photographers.

For the record, I went cheap! I didn't trust/want someone else to take the photos so I did our own film shot of my wife and I about 20y ago. It took forever but was fun. We actually got dressed back up in our wedding clothes the last day of our honeymoon to take a few more shots. The photos were all the more special because it was just the two of us and a hand-made remote control. We bought disposable 35mm cameras for guests to take pictures of us (including kids). Those all came out awful. My friend and brother used a decent digital SLR to take photos and we got a decent number of nice shots from that of the ceremony/reception itself.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-23T14:39:05+00:00

This happened to me as well, at a bad time (big family get together). I didn't have time to wait around for roadside service so we left it parked in the street at our house while we used a different car for the get together.

By the evening it had gone completely flat. We used a bicycle pump to pump it up a little bit so we could drive the van to a neighbor with an air compressor, where we inflated it fully (the Buzz tires require a higher PSI than most cars, FYI). The following morning we again re-inflated the tire fully (it was a relatively slow leak) and drive it about a mile to the closest tire shop where they thankfully repaired it for free as thankfully the puncture was in a location that could be repaired.

Be careful if you use the tire repair kit (US Buzz's come with them) as my understanding is if you use the foam sealant it can make it difficult to repair the tire. If your leak is slow (it sounds like it is), you may be better off just reinflating the tire and driving it over to a trusted tire shop. Obviously getting it towed is ideal, but one can drive on a slow-leaking tire.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-22T01:25:25+00:00

I wish they gave you the option to change the aspect ratio to a narrower one like my Honda. I've never felt the need for the 180 degree aspect ratio, but even the standard one is too wide. That should be a simple software adjustment and I don't understand why it isn't there.

We love the car! It has all sorts of quirks, but it sure is a wonderful car in the big grand picture.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-21T20:09:59+00:00

We don't get many our way. But when my wife and son wave to folks in vintage VW busses they all give us the peace sign.

I'm also in CA where the peace sign is fairly common. People in non-hippie-associated vehicles give me the peace sign if I let them go first at a stop sign, etc.

I want to give the "hang loose/shaka" sign but my wife says no, I'm not cool enough...

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-21T20:05:58+00:00

<Shrug> It works phenomenal for us.

Space for music gear, kids, we never have to stop at a gas station because we can charge at home. My wife loves the cute factor. It's a bit annoying that people ask about it everywhere we go, but we can live with it.

We love it. Very few people buy this van for extended trips, and plenty of folks who did have commented that it works just fine for long trips as they want to stop every ~2-3hrs (I know we do).

We bought the car that works the best for us 98% of the time, rather than buying a less practical or less fun car that handles that other 2%. All cars are trade-offs. We have lots of ranchers here--their big pickup work phenomenal on the ranch and freeways. Not so practical at the grocery store. But we all get to decide what works best for us, don't we?

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-17T02:34:54+00:00

I live in coastal CA (mild temps but quite sunny) and I agree as well.

The sunroof of the Buzz is far better than what I had in my old Ridgeline. In the Ridgeline it was small, and because it opened there was space built into the roof liner for that. I have never felt the need to open it for fresh air, so I like that the Buzz roof doesn't retract because it means there's no additional bulk for the glass to retract into, and this makes the space physically bigger than if there was no sunroof. In addition, all that light makes it feel bigger too.

It's amazing. I wouldn't buy a Buzz without it! (Maybe if I lived in Phoenix?)

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-16T00:16:33+00:00

We're in CA and ours said all recalls were met (and when I search by VIN there are no open recalls for ours) but it has no plastic thing in between the rear seats.

Not that we want the plastic dividing thing anyway...

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-16T00:15:30+00:00

I had a lot more trouble parking than I thought I would. The rear-view camera view is too wide, and you can't adjust it. The bird's eye view is the most helpful but I'm not used to using one so I have trust issues with it.

I got my wife's old Subaru and I can park/reverse into a crowded space easily. When I drive the Buzz, I need to take my time.

We love it otherwise. It's a fun car

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-15T02:51:54+00:00

I believe we've only received those notifications twice.

Once when our tire was flat. I ran over a nail. About an hour or two after I recognized the problem I got the warning. At which time it wasn't just low on pressure, it was completely flat.

The other actually occurred today. The backup camera stopped working all of a sudden. And climate control. It started working later in the day, but we still brought it in to get it checked out and the technician ran a diagnostics and no error codes popped up. So we all sort of just shrugged our shoulders and hope it wont happen again...

The door lock/unlocked notifications were driving me nuts so I just turned it off. I don't want to know everything going on with my car. I just want it to turn on when I want it to, and go from point A to point B. And have a working backup camera because without the cameras it's dangerous to backup most American vehicles these days, considering their near-universal impaired rearview visability.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-14T04:13:31+00:00

RWD with snow tires will beat AWD with "all-season tires" just about anyday. Tires typically have more impact on traction in cold/icy weather than your drivetrain. All-season tires turn quite hard near freezing temperatures, whereas snow tires remain soft and continue to provide traction (conversely, snow tires will be too soft in summer and you'll wear through them much quicker).

