Re: [gardeners] Putting it by
Ron Hay (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Thu, 11 Jul 2002 16:05:41 -0700
Hello, George,
I am finally back online with my new machine!
Our apricot harvest is just about over, and the nectarine harvest is
about to begin. This year, our tree was so laden with fruit...about 500
or so...that we had to prop up its branches, one of which just plain
gave way day before yesterday.
We tried to net it, but it is splayed far too wide for that, so we will
just have to take our chances with the squirrels and birds this year.
Next year, I think we will net it before the fruit grows so large, so
that the net can, to some extent, contain the branches.
The pomegranate is sagging under the weight of the fruit and so is the
Fuyu (!) Last season we harvested 13 persimmons; but on the 4th, out of
sheer curiosity, I counted the fruit on the tree's sagging branches: 205
(approximately)!!! And the tree is only 8' tall!
This year our macadamia will give us our first real crop. It had
flowers just about everywhere this whole past month, and flower
production (foot long mauve racemes containing hundreds of petal less
flowers) has just about subsided; I saw one new raceme forming this
morning.
It looks as if we will have a record crop of mandarin oranges, navels
and blood oranges, too. I suspect our friends will hide and bar their
doors when they see us coming this fall:)
Our sudden blast of hot weather, up in the low 100s, had "crisped" our
roses to a fare-thee-well, however, and require watering 3x week; but it
has also caused our myriad green tomatoes to ripen, along with our 4
varieties of eggplants:)
One of the rose varieties we are most pleased with this year is our
Flower Carpet Roses, which grow 3' wide and 2' high, and have proved to
be a wonderful choice to border the sidewalk side of our front lawn.
They are reputed to be disease free and extremely hardy, and also
require no deadheading.
Well, friends, I guess I have rambled long enough, deprived as I have
been from the company of my online friends for the last few days.
Happy gardening to you all.
Ron