Taking your eye off the ball
Garden has just taught me a lesson about taking your eye off the ball. We've had really heavy rain and high humidity, and so the usual "June drop" on the fruit trees simply didn't occur, as the heat and moisture has allowed the trees to keep all of their fruitlets.
Well last night I noticed that a couple of the plum tree's branches were really drooping, trailing all the way down to the ground in fact. So I checked them out,and discovered they'd both snapped high up in the canopy, the sheer weight of all the fruit was just more than they could bear.
I should have checked the trees before this happened, and propped them up with clothes poles. I got GPS (Golf Playing Son) to go up into the tree and saw both branches off. It was funny seeing his big skinny form up on the platform in the fork of the tree, he used to climb up there as a wee boy and hide. They were really big branches, and the mess on the ground was pretty bad, twigs, fruit, leaves, and crushed plants. Luckily I've got a garden waste collection tomorrow, so I've been busy sawing up the branches and clearing up the mess. Every fallen cluster of green plums felt like a reproach!
A quarter of the tree is gone, and the only up side is that I suddenly have a new big patch of blue sky, and the whole garden feels much more open.
The tomatoes are loving this heat, the greenhouse is full to bursting with them. I'm growing old heritage varieties, like Brandywine and Black Russian. I can't wait for for the first ones to be ready. Yellow courgettes, zuchinni, are also appearing, and aubergines and peppers have flowers on them. It is such a great time of year.
Well last night I noticed that a couple of the plum tree's branches were really drooping, trailing all the way down to the ground in fact. So I checked them out,and discovered they'd both snapped high up in the canopy, the sheer weight of all the fruit was just more than they could bear.
I should have checked the trees before this happened, and propped them up with clothes poles. I got GPS (Golf Playing Son) to go up into the tree and saw both branches off. It was funny seeing his big skinny form up on the platform in the fork of the tree, he used to climb up there as a wee boy and hide. They were really big branches, and the mess on the ground was pretty bad, twigs, fruit, leaves, and crushed plants. Luckily I've got a garden waste collection tomorrow, so I've been busy sawing up the branches and clearing up the mess. Every fallen cluster of green plums felt like a reproach!
A quarter of the tree is gone, and the only up side is that I suddenly have a new big patch of blue sky, and the whole garden feels much more open.
The tomatoes are loving this heat, the greenhouse is full to bursting with them. I'm growing old heritage varieties, like Brandywine and Black Russian. I can't wait for for the first ones to be ready. Yellow courgettes, zuchinni, are also appearing, and aubergines and peppers have flowers on them. It is such a great time of year.
posted by apprentice at
12:14 pm
4 Comments:
You put me to shame. I grow flowers and weeds and the garden always has a wild unkempt look although I kempt it a lot. I noticed after all the weather one of the hedges has toppled over but it is out of sight so no rush.
Fortunately one of our sons is due -poor dear. You are lucky to have yours to hand.
Thanks, mine's is just 17 so I have to pick my moments in getting co-operation, lol!
I had my newly plated apple tree hanging sideways last week. We allready cut 50 small aplles earlier but expected more fruit to drop. We were just in time to rescue the tree... I din't expect any fruit this year it was only planted in november!
Hi Mijk, thanks for looking in, I've been wondering how you were.
I'm glad you managed to rescue your tree. I still feel bad about mine.
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