The Termite and the Peach

   Back behind the canebrake, we had a small grove of peach trees.  The trees did well there as there was no competition from surrounding trees.  This was one of the only open spots on the whole place.  Ten peach trees stood proudly in their grove and bore tons of peaches.  Early spring saw the whole place a bright pink with blossoms then midsummer found us harvesting bushels of peaches.  Folks, I will tell you that there is nothing better than picking a peach from the tree and tasting that juicy goodness right there in the grove!  For years the trees did well...then....

  Well, then termites happened.  The entire Coast has been inundated by those dratted termites.  No place is safe.  We have been battling the critters in the house, shed, greenhouse, arbors...anything that is made of wood.  It has been heartbreaking to see the damage done by such a small critter. 

  But to beat all, those critters are now attacking live trees!  Yep, you guessed it.  My lovely peach trees have fallen to the tiny beasts!  Out of the ten trees, one still stands.  That one has been doctored with every concoction we can imagine.  It, at least, is still producing blooms.  That poor tree has been put through the worst things imaginable but still has the strength to try.  It breaks my heart to know that nothing is safe from those wretched termites and can only imagine what is next.  I am so very tired of termites and I will definitely miss my peaches!

Peach Trees, Garlic and Water Bottles

  With spring bursting at the seams with its floral display, one cannot help but be totally enchanted by the change that has taken place.  Just a couple of weeks ago, the place was that drab "winter" brown with dead leaves on the ground and bare trees.  Then, Lady Spring made her entrance and adorned every branch with either a blossom or a budding leaf.  The look is magnificent!

  Down near the canebrake, the old peach orchard still has a few trees struggling to flourish.  Tree borers killed a good many of the trees during an off season when we were not diligent about protecting them  Now a few linger and, perhaps with our efforts, can survive.  Lady Spring made sure we would not forget the trees again this year.   The few remaining trees are covered with the largest, healthiest blooms possible!  Maybe our efforts are succeeding.  Now, if I can only keep the squirrels, coons and deer out of the fruit trees, I will be happy!

  Speaking of peach tree borers, I am beginning to wonder if I should have heeded Pop's advice.  Back on the farm, he never had a problem after he began the "fix".  Pop did not mind trying unusual methods to remedy problems.  For the borers, he planted garlic around each tree.  Supposedly, the larvae do not like garlic.  When they make that trek from the soil to the tree trunk, they are hesitant to pass through the garlic cloves.  I figure this is worth a shot!  I have plenty of garlic to plant.  Also, to help with worms in the peaches, he used to hang a simple bottle of water in each tree. I am not sure how this helped but I never remember biting into a worm when eating a peach.  Again, this may be worth trying.  For now, I will enjoy the beauty.  Tomorrow, I plant garlic.

You Have To Start Somewhere

  Back behind the canebrake, we have a small peach orchard. Well, we DID have a small peach orchard.  Oh, the trees are still there but, for the past few years, we harvested nary a peach.  For a few years, the trees gave us tons of the plumpest peaches imaginable.  Yes, we lost a few to the squirrels and raccoons but the rest were harvested!  Then, the deer found the trees and that was that.  They even went so far as to knock down a six foot tall fence to get to the fruit.  Now, the deer get to the fruit before it ripens. One bite out of each peach and then drop the remains.  We do not get a single peach.

  Well, all is not lost.  Those peach halves that were dropped contained the seed.  Now, hundreds of tiny peach trees are popping up in the lawn beneath the trees.  I am elated even though these tiny trees will most likely not bear the large juicy peaches that we desire.  They ARE peach trees, however, and you have to start somewhere.  A new orchard closer to the house is in the making!  Tomorrow will find me out back with a shovel and flower pots.  The tiny trees will be dug, planted and babied until they grow to about four feet tall.  Then...the work.  Those dozens upon dozens of peach trees will be grafted with limbs from our one remaining "good" peach tree.  We have one tree that I grew from a seed about five years ago.  We had been on a trip to Georgia to visit our new grandbaby when we purchased some peaches to bring home.  On a whim, I planted a seed and the rest is history!  The tree is amazing!  Small cuttings will be taken from that tree and grafted on the seedling peaches from the back orchard.  

  I am sure glad that Pop taught me all of the farm tricks that he knew.  Sometimes I have trouble remembering just how things were done but if I ponder a bit, the information usually comes back to me.  He always had the best fruit trees and the prettiest garden.  One bit of encouragement still rings in my head.  When I would question how to get a nice orchard or a perfect row of beans, he would  always say in his old easy-going farmer's drawl "Well....you have to start somewhere."  Makes sense...just start.  So the new orchard will start tomorrow with a bunch of seedling peach trees!

Wear your jacket!

    Son and I, once again, headed outside to throw blankets over the garden.  This seems to be the longest winter on record but that may just be my opinion.  Still, when I have to traipse outside night after night to toss blankets or rugs over top of plants, it gets a bit old. Although, I love winter and cold weather, there comes a point when enough is enough.  Just a couple of days ago, we were basking in sun with the temperatures reaching the low 80s now, we are in that deep freeze again!  The garden is suffering from a case of weather shock!...as am I.

