We met Leo and his wife at the front of Oceanside Dragonfruit Farm, where their day was already in motion. They worked beneath a makeshift canopy, with no permanent buildings in sight. Their tool shed was Leo's truck, parked nearby and packed with everything they needed for the day. Nothing about this farm was pretentious.
Leo made a bet on dragon fruit when avocado farming became unsustainable in Fallbrook — a region that has struggled with water access for years. Dragon fruit uses a fraction of the water avocados require, and it produces reliably in Southern California's warm climate.
The trellised rows stretch across the hillside in patterns that look almost architectural. Each plant climbs a wooden post, and the fruit hangs in vivid pink clusters when harvest time comes. Leo walks the rows every morning, checking for pests, monitoring moisture, and reading the subtle signs that tell him how the crop is doing.
What Leo has built is a practical response to a real problem. He is not farming dragon fruit because it is trendy. He is farming it because the numbers work, the water use is manageable, and there is growing demand from Asian grocery markets and farmers markets across San Diego County.
His wife handles the business side with equal precision. Together they run a lean operation — no employees, minimal overhead, maximum care per plant. The fruit they produce reflects that attention.
This material is based upon work supported by the Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under grant number 24FMPPCA1238. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
