It's A Fig!

Day 222: It's a fig! Now if I can just keep that stinkin' squirrel from picking it like the varmints did last year, it may grow to an edible size. At this point, it appears to be the only one, but somebody has to be first, right? The tree is "Desert King," now about four feet tall and branching nicely. Last year, eight or nie figs began to form, but when they reached this point, they started disappearing. Examining the ground on my hands and knees, I could find no evidence that they had dropped naturally, but it was not until later in the season that I put two to two and came up with two candidates: raccoons and/or squirrels. Given that my squirrel population has been exploding these past few years, I think they're the culprits. So how do you squirrel-proof a tree? That question could go in the books as one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

Botanical Art

Day 10: I'm not kidding myself. I know that I don't have an artistic bone in my body. I couldn't draw a square square if you paid me, and to try to get the proportions and perspective right on something as simple as an egg is as far beyond my skill as trying to recreate the work of one of the Old Masters. However, I do think I have a good eye for colour, which is probably the product of years of doing needlework. I never need to carry a fabric sample to the store to match thread. I simply commit it to memory before I go shopping. Lack of artistic talent aside, I have long desired to be able to do botanical illustrations in some medium or another, so when a friend began taking watercolour classes, I thought I'd give it a try. I bought a cheapo kit: several brushes, some paints in tubes and some in "tablet" form. The tubes struck me as likely to waste a lot of paint, so I haven't cracked them yet, but I seem to be doing okay with the hard sort. After my first few attempts turned out rather too light (the vine maple, for example), Patty advised me to allow the paint to dry and then add a second layer to make the colour stronger. While I don't think I'm there yet, I'm not unhappy with the results either. That said, I have to admit to a certain cheat: I know I can't draw, so I traced around real leaves and then laid in the colour. Hey, at least I stay within the lines.

Future Figs

Day 318: Two weeks ago, I stopped to visit friends who are organic gardeners and came away not only with a large bag of sweet, juicy, ripe Desert King figs, but also a well-rooted start taken from their 10-year old tree. The parent tree was about this size when they planted it and took about four years before producing its first figs. Last year, they picked over a hundred. This year, it's even more heavily loaded. Desert King is a cold-hardy variety, perfect for the Pacific Northwest climate. Although their tree has suffered some tip-kill over the winter, it springs back beautifully. They suggested that I plant this sapling in an area which is somewhat protected. Having had prior failures with trees and shrubs planted in the fall, Desert King will remain in its pot until spring, protected from marauding deer and elk by a wire cage. I am looking forward to a future of figs for the picking!