Happy Kumquat

This was a post I originally meant to submit on Saturday (my birthday) but I had a few things happening on the weekend, to do with - you guessed it - my birthday. It's a few days late, but nonetheless meaningful to me. Because it's a story about the...

Evolution of a Kumquat tree.

As tiny as it was, back in 2008, I first wrote about this dwarf fruit tree, in a post titled, Dreams awaken where I wrote...

"This was my favourite find, a Marumi Kumquat! I've always wanted to try a Kumquat and as it happened, the nursery had one in a display pot, in fruit! The lady welcomed me to try one. The flavour was incredible. Just as your face screws up from the bitterness, a delayed sweetness suddenly hits your pallet. I can imagine a marmalade or two from this wonderous bush!"

And what a beautiful marmalade, it did make! I was going to write about it, the second time I made it. Unfortunately, we tend to snack from the tree, before we can collect enough fruit, to make another batch. But it is like no other marmalade I've ever tasted. A small, fiddly fruit to work with, but ever so worth the effort, once you taste it!

2008

Our Kumquat tree was planted in the ground, on the same day as my 34th birthday. So it's a birthday present, of sorts. But one that keeps giving, every year. Whoever said, money doesn't grow on trees, obviously weren't giving them their due diligence. I wrote in my original post...

"These weren't just a business transaction - they were an investment in our future. We didn't feel the least bit guilty coming home with 6 kinds of citrus trees." 

And haven't they all been so productive? None died, so we didn't lose money on our original investment - but now we're having more reliable, decent sized crops to consume. So they're saving money on our grocery bill, and helping to feed the native animals too. The ones who don't mind munching on citrus, that is.

Settling in - Kumquat, front

Some four months after being put in the ground, we built a chicken coop, put down some other plants, and added hard-scaping. The paving was a great idea, but I wasn't quite sure if I'd end up regretting those rocks. My fears were confirmed, when the weeds still came up - but they're a lot easier to pull. And I really like the rocks being a permanent mulch.

The rocks ensure the ground is always kept cool underneath, even when they heat on the surface. Which can cause condensation overnight, when the temperatures cool again. This is important for citrus trees, as they have a mat of fibrous roots, close to the surface, which need to be prevented from drying out. Rock mulch worked, while it was such such a wee tree.

Of course, it's done some growing, in the 9 years which followed...

2017 - the Kumquat is now taller than me

{click to enlarge}

It's now mulched with coffee grounds, prunings and sticks, on top of the original rocks. I'm glad we had the vision, all those years ago, to spend birthday money on fruit bearing trees. It's my birthday today (mmm...try last Saturday), and not quite a decade since I first planted that tree. It's such a privilege to be able to live in the same place, for so long, to watch it's evolution.

It's had it's sacrifices along the way, but that's the deal in life. You have to give up some things, so you can concentrate on others. Because we cannot do it all. By focusing on getting a few things right, though, we can build on the rest as we go. I like to build with trees in my garden, because they age with me. We evolve together. But one day, they will out live me.

Seedling Moringa tree

So I'm planting more tree seeds and fruit-bearing, shrub seeds (which I purchased, recently) in my nursery. Just to continue more of that evolution together. In another decade, I hope to be able to show, more of those trees' stories. Like what we learned together about the environment, aging and bearing fruit.

Come to think of it, I have memories of photographs, of my younger grandparents, standing next to fruit trees. They were probably around my age too. One picture was taken next to a papaya (paw-paw) tree, and another photo later on, taken next to a grapefruit. My grandparents have now passed on, but I know the grapefruit is still bearing - and the paw-paw, probably had a bazillion babies, by now.

Do you remember any photographs in your family history, taken next to fruit trees?