2021 Buds, Flowers and Fruit!

Breakfast from the yard. Just the beginning of Methley plum.

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@Susu ā€“ I pulled off all suckers (training to single stem) until they reached the bottom of that cattle panel trellisā€¦ then I let one sucker growā€¦ and pulled off all others (training to two stems) all the way up that panelā€¦ they have reached the top now and are growing up over the top someā€¦ last year we had a few weeks of calm weather at this point and they grew up above the cattle panel trellis near 3 ftā€¦ with no support at allā€¦ then a summer storm blew them off the backside of the trellis. They hung there and continued grow turning up again until early fallā€¦ and I harvested lots of tomatoes on the vines as they hung off the back.

Once they blew off the backsideā€¦ i stopped training them and let all suckers grow. I had canned and frozen plenty at that pointā€¦ so i just let them go after that. The fruit we got after that was smaller.

Big Beef tomatoes work well with 2 stem trainingā€¦ super productive and nice sized fruit.

I have grown them in some big stout catle panel cages and let all suckers growā€¦ they produce so much foliage that air flow is greatly restricted and leaf blight comes on really bad.

Training to two stems works much better.

TNHunter

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Burbank plum sizing up ( 07-11-21 )


And Beauty Plum

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Aptly named!

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Picked probably the last big batch of cane berries today, mainly raspberry shortcake at this point. Also had some Tokyo turnips with sautƩed turnip greens, Dino kale, chives and garlic chives

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Iā€™m not familiar with that variety but they sure are pretty to look at. How do they taste?

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They were ripe in early July? That has to go on my list.

The Beauty plum tree I grew has finished this season already, the really hot weather contracted the ripening window.

They have intensely sour skin and sweet, watery flesh. By the time it is pretty sweet, its like a bag of juice here.

Unlike many, I donā€™t like juice dribbling down my chin. I want to chew something when I eat a plum. But it makes great jam, the skins give a deep red color and, with sugar, makes a very flavorful sweet/tart flavor. I bet it would be good for juice too, sweetened.

I donā€™t care for them fresh - but Iā€™ve grafted it at my new place too.

Itā€™s super reliable and heavy bearing. Relatively problem free here other than over-bearing.

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Nice description. I think my taste is similar to yours. Id prefer some texture to a bag of juice. That is how Methley is for me right now. A bit too ripe for my tasting. Super juicy and sweet. I think that is why I prefer pluots to plums as they seem to keep their crunch much longer.

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It is hit or miss some are surprising sweet and some just not but we are enjoying these and better then store bought plums for sure.

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finally, my cyclamen is blooming. The fragrance is Devine

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I didnā€™t know the flower has scents. What you have is a special cultivar?

the paw paw? I think they ripen in late Sept or Oct up here.

I ate my remaining satsuma. Pretty good, but very very small this year.

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Cyclamen persicum.

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Seedless concordā€¦ small clustersā€¦ but powerful flavor.

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Rabbiteyeā€¦ Powderblueā€¦ pretty much describes the berry color.

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Some Mexican sunflower attempting to root some cuttingsā€¦ some have nice leaves alreadyā€¦ hope the roots are developing as well. And about a week ago noticed some new fig shoots and pruned those off and stuck them in the rooting pot too. Still looking lively after a week. We have had freq rain the past couple weeksā€¦ unusual for July hereā€¦ but might just be helping me out on rooting these. Hope so.

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Ah, ok. I had read ā€œpickā€ to mean you had picked some rather than picture.

I was there once in the fall many years ago and the paw paws were laying on the ground all mushy and smelled like fish. It is nice knowing that they can be grown/fruited this far north.

Check out the UW arboretum if ever in Madison. Its over 1000 acres and they have a wide variety of trees//many of them labeled.

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Iā€™m actually going to be there in a couple weeks! I think my brother plans on taking me to the Arboretum.

Check out Olbrich Gardens (the outside area is free). You can rent ebikes around Madison (we brought our bikes with and biked around the lake but i saw a bunch of people on those rentals). The capital building is cool (and huge, almost as big as the one in DC). Lots of stuff to see and do. If you come over this way iā€™ll trap a squirrel for you to take home :rat:

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