It's all Happening on the Plot!

I am watching the weather to see when to bring in my pumpkins.  They are late, but they are on the turn now and I am hopeful that a spell of sunshine and leaving them in a bright window will be just enough to ripen them off.  For more tips on ripening check out this site Pumpkins: When to Harvest and How to Store?

The old apple and damson trees have been pruned and thinned by Beechwood Trees & Landscaping Ltd.  They chopped out the dead wood: that's crown thinning, crown reduction and reshaping (to use the proper terminology)  My new trees are a manageable size and easier to prune, but I needed help to get started with these giants.

 

I thought the apple tree needed felling as the trunk is leaning at a crazy angle and it is well over 50 years old.  The experts said that it was a healthy tree, so it worth consulting them for advice.  I am delighted as this is the oldest fruit tree we have and it is a Codling, so it lives to fight another day.

The line of damson trees had a lot of dead wood and looked scrawny.  The picture above shows how beautiful they are when they receive a little care.  I am rewarded with bumper crops of damsons so I am keen to learn how to care for these old trees.

The crab apples were starting to fall so I gathered them in. 

They have made beautiful jelly! Get the recipe in my next post...

I've also been making more soup with random veg and I made a veg-box for my brother, who popped in for a quick visit.  My niece has been enjoying the apples, so I shall give her more next time I see her. 

Thank you for stopping by... Have a lovely week :)

If you have favourite recipes for your homegrown fruit and veg, tell us about them here!

Useful Links

Guide to Proper Pruning which explains the terminology perfectly.

A Brief History of Apples in the UK for background info.