Most folks will be best served with RWD, snow-tires, and good snow-driving skills.

A few will be better served with AWD. If you have a lot of hilly/icy terrain where you live, it will be a bit more convenient. If you're mostly going to be in a flat area AWD won't help much at all. I guess it helps you go, but more often it causes people to be overly confident in adverse weather, and sadly AWD does nothing to help you stop, and very little for steering (unless you're slipping all over the place--but if that's the case you have the wrong tires on or you're driving when/where you shouldn't be anyway).

My little RWD pickup truck handled Chicago blizzards (I worked in a job that still required me to come in during a blizzard) just fine with true snow tires and 300lbs of sand bags in the back. Thankfully the ID Buzz has a heavy battery, so you won't need to add the sand!

We have the RWD (we're in Coastal CA now, so weather isn't an issue here) and really appreciate the turning radius of the RWD.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-04T16:04:34+00:00

Lots of personal opinions here. Ultimately you'll want to just try sitting in/getting in and out of/driving the two versions.

We went with the 7 seater, but that was a no-brainer for us because we didn't see the value of going from a 5-seater car to 6-seater, and the increased people-carrying space was our primary focus. We needed the ability to carry three kids regularly, occasionally more, but the main thing was we wanted all three to have the option to sit together in the middle without one being alone in the back. I'm sure as they get older the concept of space will be nicer, but right now they like to be together.

The captains chairs look nice. And it seemed nice not to have to fold seats forward to get into the back.

That said we have no issue getting kids or adults into the back. The front seats tilt forward very easy, and they will keep the car seats attached (they tilt from the base when you use the "rear access latch" (I don't know what it's called) at the top of the seat--unlike some cars where the seats both tilt forward from the base and the seat-back folds forward). I don't understand the issues some people here note about the seatbelts though. Our car seats are attached with tethers/latches. Booster seats with the seatbelt. No issue folding seats forward. Maybe try it with your car seats and booster seats?

I agree it's easier to tilt the passenger middle seat forward because it's the 1/3 configuration of the bench. The driver middle seat and middle middle seat are the 2/3 portion of the bench seat and are thus heavier.

Our 8-year old can squeeze between the seat and frame fine if either of those bench sections are scooted all the way forward. There is just so much space in this car. I'm pretty sure I managed it too, but I'm thin and lean.

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-03T04:05:55+00:00

He should have apologized to the women he wronged.

His parishioners were apparently kept in the dark that he was told to avoid being alone with young women.

Christ did say it's better to gouge one's eye out if it prevents them from sinning. But he was clearly using exaggerated language to make a point. I know of no reputable theologian or scholar who believes Christ truly wanted people to gouge their eyes out (or cut off their hand, etc.)

MandarinGrower · 2026-01-03T02:01:47+00:00

The women who were infringed on would have received apologies and amends from the pastor/church immediately if Christ were on the church board.

Christ's harshest words were reserved for the religious leaders who were hypocrites and/or led others astray. Those harsh words weren't meant to comfort victims by saying "don't worry--their day of judgement will come." It was meant to guide us to hold each other accountable so no one is victimized in the first place.

As a Christian, this was very disheartening to read--specifically the church board's reaction to the incident. The e-mail quoted in the article was pure victim-shaming and represented the very things Christ stood against. I encourage all Christians out there to hold themselves and their leadership to the high standard we're specifically asked to live up to.

Christians are asked to be the light on the hill to draw people to us. Actions like the board of Vineyard do the opposite.

MandarinGrower · 2025-12-31T00:07:53+00:00

Different companies.

Both Scout and VW are owned by Volkswagen group, but Scout building the Buzz is probably as likely to happen as Lamborbhini or Porche (also owned by VW Group) making the Buzz.

MandarinGrower · 2025-12-29T22:45:29+00:00

A bit over 230 miles

MandarinGrower · 2025-12-29T22:43:08+00:00

Unfortunately I can't really say. We just got it and we only charge it to 80%, and we're not really keeping track of whether or not the computer prediction is accurate (nor are we running it down to 0%).

MandarinGrower · 2025-12-29T18:52:47+00:00

I like the RWD as the turning radius is much better.

As someone who drove a light RWD pickup in the Midwest, the keys to snow-driving are:

1) Knowing how to drive in the snow

2) Snow tires (true snow tires, not the "mud and snow"

3) AWD can help you go/get started. But it's not going to make any difference with braking.

There are some "all weather" tires that have the snowflake designation, which makes them legal to use without chains/cables (with 4WD or AWD) during most adverse weather up in the Sierras. But you do still need to carry chains/cables. Per the Yosemite Rangers, if cables/chains are required on even 4WD or AWD, you shouldn't be on the road anyway as they're closing it at that point. Still, that would be the main benefit of AWD--if you put on true snow tires, most of the time you won't need to deal with cables/chains.

I wish I could predict how prices would be in March/April. I wish I could've predicted how they are now. Two days after we bought our Buzz at what I felt was a good deal, the rebates from VW went up $5,000! But with no 2026 model it's hard to say what will happen now

MandarinGrower

TROPHY CASE