Reaping the Rewards of Growing Fruit

 

This week I will continue to harvest Meyer Lemons, Blood Oranges, and Ruby Red Grapefruit.  Citrus trees take many years to mature and produce fruit.  Once they hit a certain level, their production power is amazing!  I am able to share the sun ripened fruit with several of my neighbors.  The rain we are receiving right now from the lates atmospheric river will greatly help next year's harvest.  It is also plumping up the citrus that are still hanging on the trees.  I like to wait for the rain, and let it do its job.  

I am growing mostly fruit right now.  I used to plant and harvest more vegetables like artichokes, lettuce, mesclun greens, and potatoes.  Since I receive so many of them from the co-op, I really don't need to grow my own at this point.  I may plant a few favorites in the spring, like zucchini and pumpkins.  I focus mainly on fruit, since it is more expensive in the stores.  I studied the prices in the produce section of our local mountain market yesterday.  It was shocking.  I felt sorry for an elderly man with just a few items in his basket.  It made me realize how important it is to be able to feed yourself.    

It is very rewarding to produce food in your front and backyard.  Building the soil, composting the fruit and vegetable scraps, and spreading straw mulch have made it much easier.  So has the plentiful rain.

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Doing Laundry and Picking Pomegranates

I came back to the cottage to catch up on some chores and writing.  The cabin doesn't have a washer and dryer, so I do my laundry here.  I also have my trash collected at home, rather than paying for it at two different places.  I have so little, because I compost and recycle most of what I use.  This is where I do my blogging, fill my Etsy orders, and catch up with online friends like you.  I also made a fresh batch of nectar for the hummingbirds.   

Yesterday I took my car in to have the oil changed.  I just realized by reading the receipt that I have been having this done twice as often as I need to do.  Next time I will wait for 6,000 miles before servicing.  I paid the owner to show me how to put the snow chains on my tires.  The new style is different than the pair that I had twenty years ago, in Santa Fe.  Next, I need to buy some snow boots and hiking boots.

For the first time in several years, the pomegranates look healthy.  I think last year's rain really helped.  I also fed them compost tea.  They taste delicious, and are ripening more each day.

I fed the roses, and need to feed the citrus trees, as well.  Some nocturnal animal has been picking my navel oranges and leaving them on the ground.  (sigh)  I put some netting up, but I think I need to buy more to cover the tree completely.  These are the blood oranges.  I will spread compost around them next time I am home. I save my fruit and vegetable trimming up at the cabin, and bring them back to the cottage compost pile.  I would attract bears if I composted up in the woods.

Thank you for your comments.  They add so much talent and energy to the blog.  Please comment in English.  I'm sorry, but comments with links will not be published.  Please allow a few days for moderation.  If you enjoy the posts here, please share them.   
  

Feeding Your Citrus Trees Compost

I have nine citrus trees on my property: a meyer lemon, a Ponderosa lemon, a navel orange, a blood orange, two Algerian tangerines, a Valencia orange, a lime, and a ruby red grapefruit.  I planted all but one of them. They are like my children. They do beautifully in our desert heat. It's wonderful to be able to pick lemons year round. I love having freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast, and using the limes to make guacamole and limeade. The navel oranges make great snacks in Winter. They taste so much better than the oranges that I used to buy at the store. I didn't realize how old those were. These seem like a different fruit, entirely. The freshness translates to flavor. 



The past of couple days I have been fertilizing my citrus trees with homemade compost. I save all of my leaves and yard trimmings, and pile them into a huge mound at the back of my property. I add all of my fruit and vegetable scraps, scooping them into tunnels.   I also put in used coffee grounds, tea bags, straw, manure, and spoiled produce. The result is a rich, black compost. It makes great fertilizer, and it's free.

Citrus trees need to be fed four times a year. I correspond it with the four seasons. I notice an immediate difference in them after I have fed them. My meyer lemon tree was worrying me last week. Normally it has lots of small green lemons on it this time of year. This season, I could barely see any. After raking back the mulch, shoveling fresh compost around the base of the trunk, and giving it some water, a whole new set of blossoms appeared the next day! The bees and hummingbirds are busy out there now, pollinating. I can see that there are going to be many more lemons on the tree, thanks to the compost. It still amazes me how immediate the effect is. Trees need nutrients, just like we do.

I love the cycle of fruit trees. They are always in a different stage, depending on the time of year. I find giving them compost tea now and then also makes them  more healthy and vigorous. My German Shepherd loves to lay under the pomegranate bush and watch me work in the orchard. Animals thrive when they are out  in nature. We do, too.I follow their example. It really relaxes me. I am looking forward to December when the lemons will be at their peak. They make delicious sorbet, puddings, cakes, and poppyseed breads.

Right now I am still harvesting the ruby red grapefruits. I have this tree planted in my driveway. It's just a few years old, but it will eventually produce hundreds of grapefruits. It's a nice privacy plant, as well. I like having a supply of fresh produce  growing in my yard. It's a great feeling. Do you grow fruit? How is your orchard doing?