Virgil Evetts
My garden is awash with the heartening signs of spring right now. One peach tree is already covered in tiny, fuzzy peach-letts, another is bursting into blousy pink bloom. My plum tree is a froth of honey-scented papery bliss, and my beloved fig is sending out the emerald-green hands of its early spring growth. Yes, winter has definitely fled my backyard and the promise of so many delectable summer delights is everywhere. Things are looking up again.
On a related note, the first 2009 sauvignon blanc is starting to arrive on the shelves. Very young sauvignon (6 months or less) is the true essence of spring in a bottle, with its sharp, gooseberry zing and green, herbaceous fragrance. Buy it young and drink it fast
So has spring sprung in your backyard?
What do you have blossoming now and what are you planning for the summer food garden?
Figs, nectarine and quince are all going great guns. Newly espalliered cox’s orange pippin and crabapple are looking very dormant. I prefer the word dormant over dead. Have taken to patrolling the neighbourhood looking for other malus unaffected by the joys of spring
It’s a little early for us normally, but we’ve had unseasonably spring-like weather in Canterbury the last couple of weeks of August.
We have lots of pines and poplars for shelter, so they’re the first thing I notice. Big fat buds on teh poplars, and the pines put out fingers of brown fuzz and start colouring our world with yellow pollen.
In the veggie patch, I have dared to sow some essentials already – snow peas, broccoli, radishes, spring onions. I have started a few tomatoes and cucumbers in the wee greenhouse and they’ve germinated, but I’m holding my horses on my main crop. No plant in them being ready to transplant before the risk of frost is gone.
The veg that overwintered is coming to life, and hopefully we’ll get to harvest in the coming weeks – celery, red cabbage, globe artichokes and one, solitary random leek that self-sowed.
I LOVE this time of year :)
My plums are also in blossom and have been moved to a new spot which is hopefully going to keep them happier. Santa Rosa and Satsuma are supposed to be good friends so we are dreaming of loads of plums in years to come.
Our tamarillos look awful and need replacing to a better spot and I am looking critically at my pear and apple waiting for some sign of new growth…
Our ever trustworthy fig is shooting out leaves as yours is Virgil and our quince too is bursting into life.
Don’t you love spring time?