Well, not quite, since the Aprium (yes, that's right--it's a plumcot crossed back with an apricot.) is allegedly a spring fruiter. In any case, the stone fruits have been late and not as sweet this year. The nectarine tree out back this time last year had already delivered, having started to drop fruit at the end of July. Right now I am starting to get the first of the fruit, and they're pretty splah. That last sugar load just didn't happen.
Same with the Aprium. It should fruit in late May to early June, and it really didn't get going until the second week of June, and even then, there wasn't a lot of fruit, and what there was, was small. The Asian pear decided to not fruit at all this year.
However, my mum's peach tree, which is just outside of Chicago (along with Mum) has fruited and gone. Go deal--Chicago has had some hot weather, but it hasn't been a hot summer there, either. Mum's freezing the neighbour's Clingstones, as they produced like mad, giving everyone a bunch of extra fruit. *Someone* out there is having a good summer fruit year!
We were talking yesterday about fruit and such, and I brought up the "new" watermelons--you know, the "personal sized" variety? Had to laugh--those are pretty much the original size field watermelons came in, at least up north, and it was the nice people who thought we needed 25lb melons for the fridge and picnics The seedless, or more accurately, less seeded varieties are a *good* thing, though.
And speaking of melons, my melon vines decided t produce this year. These are usually my "stretch goal" in the garden, as it doesn't get and stay that hot here. This year I have another Canadian cultivar that's supposed to handle cooler nights. I have five cantaloupes currently getting ripe on the vine. I think this one is a winner!
And I just noticed as I typed this--there are two gold leaves on the Aprium tree. The Aprium loses its leaves first, but wow, that's early, even for it.
