Late Peaches & Asian Pears Blooming

   Most of our peach trees are now past full bloom, while some of the latest-blooming peach varieties are still blooming.  Asian pear trees are now in full bloom, European pear trees are just starting to bloom, and apple trees are mostly in the pink bud stage.

'China Pearl' white peach, one of our latest-blooming peach varieties, is still blooming at left, with pink petals.  'Shinko' Asian pear trees, at right with white blossoms, are now in full bloom,

   So far, we still have a peach crop, and crops of all our other fruits, praise God.  No frosts are in the forecast for the next week, so hopefully we've past the frost danger time.

Our fruit trees are buzzing with bees pollinating the flowers, such as the honeybee at right center pollinating these 'Carolina Gold' peach flowers.  That should ensure heavy fruit set, so we'll have to do a lot of fruit thinning to produce peaches of good size and quality.

   Asparagus harvest is right on schedule this year.  I just started picking a few spears Sun. evening, just enough for me to eat with my dinner.  We should have enough harvested asparagus to start selling it by about Wed. April 10 or Thurs. April 11, as listed in the sidebar at left. I'll keep harvesting asparagus for the next 8 weeks, so should still have it for sale until about June 8.
   We grow 'Jersey Knight' asparagus, an all-male variety that produces high yields of thicker spears since there are no female plants that spend energy producing berries.  I harvest the spears by snapping them where they break easily, so almost the entire harvested spear is tender and usable.  Asparagus is sold harvested, still for $2.78 per pound + tax, and is limited, so you do need to phone 620-597-2450 a day ahead and order it.

I love this view of 'China Pearl' white peaches, at left rear with pink petals, and 'Shinko' Asian pear trees, at right rear with white blossoms, seen from the 'Spring Glory' forsythia and 'Texas Scarlet' flowering quince at left front.