First Fruits

Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart.
~Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year, 1931


It's so exciting to see the garden beginning to come alive, and see all the hard work we've put into it beginning to blossom and fruit. Here's are some of our first fruits:

The strawberries

Look at these little strawberries go! I had grand visions the other day of really hefty strawberries growing from our balcony, but the more I thought about it, the more I remembered those 8oz containers they sell in grocery stores... will I be able to fill one of those containers? Hmm... we shall see. How much exactly does a single strawberry weigh? I am suddenly beginning to have my doubts.

The raspberries

We had white flowers, and now check out these amazing little guys! All told, it appears as if we'll have about 2-3 dozen raspberries. Hmm... well, it's not an ENORMOUS amount, but certainly cool to watch them grow!

The blueberries

Check out these little blueberries? Can you see a slight hint of blue? Isn't that amazing! I've never watched blueberries in the wild so closely before, so seeing them grow and mature day by day is quite a treat.

The peaches

I have high hopes for these little peaches. Aren't they cute? I just "thinned" them recently which was very hard to do, but recommended because peach trees are well-known "over-bearers" and can produce more fruit than the branches can actually hold. The fruits will also be a lot smaller and more crowded (potentially inviting in disease) if not thinned properly. Let's hope I did it right.

Rhubarb

Isn't this cool? I know, I know. Rhubarb really isn't a fruit, but this was so exciting to see it come up, I just had to post a picture. We planted the roots' "bulb" recently, and I was convinced it was dead. The roots were limp and almost completely desiccated. I was disheartened and nearly didn't plant them. But what could I loose? I put them in the soil regardless with the strawberries, and check it out! A tiny little rhubarb leaf has popped up! Somehow plants never cease to amaze me.

The adventures continue!