When I moved to the South one thing I really wanted to grow was figs. I love fresh figs so much and you can’t buy them fresh in stores, only dried. And a dried fig is nothing like a fresh fig at all.
The Writer turned the sprinklers on the front lawn and look who came hustling out of the azalea bushes to see if it was raining.
We have had this fig tree for four years now and gotten a little fruit, but this year we are going to have a bunch.
The yellow triangle by the top fig is a blossom and they don’t open any more than that. Not very showy, are they? And how do they get pollinated? I don’t know!
The Writer turned the sprinklers on the front lawn and look who came hustling out of the azalea bushes to see if it was raining. It’s Yertle, our resident Eastern box turtle.
Did you know that Eastern box turtles can live a hundred years and once a female has mated, she’s good for four years of egg-laying?
Bob was inside and curious about what we were standing around looking at.
We have moved further agrarian pursuits to the front yard after many failures at raising a garden in the backyard. I think we are finally going to have a tomato success story this year.
The cool spring we have had, along with 12 hours of direct sun a day, have inspired these two “patio tomatoes” in pots to shoot up to 4 1/2 feet tall and produce dozens of green tomatoes!
And don’t you just love tomato blossoms? They’re so fancy and frilly when you look close.
And one final yellow flower photo: the hanging basket on the front porch. It seems like every year they come out with a fresh take on the plain, old-fashioned petunia and this one appeared simultaneously at every place in town that sells plants. Never seen them before and I like the stripes a lot.
I haven't decided if I'll put a pot of tomatoes on the deck. Daughter Emily and I are sharing a full share of a local CSA and Emily has a large garden too so tomatoes may be plentiful.
ReplyDeleteI thought the yellow flower was morning glory. What have they done to petunias?
I sure didn't know that about turtles and don't think I've ever eaten fresh figs. I see a neighbor's house has a fig tree. I don't remember seeing the actual fruit though. I shall keep my eyes open.
ReplyDeleteYour tomatoes have done well.
ReplyDeleteInteresting what sometimes comes out when you water under things.
I love home grown tomatoes so I grow a lot of them. What I can't eat fresh, I freeze.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much luck with tomatoes at my house, though I used to grow huge quantities of them in my mother's garden - most of which she gave away to friends. I was interested to hear about your turtle, as we don't have them here.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of "life" going on in your garden!
ReplyDeleteFresh figs are something to really look forward to. I hope you get a bumper crop.
ReplyDeleteI love figs too. I can eat them by the dozen!
ReplyDeleteI didn't like figs until I tasted a fresh one (in France). Like you said nothing like the dried ones in a supermarket. Delicious. Good luck with your fig growing.
ReplyDeleteYou and Paul are to be commended on your gardening skills.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks so neat and tidy.
I love Fig jam, the homemade variety far exceeds the shop variety.
Both my grandmothers were expert jam makers and both had fig trees growing in
their gardens.
At boarding college in Sydney when my grannies visited with as Oliver Twist would sing,
"Food Glorious Food" - Fig jam jars were a favourite and were very carefully hidden from
other dormitory mates......I checked very carefully for finger dipping in my jars! ha ha.
Of course you NEVER found out the jam thieves!
Cheers
Colin
PS: Our 4 metre Great White shark hunt is continuing but it could be lerking in Tasmanian waters by now!
I hope you get lots of figs:) That petunia is just my color!
ReplyDeleteThere are Fig Wasps...here is a link https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/85340/fig-pollination-incredible-and-probably-results-you-eating-mummified-wasps
Oh my word! I knew figs were special. Thanks, Connie.
DeleteOh, I am so happy about your fig tree and all the little figs. We finally have a fig tree too, after years of trying to find the right spot for one. We got several figs last year. The cold snap we had last month must have killed some of the little figs. I love fresh figs too! That yellow striped petunia is something else! It is so pretty.
ReplyDeleteYes, Cynthia, you are so right in saying that dried figs cannot compare to fresh ones, which we enjoyed when we lived in VA years ago. Good luck with your fig harvest this year. I am a first time visitor to your blog and came here after seeing your comment on Marcia’s recent post about their woes on finding a contractor to work on their barn. We now live in NH in a mill apt and no longer have homeowner issues, but went through similar experiences in trying to find local contractors and repair folks, especially during the fishing, hunting and other seasons.
ReplyDeleteHello again, forgot to add that we always welcome new visitors to our blog and appreciate comments as well. Our on-ling blog aliases are Beatrice and Grenville (after a couple of Boyd bear figurines, long story) but we are in reality, Dorothy and Patrick, originally from NJ, lived in the south (VA) for 12 years in an old home we renovated, and now reside in a former NH textile mill converted into apartments.
ReplyDeleteBravo tomato and petunia success.
ReplyDeleteCynthia, just stopped back to than you for the visit to my blog, please re-visit anytime and I will do the same.
ReplyDeleteYou look like you have got the garden growing well this time.
ReplyDeleteDear Cynthia, I've enjoyed dried figs throughout my adult life. (The only dried fruit Mom bought when I was growing up was raisins. Maybe that's all the was available.) But now that you tell us how delicious fresh figs are, I so wish I could try one. But as you say, they aren't available in the grocery store. So I shall just imagine the delicious-ness! So glad your garden is doing well and what great thinking to try the front instead of the back yard. Your neighbors and all who pass by your home are going to be stunned by those tomatoes! Peace.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteКрасивая петуния! А помидоры мы только высадили в открытый грунт. Живу в Сибири, у нас зона рискованного земледелия, но мы получаем урожай.
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