Black sapote

Gardening is in part an exercise in patience, and from carefully tending plants that seem to take forever to yield the first fruit. We have had our black sapote tree since being introduced to it by some German Couchsurfers. That was three years ago and it's fruiting for the first time this year. We hope the fruit sets and we can enjoy the long awaited taste of 'chocolate pudding' fruit. The tree is in a pot, under the shelter of our verandah. It enjoys the morning sun but doesn't have to cope with extremes in the weather (when it drops its leaves in response). I had decided some time ago that it was a lovely looking plant even if it didn't fruit (my way of justifying the slow start to set fruit). But as long as it survives the air temperature of this current heat wave (45C outdoors!) we are hopeful the fruit will continue to develop this summer.

Black sapote fruiting for the first time, summer 2011/12