Mellow fruitfulness...

Where has the year gone? How can it be time to pick the pears already? Incredible though it seems, it is time.

This year our still quite small pear tree, Pyrus communis 'Concorde' (conference pear), has been absolutely laden with fruit. A month or so ago we became concerned that the weight of the fruit would break the branches, so we supported the branches with a couple of props. All decidedly "Heath Robinson", but the props did the trick. Although the pears aren't completely ripe yet, several of them had suffered bird or squirrel damage, so we decided to pick them now and let them finish ripening off the tree (something we have seen recommended irrespective of squirrel damage). You could almost hear the little tree breathing a sigh of relief as the weight of fruit was removed. And it certainly was a very satisfying job to do in the sunshine of an early autumn day, and a huge crop from such a small tree!