Sulcata Grove
Lychees. Sapodilla. Jackfruit. Atemoya. Longans.
Do you know what these names are, and do you know what they have in common?
If you guessed tropical fruits from around the world, you get the prize. Yet did you know that all of these tropical fruits—and many more—are grown locally at a place called Sulcata Grove, a plant nursery and apiary located in Sarasota?
In fact, Sulcata Grove is located on more than two acres just minutes from the bustling University Parkway area. It feels like a tropical oasis with its lush fruit trees, chickens, rescue pigeons, and sulcata tortoises (hence the name of the business) that weigh more than 100 pounds each.
Yet make no mistake: Craig and Celeste Welch, the owners of Sulcata Grove, are serious about their tropical fruits and share with customers a vast knowledge of fruits and plants. Craig Welch earned his PhD from the University of Florida in entomology, and both took courses in plant biology in college. The Welches also lived with their daughters as missionaries in Ecuador for four years and previously ran a small nursery from their home in the Gainesville area. They found success growing citrus and loquats in north central Florida, but they wanted to find a place to live below the freeze line to be able to grow more tropical fruits. They began to plant at their Sarasota home in 2012.
Yet, as you may have guessed, they didn’t just set up a few mango trees and call it a day. The Welch family members dived deep into tropical fruit tree diversity, growing items like jaboticaba (from Brazil), muntingia (from Jamaica), ice cream bean (South America), and many others, all seasonal. The list is so vast that even experienced food writers or world travelers may be stumped by some of the names of the fruits they grow.
“There’s a real strong connection with nostalgia and fruits,” Celeste Welch says, thinking about customers from countries like Brazil and Jamaica who are tickled to learn that some of the fruits from their childhood are grown locally.
Customers are often surprised to hear about the vast variety of tropical fruits that Sulcata Grove is able to produce. Although the weather in the Sarasota area is often warm, it’s not as tropical as Miami. Yet they make it work.
The Welches also grow 40 varieties of fiberless mangoes (meaning that they’re not stringy) that are more common to Florida, with delicious names like coconut cream and lemon meringue. “Mangoes in Florida are amazing, and they’re nothing like grocery store mangoes,” Craig Welch says.
Plus, they sell freeze-dried fruits, eggs from their chickens and honey from their hives.
Sulcata Grove lets customers know what fruits they have available at any given time via their Insta-gram and Facebook accounts. Customers can come to their home to pick up what’s for sale at their front door and pay online.
Sulcata Grove also does some shipping of their fruit across the U.S.
If that’s not enough, Sulcata Grove offers consultations to help others who want to grow tropical fruits and offers tours for a fee. They also have a YouTube channel filled with videos to help DIY backyard growers.