   Some of the things suffering the hardest blows from the topsy-turvy winter are the peach trees.  When the weather was warm and balmy, they thought Old Man Winter had made his exit and so, they bloomed. Now that the icy clutch of Jack Frost has come into the picture, the blooms are shivering in their boots...well, maybe not since blooms do not wear boots.  Still, you get the picture.  I am so afraid that this might put a damper on our getting a good crop of peaches yet again this year. It seems that between the critters (coons, squirrels and deer) and the weather (high winds and freezing temperatures), our peach trees do not have a chance.  

  Hopefully, this will be the last really cold spell to hit the Bayou.  I know this is nothing compared to the snowy winter others have had but we are just not used to such weather.  Personally, if I would not be so antsy to get a garden in the ground, I could sit back and enjoy all of this!  Winter really is my favorite season.  I guess gardening just trumps any other activity in my book.  Hmmm?  Now where are those tomato seeds?

A hefty blow by Mother Nature!

  Sometimes things are just not able to stand up to the forces of nature.  Mother Nature has been throwing a good bit of squally weather at us this spring and some of my fruit trees are succumbing to her winds.  The peach trees in the back are heavy laden with fruit causing the limbs to be much heavier than normal.   Add that to the fact that several trees were attacked by borers a few years back and those limbs are not able to endure any high winds at all.  Two weeks ago, we were dealt another round of stormy days and, sure enough, the largest peach tree bit the dust.  The tree split asunder causing great damage to even the part still standing.  It saddened me to see the hundred or so underdeveloped peaches trying to still mature on this branch.  I hated to make the cut but without some help, the entire tree would die.  I am still not certain it will survive this blow.

  Although for the past couple of years, we have not gotten fruit from the trees due to one reason or another, I had high hopes that this would be a bountiful year.  I miss my peaches!  Peaches are one of the best fruits to eat if you are wanting something sweet yet healthy. Research shows that the pulp in peaches can help ward off obesity related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. They are also an excellent source of Vitamin C and fiber which help in the prevention of certain cancers.  Plus the Vitamin C helps to improve the skin and protect it against damage caused by sun exposure and pollution.  Think wrinkles here, folks!  Peaches, with their Vitamin C, help us avoid wrinkles!  

  Barring any other setbacks, the remainder of the trees are looking healthy. Mother Nature needs to calm down a bit for the rest of the growing season and allow the trees to concentrate on producing fruit! Hopefully, the coons, birds, squirrels and deer will find tasty treats elsewhere and leave the fruit alone.  I really would like some of my peaches!

Window of Opportunity....

Spring is here! Oh, yeah..not yet..there are supposedly several more weeks of winter but I am too excited to just sit inside and wait for the official announcement of the seasonal change. This morning, I decided it was time to plant my tomato and pepper seeds. This probably should have been done two weeks ago but at that time, I really had no place to plant them. This weekend, Son built me a "hotbed"! YAY!!!! For any non-gardeners, a hotbed is a plot of soil that is supplemented with manure and is enclosed by glass. The rotting manure heats the plot of ground and makes it conducive to starting seedlings. This hotbed is used to force start seeds so the plants can be set into the ground as soon as the weather is warm enough to support them. I am late getting the hotbed but I definitely appreciate it being built for me! This hotbed is about eighteen inches wide and maybe twelve feet long. It has some old windows placed on top to allow the sunshine to beam down on my seedlings! I have sowed Cherry Tomatoes, Beefsteak Tomatoes and Rutgers' Tomatoes. There are also Habanero Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers and California Wonder Bell Peppers nestled in rows between the tomatoes! I had a bit of a problem with ants in one end of the hotbed so that was doused with vinegar in hopes of eradicating them. Once that end is clear of the critters, I will put in Eggplants and some more Tomatoes. (And..yes, I realize that is a lot of tomatoes but even though I canned quite a bit of tomato sauce and ketchup this past summer, the shelf is becoming bare. Time to replenish!) Now my seeds are in the ground an all I have to do is wait until they are large enough to set out into the garden! Son and I also put in three rows of Green Peas. They are along the fences to allow for the vines. Last Spring, we made the mistake of planting the peas in the unfenced garden and the rabbits kept them trimmed to the ground. That is a lesson learned and I was not about to make that mistake again! The unfenced garden will have to be planted in squash and cucumbers since these do not seem to be on the "Bunny Menu"!

I did notice today that the Peach Trees have come to the conclusion that it is Spring, too! Just this weekend, there were no blossoms and now several of the trees are in full bloom! I am so looking forward to fresh peaches again this year! This past summer we picked several bushels. These were eaten fresh, canned as slices and halves and the rest were made into peach jam and jelly! Hopefully, we will have another good crop in a couple of months. Hopefully, these trees are not jumping the gun with their blooms like I might be with seeding the garden! Hopefully, there will be no more hard freezes this season! Hopefully, I am not pushing my luck!