The plum saga

Several years ago, like many doing their weekly shop, I was passing by the plant section (eyes deliberately diverted to the next item of food that I needed to buy), when …

… out of the corner of my eye I spotted ‘fruit trees.’ They were grouped all together standing strong and tall and jumbled up, propped against some shelving. There were apple, pear and plum trees. Before I knew it I had picked one up and suddenly I became like a knight on a charger with a would-be lance stretched out well before the top end of the supermarket trolley. Then in an instant, the deed was done and my plum tree had been scanned and for just a few pounds I became the proud owner of a garden food producer.

I already had both apple and pear trees so my plum would make an excellent addition. It was planted and watered regularly until it had settled down. Then I watched and waited. Year after year came and went … there were leaves and branches but nothing else. Then when I had almost given up hope suddenly one year the tree became covered in tiny star-like flower blossom. Being an optimist, I imagined each flower turning into a plum … there were hundreds of them! That year, although I could see small pip swellings as the flowers withered away, I ended up with no fruit. Then last year for the first time I had two fat juicy and very sweet black plums. So when the tree became covered in thousands of flowers this year I thought that I would at least have had fifty good size fruits. My tree however has decided to tease me as once again it has produced just two fruits … I am hoping that I won’t have to share them with the wasps.

The lowest plum … growing larger 

The plum growing darker in colour … soon ready for eating