A whole sunny day yesterday felt like a coup de gr芒ce, taking me out of the misery of the endless grey and damp days we have been experiencing.
it felt almost like a new and exciting sensation to be able to spend hours on end being "productive" in the nursery and around the farm. I must have done more in 4 hours than I have done in the last 3 weeks combined.
got a lot of stuff done, both from my "to do list" and from the spontaneous stuff that always pops up when you are about the farm with time and energy.
as a farmer of sorts that I am, I can not stop worrying about pollination.
some fruit trees like almonds and peaches start flowering around about now, some have started, others are in the process. it comes down to their genetic blueprint.
the divine timing of flowering is extremely crucial and affects the yield of fruit each year.
this year, so far, with all the rain and wind we have had, it doesn麓t look too promising.
honey bees do not leave the hive in temperatures below 12 degrees celsius. they do not operate in strong winds and avoid heavy rains.
all of the the above describing pretty much the conditions we have been living here in recent weeks.
the flowers on their part, once blooming, there is no way back. they only last for so long.
wind, rains, frosts all damage flowers that will only return in the following year.
a day like yesterday when the flowers are still valid and the bees able to do their magic, is a window of opportunity, not ideal, but a window nevertheless.
the longer the bees (and other pollinating insects) have to interact with the flowers the better.
when this work is done thoroughly, it manifests in the yield a few weeks down the line.
we currently have 14 Peach trees planted, all of different ages and sizes.
6 of which are currently flowering (different stages; beginning, full bloom and finishing)
only 2 of which are both flowering and large enough in their volume and size to attract bees.
scout bees do not waste their time or the time of others on a tree with 10 or 15 flowers.
it has to be large enough to be spotted from a long way away.
and as goes for our Almond trees,
all three of them are flowering.
the biggest and oldest one that yielded very nicely last year, had very few flowers on it.
another flowers nicely but is kinda small for the bees to bother with. not going to be a good year for Almonds, I do not think.
I麓d love to be proved wrong !
thank you for stopping by 馃檹
wishing us all a peaceful rest of the weekend.
