Monday, May 20, 2013

May Photo Update

Visit the PHOTOS page to see images of May - the good, the bad and the pesky.

Sweet on the Sour: Our Lemon Trees


THE SEEDS
Once a month our local UU church hosts a recycle/book swap Sunday. Members can bring in items like electronics and batteries to recycle and items like books to swap. Inevitably, items besides books appear on the swap tables. Those tend to catch my eye.

In February, I spotted a beautiful piece of wood on wheels.  As I picked it up and pondered what it might be, I noticed a woman at the other end of the tables waving her hand to get my attention. "If you want that please take it, but if you don't, I would really like to have it," she said sweetly. "What is it?" I asked in earnest. It looked a lot like the scooters I used to race around on in elementary gym class. "I think it's for moving large plants around," she answered. It made sense, and all of a sudden I wanted it. I didn't need it though, and judging by the look on her face, she was going to put it to good use right away.

As I walked towards her to hand it over, she continued to explain her intentions. "My lemon tree has grown too large for me to move in and out on my own. Having it on wheels would be so helpful."  She had me at lemon tree. My facial expression must have given me away because she continued to tell me about hers - how she grew it from a seed - how it produces quite well and oh, by the way, would I like her to bring me some seeds?

YES.

I was floored. A few weeks later she handed me a baggie of seeds from the very last lemon of the season. They were still in the juice; seven perfect little seeds.


THE HUNT
I intended to plant them right away, but of course, that didn't happen.  The baggie hung on the fridge for a week or so before I tossed it in to the fridge hoping the coolness would prolong their life. Eventually enough was enough and I came home on my lunch break with a mission to plant those seeds. I grabbed the baggie and went to the greenhouse to select my pots, my gloves and a hand trowel.  Then I walked to our potting soil mixing table in the yard, prepared my pots and reached into the baggie for the seeds. It was empty.

I panicked. These were the last seven seeds of the season and I had squandered them.  I was surely being punished for not planting them right away.  With my lunch hour ticking away I started micro-hunting - retracing my steps through the grass to the greenhouse and sifting through the huge table of potting soil. This was ridiculous, I told myself over and over. I was never going to find them, but I couldn't give up. Even if I could find just one...

I carefully turned the greenhouse inside out and there, tucked in the lip of an upside-down tub, I spotted a seed. I had to get tweezers to fetch it out. Thinking the rest had to be close by, I worked my way down into the 55 gallon trash can of empty potting containers. By the time I reached the bottom I had found five. Five was good enough, I told myself, but I couldn't stop hunting.  And good thing, because after a few minutes, the final two were plucked from the overgrown mess of clover under the trash can. The world felt right again.

I planted those seven seeds after loving on them with a photo-shoot. Something I should have done in the first place. Somehow I made it back to work on time with little to no residue from the chaos that had just occurred.

The woman said it would take a while to sprout them, so I waited.  Four long weeks went by and nothing happened. A voice inside kept nagging me to give up and throw them out, but my desire for a lemon tree persisted.

THE SPROUT
Six patient weeks later, the first sprout appeared. The next day it was gone - eaten for lunch by some unknown evil. The stump of the stem remained level with the soil looking sad and dejected. It had worked so hard to make an appearance.  The second seed sprouted to find a similar fate and my hopes began to fade.  I tucked the pots away on a lower shelf in the greenhouse just in case things took a turn for the better.

And turn they did.  Last week I discovered all seven pots boasting healthy seedlings. I don't know what made the difference, perhaps they just needed more time and a little less attention.  All I know is that I am proud to host them in my greenhouse (now alongside two grapefruit seedlings also from the same woman) and look forward to whatever is to come...hopefully in the shape of a pie.