What Activities Does the Rare Fruit Society of South Australia Inc. Organise for Growers?

The Rare Fruit Society of South Australia Inc. runs a mix of meetings, hands-on workshops, field trips and trading tables for people growing fruit and food plants from cool-temperate, temperate, subtropical and elevated tropical regions. Its activities suit home growers and enthusiasts who want local knowledge, practical propagation skills and access to unusual plant material rather than commercial-scale advice. Most activity centres on the monthly meeting, with additional learning through workshops, a library and member orchards.

Monthly meetings with guest speakers

Meetings are the main gathering point. According to the website, the next meeting is on Tuesday 24th November 2026 at the San Giorgio Club, 11 Henry Street, Payneham, at 7:30pm. Parking is available at the venue or in the adjoining Council car park; the site asks attendees not to park on the street.

At most meetings the society hosts top guest speakers and draws on the best local knowledge from more experienced members. The November 2026 guest speaker is Mark Henley, speaking about "50 Years of The Rare Fruit Society."

Practical notes from the site:

• Supper: Members are invited to bring fruit, or baked goods using fruit, from their garden to share. Items should be cut up and labelled.
• Trading tables are available at the meeting.
• If you are feeling unwell, please do not attend.

Learning to graft, bud and propagate

The society runs workshop sessions where members learn to graft, bud and propagate. This is supported by a library and locally produced fact sheets, so the skills taught in person can be revisited afterwards.

For a grower, this matters because rare and heritage fruit is often hard to buy as established trees. Learning to graft and bud lets you multiply a variety you already have, or work with budwood and rootstocks obtained through the society rather than waiting for a nursery listing.

Field trips to orchards and research stations

Members participate in field trips to established fruit properties, research stations and other members' orchards. A sampling of the produce is usually enjoyed on these visits.

These trips give growers something a meeting cannot: seeing how uncommon species actually perform in local conditions, and comparing notes with the people growing them.

Trading table: trees, rootstocks and budwood

At nearly every meeting the society sets up a trading table where members may purchase fruit trees, rootstocks, budwood, grafting material and unusual plants for a modest outlay. Books, grafting tools, tapes and sharpeners are also available.

This is often the most direct route to plant material that is not stocked by mainstream nurseries. Availability depends on what members bring, so it varies from meeting to meeting.

Newsletter, library and shared records

• Digital newsletter: Sent before each meeting, containing articles and experiences supplied by other members. It usually includes an outline of the previous guest speaker's presentation or a description of a prior field trip or seminar.
• Library: Members can borrow books. Note that only books ordered via the website will be available for collection — log into the website and click on the library tab to view books to borrow.
• Records of successes and failures: The society keeps records of what has and has not worked, which is useful when deciding whether a marginal species is worth trying in your own garden.

Heritage orchard at Kanmantoo

The society has a large collection of rare and heritage variety fruit trees grown by its members. Its heritage fruit tree orchard at Kanmantoo was established in conjunction with Neutrog Ltd.

What this means if you are deciding whether to join

If you want to learn practical propagation skills and get access to unusual plant material, the workshops and trading table are the strongest reasons to attend. If you mainly want local, tested knowledge about which rare species perform in South Australia, the guest speakers, member experience and field trips are the draw. If you are looking for commercial growing advice or a plant catalogue you can order from online, these activities are not aimed at that — plant material moves through meetings and member exchange instead.

The society describes its scope as growing fruits and food plants from the four corners of the globe, originating from cool-temperate, temperate, subtropical and elevated tropical regions. That breadth is worth keeping in mind: a species discussed at a meeting may be well suited to one part of South Australia and marginal in another, which is why the field trips and shared records matter as much as the talks.