When we bought this place around seven years ago, the neighbours had loads of exceedingly well cared for young fruit trees. They had drip irrigation installed, they were professionally pruned every year, and the grass around them was mown neatly but the land was never ploughed, which meant they can comply with fire regulations whilst allowing the soil to rebuild.
But there was one young tree that broke their rules.
And it was growing half way down the bank that rose from their bottom terrace to the track that goes up to the next terrace.
They never seemed to prune it like the others, and it wasn't neatly arranged and maintained. And as it grew it started to overhang the track which meant we started to drive into the branches with the truck, and then also the car as it grew bigger. I felt guilty about this and eventually asked them if we could cut it back a bit so we didn't damage either it or our wing mirrors. They laughed and told us to do what we wanted with it as it wasn't even supposed to be there and must have grown from a peach pit that got thrown onto the bank years ago. They never even watered it! So I trimmed it a bit so stopped driving into the branches.
It's one of the first trees I see every morning when I come down the steps, and I was utterly delighted a few weeks ago when I noticed that it had three little peaches growing on it. I watched them getting bigger and bigger, then one morning I noticed that one of them had fallen off. And it had tumbled down the bank and got caught behind a rock. I also knew that the moment I let my dog out, he would immediately sniff it out and devour it, which to me is sacrilege as the first ripe fruit from a young fruit tree should be carefully sampled and shared out so everyone can assess it. I couldn't reach it from the track, and it felt wrong to go onto their land to steal their fruit, so I got my long-handled fruit picker, scooped it up, and put it safe indoors until I saw one of them.
Later that day my neighbour came down to take Rock out for a walk and I gave the peach to her. We ceremoniously washed it and cut two pieces off so we could each test it. It was absolutely delicious! So then she clambered up the rocks and picked the other two, gave one to me and took the other, and the remaining half of the first one, up with her to sample with her husband. And also gave me permission to go onto her bit of land to take photos to share.
It looks like the pit must have been thrown 'out of the way' and landed in a perfect spot, part way down the bank so it's shaded from some of the brutal summer sun, especially in the afternoons. Those rocks (the stone ones, not the dog...) will also give shade, and act as a serious mulch to reduce evaporation.
I just find it a wonderful accidental success story!
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