Monday, August 17, 2009

Accidental Jungle Again!

The big tree in right hand corner, is a Ruby Red Grapefruit tree. This is the story
1987, hubby comes home with seed that has a small green shoot. Seems he was eating a Ruby Red that a friend brought to work, and there was the seed, he wraps it in a wet towel and brings it home, plants in a cup. As a 3 inch seedling, he transplants into 5 gallon bucket. Tree grows for 2 years in bucket, we have no where to plant it in our St Petersburg yard. 1989 we move to Bradenton, he plants 4 ft. tree in new front yard. The yard was bare at the time, no jungle growth. My uncle, a farmer and many others said it will never bear fruit and if it does, it will be to sour to eat. I read somewhere trees bear fruit in 7th year. Sure enough, 1995 we had about 20 delicious grapefruit. the tree exploded in growth and now we beg people to take the fruit. FROM a SEED no less.


NO, this is not a grapefruit. this is last years Avocado. You guessed it!
Grown from a seed.

In Sept of 2001, 4 days after 9/11 and its horror, Gabriella, a Tropical Storm, came through our back yard and took down a tree that shaded most of our back yard. The root when it turned over was higher than my head.
I stood in the back yard and cried, several trees down, every bush minus its leaves. our beautiful jungle laid flat.

The year before, Bob had stuck a seed from an avocado into the damp ground by the AC drip and had a 4 foot tree in a bucket. He said I am going to plant this in the place where the big tree was. My reply was, we will be dead and gone before it will be big enough to make a difference.

WRONG! The above picture is the trunk, the one above that is the tree. It has spread it's limbs and is a wonderful shade tree.
the Good news is: we have the shade back in our skyline.
The Bad news is: it drops little avocado's on the ground when the squirrels gnaw on them, the dogs eat them and get upset tummies. This means, we have to pick them up in a timely manner.
These are the two pineapple tops we planted. My husband eats one pineapple a day for gout. It works. I said why don't you plant a top and see what happens. our neighbor is growing pineapples. And here we are, we should have pineapple this summer. We have no place to put them in the ground and are hoping they will have fruit in the buckets.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Everything in Florida grows so fast
and abundantly. You are so fortunate.
Sandra did you ever think about planting a couple $20.00 dollar bills. He he he he

Beverly said...

You must have MiracleGro in your soil.

Madeline said...

I was just looking at the blog. I decided I was going to make a comment that you should plant a money tree. I can see old
Patsy-poo beat me to it! Darn!!
Your plants are beautiful. Bob sure does have a green thumb.