365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Sunday, June 18, 2023
Potential
Day 248: We've been down this path a few times before, the kiwi vine and I, and I keep hoping that This Will Be The Year that nothing interferes with production. Last year, it formed eight fruits on a plant which thickly covers two seven-foot trellis arches and three feet of fence on either side of them. Theoretically, it is a self-fertile variety, but you'd never guess it. The fruits, gods of weather permitting, should be smooth and small, end-of-thumb sized nuggets which pack all the flavour wallop of their larger fuzzy relatives. However, a shortage of pollinators, excessive heat and protracted cold have all played the role of the villain in years past. This year...this year has got to be The Year. The vine is so covered with buds that if even a tenth of them develop into berries, I should have enough to share with friends, but "if" is the operative. Our current weather pattern is cool and moist. I don't see many bugs. But I see buds, hundreds and hundreds of buds. Come on, kiwi! Do your thing!
Labels:
gardening,
Hardy Kiwi "Issai"
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