After doing a bit of research on peach tree care, we spent the other morning pruning the neglected peach tree. The previous owner told me that the tree is producing, and that she made a cobbler last year, but she seemed a little hesitant, which makes me think that the yield wasn't that high or that the fruit wasn't that great (in which case making a cobbler would make sense). It turns out stone fruit trees can be pretty high maintenance, but that proper pruning and thinning encourages better fruit.

We pruned all the dead branches and any water sprouts (little shoots of new growth that grow straight up - these little branches have no peaches, and they guzzle up nutrients), and thinned the fruit. Peaches naturally thin themselves a little bit during the "June Drop," which littered our yard with peaches, but they usually need extra thinning to ensure that branches don't get too heavy and there are enough nutrients to go around. Neglecting to thin your fruit can result in small, hard and flavorless peaches. 

Hopefully our hard work will pay us in delicious peaches. We'll see!

This summer I had my first garden. Nothing fancy, just some flowers, veg (tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos), and herbs (mint and basil). All in all I'd say it was a raving success, though my poppies and johnny jumpups died, and I battled some sickly basil and cracking tomatoes before I figured out the whole fertilizing thing, haha. But witnessing the ruby red ripening of a tomato and coming in with hands that smelled of fresh, earthy mint was so rewarding, not to mention the splash of green that it added to the concrete jungle that is our backyard. With the nights getting colder and the fall frost becoming imminent I'm sure I'll be saying goodbye to my little garden soon. Luckily, Alan went out the other morning before Indy and I woke up and captured some beautiful shots for me to remember it by. I'm sure I'll sneak a couple of peeks at these in the dead of winter.