| At this time (May) the fruit trees and bushes and plants are really coming along and giving and indication of good yields later in the year. I’ve bought some more trees, and the existing ones get more mature and able to fruit each year. There are 2 cherries, a pear and a plum tree, 2 gooseberry bushes, blackcurrant, redcurrant and white current bushes, blackberry, raspberry canes, blueberries, strawberries, a fig tree and an olive tree. Most take up very little space and would fit into a small garden if there were enough sun. Here’s the stage they’re at:
Cherry Trees : Blossomed really well and tickled by my husband with a feather duster in lieu of the non-existent early bees, now there are large clumps of little cherries and we will need to net the trees soon – the blackbirds get them very early otherwise.
Pear Tree: Like last year there are signs of lots of pears, but last year most of them fell off in summer (I think they got too dry) so I will have to watch them carefully.
Plum Tree: This is a Czar variety and I can really recommend it – it is self-fertile and is leaded with fruit each year. It is said the plums are not eaters, but they are sweet enough, but I bottle them and they last all year in lovely fruit pies and crumbles. However, nasty greenfly get the tops of the new leaves every year. I do a winter wash which helps slightly and also put a glue band on in April – it caught so many crawlies this year we had to change it after a month.
Gooseberries: already the fruit is growing – the new tree I planted last year well ahead of my older plant, - they are different varieties, but they will need watching as I’ve lost all gooseberry leaves to caterpillars a couple of times and the tree was stripped last year (was this squirrels?)
Black, Red and White Currants: With luck these are going to be heavy with fruit this year, but the red and white currants were totally stripped of all their fruit overnight last year (and half of the black currants too) which could have been squirrels or humans – though the fruit bushes are in a very secluded part of the garden behind the garage. I’m watching out this year.
Blueberries: I had two blueberries – a miniature Blue Hat and another whose variety I forget, neither have fruited very well (perhaps I haven’t pruned them well enough) and as the fruit ripens over a period I think the blackbirds or squirrels get to them before I do. I have bought a much more healthy bush this year and so I have three now, and will watch them more closely. I expect decent amounts of fruit –the flowers are beginning to fall and soon I’ll tell what the crop is likely to be like
Raspberries: I now have lots of raspberry canes as they multiply wonderfully. Last year I got enough raspberries to freeze in a largish container and this year I’m hoping for more. They’re looking good now. Lots of flowers.
Fig and Olive Trees: My response to global warming ! By the time these trees grow big enough for the garden I’m hoping it will be warm enough to plant them outside ! The Olive tree was a Christmas present and is still tiny (in a pot I’ve just put outdoors) and I’ve just bought the Fig tree (Black fig) and its sitting next to the olive tree and is about 20cm high. They will come in at winter into the porch, though I think the fig tree will manage outdoors later.
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