Pomegranate Fruit

My pomegranate is almost six feet tall with lots of fruit that are almost ready to be harvested. Last year it only had few fruits but this year there are at least 30 fruits. Although they are not as big as the ones sold in supermarkets but at least I know they are free of pesticide.

Pomegranate fruits are actually berries and they are ripe when

they have turned red in color and make a metallic sound when tapped. To avoid cracking oven, the fruits need to be picked before they over mature.

The pomegranate fruit would last very long in storage. It can be kept as long as seven months if they are refrigerated. The fruits improve will improve if kept longer, they become juicier and more flavorful.

The circular end of the pomegranate fruit looks like a little crown and it is said that King Solomon used this as a model to fashion the crown that he wore.

Fall & Winter Colors in SoCal

Southern California is known for evergreen and palm trees but not for trees with leaves that change color in fall. Except for trees that are planted for fall color, there are no vegetation and trees that grows naturally in Southern California for their colorful leaves in fall.

The pomegranate tree in my yard is one such tree that has leaves that turns yellow then shed sheds them in late fall early winter. It has relatively small leaves that turned yellow in late fall.

Another tree in my yard that turns color is the Japanese maple which is now about ten foot tall. The leaves turned yellow in early to mid fall then turned red in early winter. The red leaves are still in the branches during Christmas. 

Pomegranate

A small tree suitable for the semi-arid climate of Southern California is the Pomegranate. It is not only grown for its nutritious fruit but the tree itself is a very good addition to any garden as it is relatively small when full grown.

I have planted one almost 2 years ago and am now bearing fruit but not as many as a full grown tree. It is about 5 feet tall after 2 years and has a few fruit this year. It started with flowers in the spring and a few of these flowers developed into fruits.

Pomegranates are drought tolerant which makes it suitable for the Southern California garden specially these past few years with only a few inches of rain annually. I deep water the small tree once a month and it is very healthy. Pomegranates do not thrive very well in wet soil as it develops root decay.

The edible part of the fruit is the deep red seeds which can be eaten raw or pressed into juice. The fruits are not as big as I expected but with enough water and fertilizer perhaps the fruits next year will be bigger.

Peach Tree

I planted a peach tree six years ago which started bearing fruit after three years.

Peach trees are native to Northwest China and are of the same species as nectarines. Peach has characteristic fuzz on the skin while nectarines are characterized by the absence of fuzz skin, it has smooth skin.

Peach

The only problem with peach trees is that the fruit ripen all at the same time and only for a short period of time. Last year most of the fruit just fell to the ground which is a waste; they are sweet and juicy.

My peach tree has been bearing fruit three years after I planted and bears more fruit every year. This year however it only has a few fruits. Peach trees need the chill of winter in order to bear fruit which is not a problem in Southern California. The problem may be the absence of rain this year. Southern California normally gets around 12 inches of rain but this year not even half of the normal precipitation.

With enough rains this coming winter, maybe it will bear more fruits this coming season.