Tuesday 19 August 2014

Damn The Weather

If pests don't get our crops, something else will. In the case of my peaches, the weather.

Can you see the split in the fruit? Apparently, this is caused by heavy downpours after a hot, dry period. It's known as stone fruit pit split.


I'd kept the little tree in the greenhouse earlier on in the season to avoid peach leaf curl but moved it outside to allow the fruit to ripen in the sunshine. If only I'd kept it in there, this probably wouldn't have happened.


I haven't had a really good look at the fruit yet, there may be some peaches without the splits, though they're all fairly small and still rock hard. I'm not really sure when they should be ripe, I think I need to do a little research.

38 comments:

  1. Congrats on getting fruit in the first place! All we manage is apples, we've a plum, two pears and a cherry that grow loads of leaves but never a flower in sight! Think I'll be reading up too!

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    1. Fruit can be quite a challenge, can't it? There's just so much that can go wrong with it. I was very surprised to have peaches in the first place, such a shame that it doesn't look as though I'll be eating them, but I'll try again next year.

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  2. Oh Jo, how annoying! I have never grown peaches so can't really offer any advice. I wonder if we get a long enough season for them to ripen? Hope you manage to find out some advice that helps.

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    1. It is annoying, especially when I'd managed to avoid peach leaf curl. I'll try again next year but I shall seek out some advice first.

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  3. Oh Jo, how soul destroying. Don't beat yourself up you can't keep running in and out with a brolly for it you know. Maybe next year it will be ok x

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    1. That's the thing with gardening, you just never know from one year to the next. Actually, I'm pleased to have got fruit on the tree, I only got it last year so I wasn't really expecting any so at least I've achieved something.

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  4. How annoying. I like peaches and would be something that I would grow if I had a greenhouse. Flighty xx

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    1. I think peaches definitely require a greenhouse to grow well in this country. I shall see how they fare next year.

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  5. So disappointing for you.........especially peaches, they are a little bit special in my book.
    Well I suppose it is a case of learning by experience.
    We just cannot do anything about the weather.

    Perhaps next year will be better :)

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    1. It is disappointing when they've come so far. I didn't know about stone fruit pit split otherwise I'd have kept the tree in the greenhouse when we had the heavy downpours, I'll know for next year.

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  6. What a shame. I bet you were looking forward to eating your first peach.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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    1. I was looking forward to it, it'll teach me to count my chickens. Perhaps I'll get to taste one next year.

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  7. I feel your pain. Ours are moving inside the greenhouse soon.

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    1. I wish I'd left mine inside the greenhouse now, if only I'd known.

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  8. How frustrating! I get the same thing with tomatoes, which often split the day after heavy rain.

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    1. My tomatoes don't suffer too badly, but those which split are still usually edible, I'm not sure these peaches will be.

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  9. Oh no Jo :( You must have been so looking forward to eating that. Sometimes you just can't win or so it seems. Here my apples have been hit by all sorts of nasties which is a first for me as the first two crops were blemish free. Research going on here too.

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    1. It's disappointing but one of those things. One of my little apple trees has done ok'ish but the other doesn't have any edible fruit at all so that's another thing for me to do some research on. This gardening lark is a huge learning curve.

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  10. Oh pants! Typical isn't it?!

    X x

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    1. I always say that there's always something out to get our crops, and it isn't always beasties.

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  11. I have six peaches on my little tree - they are still hard and green and not likely to develop as least yours have ripened - shame about the split though.

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    1. I'm not sure they have ripened, they've always been this colour and are still rock hard. I need to do some research.

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  12. I hope the peaches are salvageable. It's so frustrating when harvests go wrong. All of my little peaches were knocked off (the tree is in the wrong place), but I live in hope of one one day. The apples aren't great here this year - lots of rot for some reason.

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    1. I'm not sure they will be, but it's my first year with them so it's just good to know that the tree will bear fruit. I'll try again next year. It's a shame about the apples too, let's hope we both have better luck next year.

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  13. Such a shame when you nurture these things along and are at the mercy of the elements.I know there is always next year but still frustrating. Hopefully all your other produce is bearing fruit. xcx

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    1. I've done well with most things this year so I'm grateful for that. It looked as though I may be trying my own peaches this year, but it obviously wasn't meant to be.

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  14. It is such a shame that your peaches have split, can you still keep them on the tree until they ripen some more and then perhaps cook them if they are still firm? It would be such a shame to lose them totally after all your care and attention. xx

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    1. I'm not really sure but I think they'll probably spoil as the skin's broken. They're still on the tree for now though, I'll see how they go on.

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  15. Oh Jo, what a shame. They looked so nice as well. Like you say, there's always some problem to contend with. Will the bits around the split still be edible when they ripen or is the whole fruit ruined?

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    1. I'm really not sure. I've left the fruit on the tree for now whilst I do some research but it would be good if they could be saved.

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  16. It's infuriating isn't it? I hope you can salvage something, hopefully if they soften up you can still eat the fruit. I have leaf curl on my peach tree, the fruits are still hanging on in there but are rock hard and small too.xxx

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    1. I think peaches can be tricky things to grow so I'm pleased that I've managed to get them to the stage I have. Perhaps if we hadn't had all that rain, I'd have got to harvest them.

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  17. Shame :( perhaps you will be able to cook with them after cutting out the horrible bits xxx

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    1. Maybe, I'll have to see what they look like inside, though they're still rather hard so I don't think they're ripe.

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  18. How frustrating after all your hard work :(. I hope they are edible at least!

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    1. It's is frustrating, but there's always something which fails each year. I doubt they'll be edible, I just hope they're not all split.

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  19. Grrr - we live and learn and next year your peaches will be spectacular! Any idea why my peach tree is full of cherry-sized fruits?

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    1. I hope they are. I shall nurture my little tree better than I have this year. I've no idea why your tree is only producing cherry sized fruits, though the peaches on my tree aren't very big either but they're larger than cherries.

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