Spring's comin' a callin'

[Mantis]

LOL. Looks like we are in for the Spatz bombardment of photos in a couple of months.
Bloody frost killed more than the tips on some of the plants. Small fruit on one all black today and all but the very lowest shoots also black. I am hoping that I can get my two potato leaf Black Krims to survive.

[Spatzbear]

"Really? Does this mean that you planted more than last year? "

No, it means some stakes have gone walkabout. No idea how that happens.

"Looks like we are in for the Spatz bombardment of photos in a couple of months."

Maybe. If the weather is right. If I don't run out of water. If if if..... I'd love to BOMBARD you with tommie piccies.

Sorry to hear about your tommies, Mantis. That's a real bummer. Hope some of them bounce back, or at least the others make up for it.

[Grub]

How many did you lose, Mantis?

Is it a major catastrophy? Where does it rate on the drown-your-sorrow's-beer-swilling scale?

[Mantis]

Haven't totally lost any yet Grub, just badly pruned so to speak. The two Black Krims will have to grow from a shoot or two from near the soil line. Your GMG and others outside got away unscathed.

[Grub]

So it could have been a lot worse. Good news. We will need your ammo pretty soon. I have no fruti set yet, but flowers. And I have one bed which is super slow. Every year, I reckon I have a dud bed. Dud cow poop or something.

And all my stuff stopped dead in its tracks during the cold snap, but then last night was warm. I swear they doubled in size overnight, including peppers and eggplants.

I worked out why the eggplants were so slow. I sprayed them with pyrethrin one day to stop bugs and it burnt the growing tips and created distorted leaves. But now the eggies are starting to come back. Yehhahaa.

[Mantis]

Yes things are all still good.
Will be doing a bit of beer swilling tonight whilst playing lawn bowls. Got roped in for one of my schools teams in a corporate challenge thing. Good fun. Only my second go at it (bugger, is this a sign of getting old).
Juanne Flamme is fully orange but I will not pick it until the weekend as I want it to get good and ripe.
How big do Kimberlys get? They should be starting to colour shortly me thinks as they are about double cherry size at the moment.

[Grub]

Kimberly is a bit bigger than Jaune Flammee, anything from double cherry to egg-sized to a bit bigger like, say, an apricot or nectarine. Similiar to a Kiwi fruit, or a passionfruit, but not as big as a peach or apple. You get the idea.

I hear that frost has caused more than $100 million in grapevine damage. Looks like it'll be a lean but tasty vintage for wine.

Anna Banana Russian is throwing huge blooms. My biggest is your weed. It makes Pasture look like bonsai cooch.

[Mantis]

I'm a daddy

[Tomstrees]

wow ! Good growin !
These pics will help me get through
this fall/winter ~

Tom

[Grub]

Congratulations Mantis. You are the maaaan. A nice bunch of JFs indeed.

Hey, have you got a Brandywine Sudduth in this year. Ordinarily, it would struggle with the heat but mine this year is loving the colder temps. And more (relative) cold on the way. Could be a vintage year for Suddth.

Wouldn't that be great? Mmmm.

[Mantis]

Thanks folks.
Yeah, I have one Brandywine suddeth in but its not doing as well as usual. Got 6 fruit on last count. Its one of the ones I sowed really early and I think that was a mistake.

[Grub]

Cooler here.

Have you got more frosts, Mantis?

Big high down your way.

[Mantis]

The frosts are gone for a while. Had a 14 deg minimum on Wednesday night fo figure. The next day 4 more JF's were orange and an Aunt Ginny and a Prudens Purple are changing colour.

[Grub]

That's interesting abotu Prudens Purple. I would have thought it late season. This is my second attempt here and it's just throwing flowers. Never got a fruit the first time around.

[Mantis]

Dont read anything into that Grub. These early plantings are suffering and think they need to throw out a seed.
Keep going with PP. It dd well for me last year. Bit ★★★★ed en. of to bed