My Mulberry Decided to Bear Fruit

Photo:

Lemon muffins with mulberries by Judith Cox

I came back in the afternoon to pick them and they were gone! Apparently, mulberries are a favourite of my various bird neighbours.

Greetings fellow gardeners,

It is still hot, and it is still dry even though there has been a bit of rain. I am not that good with the heat. The too-many cats are flopped about on the furniture waiting for cooler breezes.

Mulberry Bearing Fruit

This year, my mulberry decided to bear fruit. This is the first time I have seen the fruit and it is very exciting. The first time I saw the little dark purple fruits that looked like stretched out blackberries when I was feeding the chickens in the morning, I took note, came back in the afternoon to pick them and they were gone! Apparently, mulberries are a favourite of my various bird neighbours. I saw that more fruits were forming so I brought my little container with me the next morning and got a nice selection of fruit. I got enough to add a few fruits to the lemon muffins that I made. I left the mulberries at the top of the tree for the birds.

My Experiment with Microgreens is Bearing Fruit

I have had to do a lot of pruning of my bittersweet vine this year. It seems to find this type of weather ideal. As I pruned it back, I found one of my experiments. I should pay more attention it would seem. In the spring as an experiment, I scattered seeds from my assorted microgreens on top of a container that had housed spinach last year. The seeds germinated and the resulting plants are growing very large, and some are setting seeds. I am letting them grow out to see what I get. The mustard seed is forming seeds and I can see broccoli and kale and lots of other greens. What a fun mixture. I will harvest some next week for salads.

Vegetables are Ripening

My vegetables are starting to ripen. The potatoes have had flowers and the tomatoes are just starting theirs. One of my tomatoes has a double flower, so I am watching it closely to see if I get some sort of mutant tomato. The squash are starting to spread, while my pumpkin is grumpy and unmoving. The yellow zucchinis that I planted in a container are doing very well. I have noticed that they are not as tasty if they do not get enough water, so I water them a lot.

Pulling Out Invasives

Today I was feeling motivated and pulled out a bunch of invasives. Using my favourite spade, I dug out a large number of orange ditch lilies. I had pulled this bunch out about five years ago and here they are back again. In addition, there was goutweed, but that seems to be standard in my garden. The creeping bellflower came out easily. I remember when I first saw creeping bellflower, I thought it was so pretty. Now it just never goes away. It is one of those plants in the spring that mimics all my perennials, making it difficult to decide if I should take it out or not.

I am continuing to watch the progress of my vegetables. Every Monday I feed them with fish emulsion and try to remove any pests that I see. The slug invasion has slowed down now that the birds and toads are on the job. Enjoy your week. Judith. (Email: sghorticultural@gmail.com) Veggie Bites are available at https://sghorticultural.wixsite.com/website or https://gardeningcalendar.ca/category/veggie-bites/

About the Author

Judith Cox

Judith Cox is a Master Gardener and President of the Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society . The many topics covered in her blogs include starting a garden, planting seeds, selecting the best seeds, identifying specific plants, and growing produce other than what is found at the grocery store. Every issue offers solutions to common issues faced by gardeners, including wildlife, whether to water, pests, snails, and other issues. During the winter, Judith writes for local journals and newspapers, give talks at local horticultural clubs on a range of gardening topics. She also finds time to run a small business selling watercolor and pen and ink cards.