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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Frost-free






The yams are still yammin', the Cape Gooseberries still a'capin'. We are untouched by frost so far and those sensitive fruits and vegetables that have blackened elsewhere in Southland are still swelling here. Our whole property has become an island of warmth through a combination of shelter from the sou'westers and an 'open' canopy that keeps the early morning sun off and frosted plant, but lets the sunshine in later on, once the ice crystals have melted in the ambient heat of the day. My lemon tree, dare I say it, looks very comfortable indeed. It'll be the first that has ever made it though the winter, if in fact it does , and I expect it will thanks to the pentagonal glasshouse we've built for it.

2 comments:

Armchair Critic said...

The yams look a lot like oxalis. I'm sure there's a good explanation.
My first lot of citrus went in this year, I don't know why it took so long to plant any. The lemon has a single fruit waiting to ripen, but my favourite is the lime. It has lots of cute little green fruit. Good luck with your glasshouse lemon.

robertguyton said...

"Meet Oxalis tuberosa
also known as the New Zealand Yam."

Oxalis tuberosa
Plant
Oxalis tuberosa is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as oca, from the Quechua words okka, oqa, and uqa; New Zealand yam; and a number of other alternative names. Wikipedia
Scientific name: Oxalis tuberosa
Rank: Species
Higher classification: Oxalis

Is your lime a Tahitian? I'm waiting on a Kaffir. They're grown for their leaves. I've one promised to me and will put it beside my lemon when it arrives.