Catching up, June 2023

Getting bigger, May 2023

Last winter I picked off all the small to medium sized unripe figs from my little tree, and also gave it a rather extreme haircut.  This year the newly formed figs have gotten big much quicker than usual, and there is plenty of new growth.  I wonder if they'll ripen earlier as well?  Normally those over-wintered fruits do "ripen" but are too dry to bother eating--only the new season fruits go soft and juicy.

I'm still busy in the garden, though the main planting is finished now.  I still have several seed trays on the go, all for successional planting;  the maincrop plantings are all in.  Right now I'm keeping on top of the weeding and watering.

It's been a very dry several weeks;  my water butts are all but empty, and the furthest reaches of the veg beds are suffering from lack of rain.  We have once more shoved the washing machine exit pipe out onto the garden for irrigation purposes but it doesn't reach all that way (the garden hose is at the allotment).  This week already has been very hot and is meant to stay that way. 

The ducks have lost their splashing tub until it rains again too, as we can't easily fill it otherwise--although they can still splash their heads in their smaller water tubs (which hold about 5 L each).  We're down to two ducks now, as our white duck (female) was found dead the other day:  at four years old I assume it was down to old age. 

No fruit formed this year on Laxton Fortune apple, May 2023

My little fruit trees aren't as productive this year, perhaps because of the cold spring.  The apples didn't really flower (they seem to flower biennially anyway) and all three of my little cherry trees have only sparse fruit;  I usually net the smallest, a Morello, but I don't think I'll bother this year: the birds can have them.  The Kordia is small but too big to net--maybe I'll net the Stella instead.  It also has only a couple dozen fruits, but as we've never got any, it'd be nice to taste them!