The local school was selling fruit trees for fund-raising and I bought a pear tree. They were meant to be dwarf/patio varieties which appealed to me because although I have a large garden, it’s full of established shrubs and trees already and I don’t have space for another large tree. I already have two plum trees and an apple tree. However the pear tree turned out to be a conference pear which I don’t think is a dwarf variety.
It came as one long stick with exposed roots and looks a bit dead. I bought a half whisky barrel to put it in, hoping that will keep it happy. Used whisky barrels are inexpensive, solid, and they look and smell nice. I got mine for about £32, including delivery. It still smelt of whisky. Here it is.
I placed rocks in the bottom to help with drainage (there are also three holes in the bottom).
Then came the compost and then my tree.
I’ll keep updates on my blog as to how well the tree grows.
In my greenhouse I also have a lemon tree. It’s too cold here for lemon trees to grow outside and so far I haven’t got any lemons from the tree in my greenhouse. But this year it’s full of flowers and looking healthy so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
I also have an artichoke that looks lovely. They’re attractive plants even without the flowers but hopefully I’ll get some flowers from this one.
My tomatoes are starting to flower too. I can’t rave about this system I have set up for tomatoes enough. The plants sit in a pot of dirt that contains a wick which feeds water from the trough below. I’ve never had such healthy tomatoes because previously I was either over-watering them or under-watering. It’s hard to get watering right with tomatoes but this system gives them exactly what they need.
What have you got growing in your garden?
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