Plums are one of the first fruit trees to flower, bringing a welcome sign of spring, but watch out for the frost. The branches can be covered with light net curtains, or similar material, when frost is forecast.
victoria-blossom
The plum blossom is borne on bare branches before the leaves appear. They are particularly vulnerable to frosts :
- the flowers have no leaves to protect them
- the early blossoms appear when the nights are still cold
vic-plum-blossom
The frozen flower buds are badly damaged if the sun warms them up too quickly. So it is important to plant the plum trees:
- in a sheltered spot protected from frosts
- away from frost pockets
- where the sun will not reach before 9.30am on a March morning, giving the buds time to thaw out slowly
victoria-plum-flower
If the blossom is frost damaged, no plums will develop. Hopefully, we have not had any frost this year while the Victoria plum has been in flower, so we look forward to a good harvest!
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There are four signs which tell if Victoria Plums are ready to pick:
- Twist the plum gently off the stem. The plum is ripe when it comes off easily. Plums usually leave their stalk on the tree.
victoria-plums
- The colour of the plum changes when they are ripe. The skin becomes reddy-pink on one side & yellowy on the other.
ripe&unripe-plum
The plum on the left of the picture is not quite ripe. It is greener than the plum on the left which has turned more yellowy as it has ripened.
- Cutting a plum open will reveal the stone & show if it is loose inside the plum. This a a photo of the yellowy plum above after it was cut open. The stone was quite loose and fell out
ripe plum with loose stone
If the stone is still firmly attached to the flesh and difficult to separate, the plum is not ripe. The photo below is of the green plum in the picture above. The stone would not come away from the flesh.
unripe plum cut
- Gently squeezing the plum will tell if they are still hard. If they are softening a bit, then they are ripe.
Victoria plums do not all ripen at once, so they are not all ready to pick at the same time & the tree is usually picked several times.
Victoria-plum-tree
The Victoria plums in the garden are ripe. They are ready for picking when
they are slightly soft. When plums are ripe they start to fall off the
tree, so it is important to pick them before they all drop off.
If you have plums to spare this recipe of slow roasted pork with plums
from Joanna’s food, is excellent.
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