The excitement in the whole village of Kuruballahalli was palpable. Apple trees growing and fruiting in the deep South of India? That can't be! But it CAN! So let me go bak to where it all began!
Another species flowering as well.
The door bell rang one day and there was a DHL guy with a large package. One of my sons usual buys I thought as I carried the unwieldly package in. Tearing it open Steve yelled out -- Ma I think this is something for you, not me!
We stood speechless looking at a dozen or more bare root saplings minus any leaves. I wondered what they were but looking at the tags on them I realised they were apple graft saplings and probably sent by someone who knows what an avid gardener I am.
They were literally sticks with no leaves and bare rooted. I had learned all about bare root saplings in the UK with my son David as there you can buy bare root fruit tree saplings even in the super market. And here was a huge bag full of both apples as well as figs sent to me by a really generous friend.
Apples begin to appear in 6 months.
The bare rooted sticks which we planted with much trepidation and doubt suddenly began to get an abundance of leaves and shot up way over my head and even my husbands tall 6 ft. it was thrilling to see that and by then had found out that it was a Colonel in the army from Calangute, Goa who belonged to my Gardening group of which I was admin who decided to generously gift them to me. Colonel D'Silva who hails from Calangute and owns family property there took a chance and wanted to see how they would fare in Bangalore.
Bunches of apples appear!
He is a skilled grafter and so every one of the grafts he sent me has taken. Here I want to add that I gave one to a chef friend and it died. I gave another to a tenant and it died and the third I planted on the terrace and it died! But every single one we planted in Hoskote, just took to the red soil of the farm and flourished and grew and are fruiting happily.
Now we are waiting to see if they turn red and remain true to type. Cant wait to get my teeth into them!
