A rather mixed year in the orchard began with unwelcome visitors on the 10th of February. I’ll deal with that in a separate entry to the A-Z. An uncertain flowering with late frosts increased the sense of an unsatisfactory season to come. One promising plum tree, though ignored by the visitors, didn’t make it at all and was pronounced dead during May. The other plum tree survived but produced no plums. Likewise there were no pears. Then came a wet summer, and too little sunshine. During one August rainy spell some large branches, laced with apples, cracked and fell to the ground. And so it went on.
There were some compensations. The Pippins were good to eat in the early autumn. The red Fiestas, disappointing at first, eventually came round after picking and gradually became more and more sweet. I was sorry to eat the last of them just a few days ago.
The Bramley cookers really got into their stride this year and are still keeping well. The Melrose Whites were very good in early October but haven’t lasted long, some turning a rather dramatic purple-black in store.
Out of 10? I’d probably rate 2024 as a 4 in the orchard. In the new year I need to do some careful pruning and be sure to protect the trunks of the trees. As with all things in the Dumfriesshire Garden, whatever this year produced, there is always the promise of next season!
The full list of pieces that make up my A-Z in the Dumfriesshire Garden in 2024 can be found here: https://davidgrahamclark.net/a-z-of-the-dumfriesshire-garden-in-2024/
Quotidian 
One thought on “An A-Z of 2024 in the garden: Orchard”