I walked around and looked at things this weekend (between driving over 200 miles).
Both of the new orange trees have tiny baby fruit - this doesn't mean they'll make it, but at least they started. Both of the old orange trees have blossoms. The older Brazil plum has tiny nascent fruit - first time ever. The grapefruit tree has several grapefruit, but I have no idea how to tell whether they are ready to eat. The papaya tree is loaded, and there are a few that are almost ready to pick - although I LOVE green papaya salad, so to me all those buggers look good.
There are a couple of blossoms on the acerola tree, but nothing to write home about.
The coolest thing on the inventory are those asparagus crowns I got last week - they already have these tiny little spears. They look so yummy - it is going to be hard resisting picking them until next year.
The alternating sun and rain is making the sweet potatoes spread and grow like mad. There are two volunteer tomatoes in the compost, a volunteer potato and some kind of sweet potato. I moved some of that to better ground. The compost area is pretty rocky (we started throwing scraps in there to build up dirt over time).
Two ewes are fairly progressed in their first pregnancy. One looks like maybe twins. Cookie isn't pregnant - or not enough to show, and Ellie and Allie are still nursing. Oreo is an amazing mom - we were able to let her and the new ram lamb out with the flock yesterday.
The tiny little fig tree added a new fruit - there are four baby figs on that tree that is all of 9 inches high - I think they just cut a branch off an established tree and rooted it, so it probably thinks it's years old.
The 11 hens that I have are producing 8 eggs a day - not bad for relatively elderly ladies.
Even though we don't have as pronounced a change of seasons as most of you do, it definitely feels like Spring. It's been raining mostly at night, and sunny at least part of the day, so it's perfect weather for growing.
Now, if I could just get productive like this in the rest of my life -feel like I am spinning my wheels and getting nowhere in most areas these days! I am going to my old school to help them with a project today, so hopefully, doing something new (and hopefully well) will shake me out of this rut.
2 comments:
Ah, Spring! The growing is proof that natural rhythms continue, and we learn how to dance along to them. Those asparagus will quickly fern out, so tell yourself that they will be too bitter then, and you can just enjoy the ferny landscape. Grapefruit will feel heavy for their size before they go from light green to ripe (yellow), and be ready to pick them before rats eat them to hollow rinds. I think they feel slightly softer as they get ripe, too, but don't wait too long to get them "dark yellow", they'll be overripe, not as tasty. I miss the citrus, especially Valencia oramges. No one carries them inn the markets in Oregon, I fear.
I figured they were like oranges (which, as you know, don't get super orange here), but once I picked a grapefruit and it was still immature. Makes me a little nervous. One does feel maybe ready. I should just pick it and see! I will let you know how it goes!
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