Blame it on the hot summer… Lots of other staple crops had a disappointing harvest for me this year.







(Among other things) Made some Orangeat, tastes incredible:

Lemons lagging a bit behind. Also lots of fruit (and larger than usual, but not ripening yet. Wondering if I can just pluck them and let them ripen inside, in the warmth?

And lastly, this little fig came to us this year as a quite small seedling, and somehow already managed to produce some ripe fruit (albeit, not very sweet):


  • GardenGeekEnglish
    1·
    21 minutes ago

    Also, oh, kumquat sounds great to keep as a tree! Slightly envious!

    Thanks! If you’re thinking about getting another little citrus tree, I’d recommend a calamondin orange, based on my many years of experience as a lousy citrus gardener. In my experience, they’re relatively tolerant of neglect, bear fruit reliably and abundantly, and, even though the fruit is pretty sour for eating fresh (though, doesn’t sour make things fun?), you can make excellent orange marmalade from them.

    Not because I doubt the nutritiousness of your compost, but because citrus wants some trace elements not usually found in compost, first and foremost iron.

    That’s a very valuable tip, thank you! I wasn’t aware of that connection…

    they stay out in the greenhouse you can see in the pictures over the winter.

    I think that’s actually better and healthier for the plants. Unfortunately, in my area we do get severe frosts < - 10°C from time to time, and during prolonged frost, frost desiccation is a risk. Unfortunately, I don’t have a suitable greenhouse for overwintering, so I bring them into my bright, but actually much too warm, apartment. In the spring, I have to harden them off in the shade again so that the leaves that formed over the winter don’t suffer immediate UV damage.