Plant a Tree!

Budding lemon, May 30, 2010

It is often suggested that one should plant a tree before they die. I remember helping my sister and mom plant one on the Briargrove Elementary grounds. When I drive by, I always wonder if that little tree is still there, what with all the changes that have been made to that campus since the early 80s.

My husband Chad and I would like to plant a tree of our own. While we haven't scratched it off our list yet, a previous owner of our home did. Fruit trees! And we are lucky to be enjoying the fruits of their labor. 

They are both still young--one Lisbon Lemon and the other a small orange variety called Dwarf Calamondin. When we first moved in, the calamondin orange tree had much fruit on it. We plucked them all off, and sadly it did not bear any fruit last year. However, this year the fruit is back, but still teeny tiny.

Teeny tiny calamondin oranges

On the other hand, the lemon tree was bare when we moved in and has remained so until this past May. One day I walked outside and was amazed by the little bitty bud on it. (See the opening photo above.) 

Lemon tree before we bought the house, November 2008

Lemon tree this week, January 2011

Is that amazing growth or what?! We have no idea how big and fruitful these trees will get, but are excited to watch them grow and enjoy their fruit.

Close up of growing lemon, September 11, 2010

Close up of ripe lemon, January 11, 2011

While I did use a lemon a month or two ago to freshen up our garbage disposal, we had not tasted one until the other night. It was delish in our peppermint tea! A fresh batch of lemonade would be in order...if only it were summer.

Peppermint tea with fresh lemon juice

So, hopefully now I have you wishing you were growing your own fruit in your backyard. If so, lucky for you, tomorrow is Urban Harvest's annual Fruit Tree Sale! It will take place at the University of Houston Robertson Football Stadium from 9AM-1PM or until sold out. They will have a host of fruit trees, from Darlene sweet domestic muscadines to Bloomsweet Asian grapefruits. I cannot advise you on what to grow in our climate, but the good people of Urban Harvest should be of help.

Personally, I would not mind adding an avocado (mmmmm!) or fig tree to our yard, but I am just not sure where they would go...unless we unearthed our Cycas revoluta, which would be fine by me since they are toxic to pets. But, even if we don't make room this weekend, there are several organizations in Houston that provide opportunities to plant trees, like Trees for Houston and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

So in closing I will leave you, my beloved reader, with a Chinese Proverb: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.