My Grow Operation

 I have had time to get more organized with my meager plant collection. I used to have scores of plants but as other responsibilities took over, they languished and aged out of the system. My renewed interest happened with an apple!

The morning menu usually features an apple sliced and peeled. Imagine my surprise to find seeds inside the Pink Lady apple sprouted with tiny beginnings of leaves. I couldn't just throw them so I got my little sterile Petri dish fitted with a damp paper towel and set the tiny beings on my shelf. They really wouldn't grow, would they?

They did indeed and are under the plastic in the photo. And then.....

They grew and were moved to larger pots and now moved to the great outdoors. I have seven hearty seedlings and two little stragglers I haven't given up on yet. 

The fruit was developed in Australia and released for commercial production in 1989. Pink Lady® apple trees are a cross between Lady Williams and Golden Delicious, giving the fruit good storage characteristics and a sweet, crisp flavor. The Pink Lady Apple tree is characterized as a spur-bearing variety, producing fruit on short, compact branches known as spurs.

Not to count my apples before they are ripe! It will take 2 to 5 years for a Pink Lady to bear fruit. We have several other trees in our orchard so they will be in good company if they can make it that long. One other tree we were gifted this year has a fine start. It's already about 3 years old and is a new variety called "Triumph". Which I have chosen to call my TRUMP apple tree. 

The grow operation has now extended to the basement where I was able to start tomato seeds and assorted plants of honest reputation.