Starting in March 1926, signs of interest began to emerge among investors and wealthy individuals not affiliated with any Zionist organization in the potential for investment in the Land of Israel. This followed a personal appeal made by Dr. Chaim Weizmann. Among the three major investors who took interest in the Sharon region was Alfred Mond, who would later become Lord Melchett.
In line with the new policy of the Zionist institutions - and in contrast to the traditional order of development - private capital was the first to enter these lands, followed later by national (public) funding. With the shift in policy toward public land acquisition and the outbreak of civil unrest, public capital soon became more dominant in land purchasing activity in the area. Lord Melchett established the Palestine Plantations Company and purchased approximately 1,200 dunams of land about 10 kilometers north of Kfar Saba.
On Friday, the 18th of Tammuz (July 26, 1929), after five weeks of preparations and transporting settlers, the first plowing in Tel Mond took place.
From the mid-1920s onward, citrus groves contributed more than any other sector to the expansion of new settlements in the Sharon region. Their importance lay especially in the employment opportunities they provided and as a productive outlet for capital investment. The success of the citrus industry enabled dozens of settlement organizations to exist temporarily in citrus colonies, awaiting their turn to settle the land and establish new communities.
On the eve of World War II, citrus groves had spread and covered a significant portion of the coastal plain and began expanding eastward into the lands of the Sharon. The groves were considered a source of reliable income for both owners and laborers. The soils of the coastal plain, the Sharon, and the foothills of the Judean mountains were well-suited for citrus cultivation. However, the main challenges were financing and the long waiting period between planting and the first harvest.
One of the most critical tasks during the early months of the Tel Mond Bloc was finding water.