Brown Rot, Dead Frogs, Ukuleles
No matter what else is going on in the world, the garden just gets on with what it does, and right now, it is doing zucchinis, lemons, potatoes, turnips, kale and, as of this week, apricots. I am trying to be cheerful about the apricots. They are afflicted this year by brown rot, which is the cruellest disease - it waits until the very moment the fruit ripens and then it pounces. Tiny patches of brown rot spread within days until the whole apricot is covered.
The brown rot fungal disease is spread via various means - affected mummified fruit that is left on the tree, a gummy, oozy sap on the tree branches, dropped fruit that is left on the ground, and the weather - rain spreads the fungal spores.
Oh, and also pruning in the winter leaves stone fruit more prone to disease. I didn't prune in the winter, but I am guilty of all the other possible ways of spreading brown rot - I planted a garden under the tree so I can't find dropped fruit, I haven't trimmed off all the branches with the gum on them, and also I didn't attempt to control it by spraying with copper spray during the winter. I probably also caused all the rain, who knows? Perhaps I am a rain god.
Practically the only thing I can do now is to pick all the apricots as fast as I can to prevent the brown rot spreading, even though the apricots are not quite fully ripe. They still stew down to a delicious orange pulp to adorn the breakfast porridge. I am saving all the fruit with just little patches of rot, and cutting it off and into the pot they go. Still, can't leave them too long, as the rot keeps on spreading, so there will be much stewing and drying of apricots over the next few days.
I am trying to concentrate on the joy of having some lovely, lovely apricots, and not dwelling too much on all the ones that got away. And vowing to be a more diligent apricot farmer this year..
In other news I have all, yes all of the gorgeous, gorgeous kiddos here this week. It is two? Three? years since they have all been here together at one time, and it is so good to see them all around the table together, after a long year of uncertainty and teh impossibility of travel between states here in Australia. It is the best thing to see your kids grow up wiser and stronger and smarter than you are. It gives me great optimism for the future. Especially the future where I am completely senile and will rely on them daily to remind me where the keys are and what time I need to pick them up from the airport. Oh, wait, that is not the future..
There has been a poker tournament. The Boy has been lying in the hammock playing the ukulele which renders a summer afternoon very melodic. The Girl's partner, let us call them The Chef, created a divine lamb roast yesterday, which required two hours, very much garlic and a bottle of beer. They are providing much cooking advice and assistance in the kitchen, for which I am very grateful. Today Red is painting The Chef's nails and we are eating chocolate. The grannies came over for lunch yesterday, and my mum being a most amazing granny, brought Red three abandoned bird's nests and three dead, dried frogs. Red declared theses Best. Presents. Ever. For everyone else mum brought chocolate, because there just weren't enough tiny dead frogs for everyone. My mum is always fair.
How is summer going for you? Or winter? Sending much love to friends of this blog who are locked down again in Europe and the UK, or dealing with great uncertainty and covid worry in the US. Stay safe, and keep well all xxx
Comments
Apricots are the most delicious but trying of all fruits.I am sorry you have brown rot. I have espaliered an apricot tree on the back fence and the river rats cross off the days until the fruit is ripe, year after year. They laugh at exclusion bags and obviously consider netting just a challenge as they gnaw through both and eat the fruit.This leaves orange coloured sticky marks surrounding the holes and me in a temper. We buy apricots and I seethe.
On a happier note, we had our son and my mother here for a week over Christmas and it was wonderful. Lots of friends and family visited and we all enjoyed it. I understand your pleasure at family gathering and think we are the lucky ones.
Best wishes for 2021.
Deborah
I'm not an ambitious gardener, and even my low expectations are not met. I hope this year. Please, Oh please! My yard does provide wonderful escapes from the chaos my country is in for that I am very grateful.
Hoping for peace and calm.
Be well,
Patricia/Fl
How wonderful to have the distraction of all your babes home, given that the apricot tree is being a right blighter. We had the most amazing apricot tree in our first ever home, sadly our lack of experience meant that after a few years of making ourselves sick on the fruit brown rot moved in. We never did manage to get on top of it so in the end the tree was replaced with a decent old big rotary clothesline. Not quite backyard makeover worthy but way more useful to dry the nappies.
Cheers Kate
I could lend you Polly. She makes short work of rats as well as mice.
And as for family, we are so very much the lucky ones to have a chance to be with them. Not a thing to be taken for granted now, is it?
Patricia, this wet year, or some other mysterious circumstance, has caused practically every summer vegetable to be a disaster. I have rotting zucchinis, tomatoes refusing to ripen and going yellow and curling up their toes, corn that has grown two feet and is now flowering.. and it goes on. The kale and the potatoes are flourishing, and I have bunches of grapes on the grapevine, and that is about it. I am so grateful I do not rely on my garden to eat!
Kate, I am still chortling at your landscaping save! You are so right though. It is vitally important to get the nappies dry!!
Enjoy the time with your family. Like Patricia, I am imagining all sorts of laughter and good times at your place.
Grannies bearing dead frogs and birds nests are treasures indeed!
Linda in NZ
Linda, glad you enjoyed your precious apricots and that there was no fighting over the third! Despite the brown rot I have harvested many more apricots than I thought possible, and done a lot of 'saving' of the blighted ones, and have a number of tubs of stewed apricots to accompany breakfast for the next few weeks. I'll take that as a win.
I'm glad to hear that your garden is doing well. Happy harvesting!
But you are wonderful, the way you are making use of what fruit you can.
It must be heavenly, having all your chicks there in the nest.
May I ask what does Red do with the dead frogs?
Johanna xx
I am tempted to claim that Red is going to powder the frogs and use them in potions, but the truth is that they have an extensive natural history museum up in the attic. Many rocks, shells, bones, sticks with lichen, pyrex dishes filled with moss gardens, dried leaves and flowers, many plants, and now also birds' nests and dead frogs.
Johanna xx
Glad to hear that things are going well for you. I laughed out loud at your 'not the future' quip. I can identify with that already and my eldest is 11.
We're in the midst of another epidemic in Adelaide -- fruit fly. Sadly it means we can't share home grown produce, or even take it to school/work for lunch. I guess that's a fairly minor inconvenience, all things considered!
take care,
-Angus
I’m kinda coming back into the blogosphere and have caught up on your posts.
Lovely that Big Girl could come back from Melbourne.
I tried to say no the Christmas decorations. Mr S and The Dreamer wanted them. Won’t let me donate my decorations. Oldest son couldn’t care less either way. But I have downsized and will again next year. This year I am to dispose of most of our Halloween decorations. But I may grow the Easter ones. I love autumn and love all the bunnies on things.
Lucinda