Peach blossoms
This has got to be my least favorite time of year, unless of course we have a bitterly cold winter. All the citrus is gone except for a few kumquats, and if it weren't for the loquats and a few early strawberries, we wouldn't have any fruit at all right now. I had planned to spend the weekend grafting, planting, and re-potting, but it was just too cold. Last night it almost froze, which really had me worried considering how many delicate blooms and young fruit are on the trees right now. A late freeze now could wipe out a substantial chunk of the coming year's harvest, cause grafts to fail, and kill all my tomato and pepper plants. I just can't rest easy until we're well into March, and the nighttime low temperatures are consistently in the low to mid 50's. That's also when the strawberries will really start producing, and berry season will officially begin!
Since I felt it was too cold to graft this weekend, and I didn't really have much fruit to photograph and share, I thought I would share some pictures of the flowers on my fruit trees. They really are quite beautiful, and I love how the yard becomes a magnet for bees when the trees are in bloom. Some of the blueberries and apples have already set fruit. The Nam Doc Mail mango has put out three large flower spikes, and I would be very happy to see a fruit or two set on it! The miracle fruit is once again covered in blooms, but it hasn't set very many berries. That may be because I've had to leave the greenhouse doors shut most of the time, potentially keeping the pollinating insects out. Hopefully this is the last little bit of cold for the winter, and I'll be able to set out my pineapples and papayas soon.
Since I felt it was too cold to graft this weekend, and I didn't really have much fruit to photograph and share, I thought I would share some pictures of the flowers on my fruit trees. They really are quite beautiful, and I love how the yard becomes a magnet for bees when the trees are in bloom. Some of the blueberries and apples have already set fruit. The Nam Doc Mail mango has put out three large flower spikes, and I would be very happy to see a fruit or two set on it! The miracle fruit is once again covered in blooms, but it hasn't set very many berries. That may be because I've had to leave the greenhouse doors shut most of the time, potentially keeping the pollinating insects out. Hopefully this is the last little bit of cold for the winter, and I'll be able to set out my pineapples and papayas soon.
Apple blossoms
Strawberry blossoms
Blueberry blossoms
Pear blossoms
Avocado blossoms
Mango flower spike
Lime blossoms
Mulberry blossoms
