Before I kick off with my harvests this week I had a question from a reader that I had no idea how to answer. Does anyone have experience with apricot trees and their ailments? If so Nola would love your help. This is her query below:
Hi Liz (and all),
I wonder if anyone has any ideas about apricot trees and their ailments? Mine developed what looks like a deep split in the bark last year which it sealed up with sap.
All seemed OK but I did think the harvest was down a bit. This winter the trunk has developed a bigger split about eight inches long..(20cm?) and a great gush of sap has come out pooling around the base of the tree. If it had been a person I think I would have called an ambulance. It is planted in a wet area of the garden…which hasn,t been a problem up until now…as you will understand. Could this split be a consequence of too wet feet do you reckon? Or has anyone any ideas…please? I,d hate to loose this wonderful tree.
Harvestwise the garden is slowing down, it seems to be really struggling with the lack of sun this year. Ironically our weather has been lovely and sunny for the most part this winter (save the last few days) but the short days at this time of the year coupled with the long shadows and my neighbours trees mean that the plants don’t really get to appreciate it. Despite this I do seem to have a few pics to share this week and here they are:
My third celeriac. I have two more in the ground. I’m really pleased I planted these. The have taken a long time but I have a section in the middle of my biggest bed that I can’t actually reach from the outside which suits long growing crops like celeriac so the wait has been the issue it would have been otherwise.
Thinking about it many of this weeks crops are long maturing. This ginger took a good 8 months to mature. The leaves finally died down this week so I decided to harvest. I was contemplating leaving it and hoping for a bumper crop this year but I just don’t have the self control for that.
Cauliflowers aren’t the quickest of crops either but I was pretty pleased with this one.
The broccoli was quicker but no less delicious for its brevity.
I decided this week to harvest many of the remaining chillies and capsicums. A couple of the plants were looking pretty sad and sorry for themselves and I decided that they’d probably stand a better chance of surviving winter if they didn’t have fruit to worry about as well.
I have a tendency to forget to photograph greens, but this week I managed to capture a bunch of Cavolo Nero which I took to my local food swap (along with some Kaffir Lime leaves, Curry Leaves and Chillies). I got some tamarillos and oranges in exchange.
My final photograph this week is of less of harvest and more of a thinning. I’m growing turnips for the first time and have treated them much like carrots. That is I sowed pretty thickly and have been gradually eating the thinings as they reach radish size. I have no idea if this is normal practice but I have really enjoyed them with a sprinkling of salt.
And those were my harvests this week. For more head over to Daphne’s where the Northern Hemisphere gardens should be producing some lovely summery things.
OMG, what is Kaffir Lime leaves? How to eat that?
Kaffir Lime leaves are used a lot as a flavouring in South East Asian Cookery.
Our apricot is just a baby so can’t help with the problem. I wonder if the split is die to the tree making lots of growth and the bark can’t grow fast enough. A boot like when tomatoes split due to too much water.
Lots of lovely things to pick in spite being mid winter.
Interesting idea – I will ask her to investigate.
Sorry, can’t help with the apricot problem. Your harvest looks great. I like the idea of baby turnips… maybe the next veg fashion craze. Your kale looks really healthy; mine has been very slow growing the last two months and I’m having to ration my pickings.
The kale looks healthy provided you don’t examine the inner side of the leaves for aphids….. Annoying little critters!
Isn’t celeriacs the weirdest looking things? And your harvest still looks bountiful to me. I take the same approach as you with my root crops – plant lots of seeds and eat to thin. I am going to have to try growing turnips.
As for the apricot, I cant help from my own experience – I have only just planted my first apricot tree. However my Organic Fruit Growing book names ‘gummosis ‘ ( if that’s what it is – the sap seems to suggest so) as a problem and a disease that enters branches via either natural openings or pruning wounds. If that’s what it is, my book suggests to treat all wounds with a Bordeaux tree paste, to dispose of any prunings and fallen fruit (burning perhaps, not composting anyway) which may harbour the disease. I reckon a trip to a good nursery could advise on making and applying a Bordeaux paste.
Thanks Louise – I will let her know!
Ginger, cauliflower and chilli – you’ve harvested the makings of a curry this week! Can’t help with the apricot tree, sorry – my trees are still very small. But Louise’s suggestion of contacting a good nursery sounds like a good way forward.
My thoughts exactly, and the curry was delicious!
Lovely looking harvests… congrats… that celeriac is a beauty, I must say…
I don’t have any idea about apricots, but I’ve been dreaming of a friend’s tart where they’re halved and roasted, and layered with mascarpone cream…
Too delicious sounding for words!
Nice harvest, I admire you patience for waiting the peppers to turn red, I tend to pick them green and can’t wait to use them.
I’m not a fan of green peppers (except for hot ones) which helps with the patience no end.
Love the tiny wee turnips! I do love a good turnip, and it’s a good thing as by the time we moved I had rogue turnips turning up all over the place (and I can’t even remember letting one go to seed). Usually I wouldn’t notice what they were until the actual turnip was HUGE and not as nice to eat though.