What a disappointment this morning when we came out to pick more peaches. This branch is not from the tree we are picking right now, it is a later variety The fruit is still small. But these peaches will be ready in a couple of weeks, though minus several dozen
BTW then tiny plants you see in the background are some new lavenders. While up picking in the peach tree we can smell the mature lavender as well as the peaches. Mmm!
A conscientious orcharder would have given the branches of the tree a gentle love shake after the huge bloom to drop some of the pollinated fruits. That way the tree has more energy to put into fewer fruits and branches are not as like to break. Then as the fruit developes while it is still tiny you can gently knock more of the tiny fruits off. Not only will the fruits be larger, but less likely to be deformed by squeezing in a small area with too many other fruits.
Big sigh. This has happened to this tree before. We're beginning to realize that this tree's branches cannot support as much fruit weight as the variety that we are picking from now. Our bad. This branch will be cut back to the trunk with a clean sharp saw so as not to introduce any disease into the tree.
What could have been if only we had "thinned the fruit".
Is this liven' and learnin'. Guess it is and it never stops.
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