Garden experiments and surprises

I'm not the world's greatest gardener. I can't stand digging or weeding. But I enjoy growing things, or rather, trying to grow things Or even just letting things grow. And then finding out what works. Trees are my favourites. You just start out with a nut or kernel in a pot, make sure it's well watered in the the summer and protected in the winter, mix in a large helping of patience (I'm talking years!), plant it in a suitable place when it can look after itself, and voila! You end up with a fully grown, productive fruit tree. Easy, right? We feast on walnuts, avocados, peaches and apricots, all from trees that I've grown from seed. And all totally organic.

This year's experiment is (thanks to spring storms that gave the trees a good shaking)... pickled green walnuts! They've been brewing for a couple of months and they look rather decorative in the jar. No idea yet what they will taste like.

This year I tried branching out from trees. Aubergines to be precise. I cheated a bit by buying seedlings from the market, to give them a head start. To my surprise they didn't get eaten by snails or shrivel up in the sun, and I've actually harvested quite a few aubergines this summer. One thing I learned the hard way- if they look a bit green, pick them right away, because if you leave them, they will just get greener, and become inedible. Counter-intuitive, right? It seems they start purple, but start turning green when they're giong to seed. Who would have thought it?

I have to admit that I never actually planted that peach tree. It just grew on its own. And every year it rewards me with fruit in thanks for not being over-zealous with the hoe when it was a baby. So yes, I also enjoy just letting things grow. And seeing what comes up.

This year's surprise was ....a watermelon. It just sprouted in a wild patch that doesn't even get watered. I'm watering it plenty now though - it's about the size of a grapefruit at the moment so it needs to be fattened up.