Ken and the trees

You couldn't make this up: 20th November 2007 (page 24 of the Standard), Ken Livingstone says we should plant more trees, fruit trees in particular. 21st November 2007 (page 17 of the Standard) Islington Council wants to chop down some pear trees because of "dangerous fruit".

This autumn, I have noticed that there are dozens of homes around where I live that have fruit trees in their gardens, and the home owners clearly haven't got the first idea what to do with them. For the most part, the trees have not been pruned. The fruit is therefore too high up to be picked without a great deal of effort, and it just hits the deck every September.

I expect that many years ago, before London expanded so much, this was fruit-growing land, and what we see is the last remnant of the apple and pear trees that used to form part of someone's farm. They probably include species that have long vanished from the shops because they can't be grown in industrial quantities, wrapped in plastic, and shipped all round the globe. For example, I've got a pear tree which must be at least as old as my house, I prune it each year, and I get large green and yellow pears. They seem to be an early variety, and the shelf life is measured in minutes, so you've got to do something with them right away. I expect in the old days they were either fermented into perry or else jammed. I make compote from them and freeze it. In any case, they clearly aren't commercially viable today: they'd be dead on their feet before you could get them to the supermarket. When it's a contest between shelf life and taste, shelf life seems to win, and as a result we have food that tastes of nothing much.

It seems an awful shame to have something growing on a tree in your own garden that you never use. It's been suggested to me that we could start a "back yard gardeners' co-operative" to make creative use of the fruit. Let's suppose you have got an apple tree that you have no idea how to look after: you don't want to destroy it, but you don't have the time for its maintenance. Why not get someone else in the co-operative, who does know about trees, to keep it in trim for you? You can then decide if you want the fruit or not. If not, it can go to someone else in the co-operative. At the very least, it won't end up as a rats' banquet.

This doesn't apply only to edibles: if you've got a bush of some kind that seems to grow very vigorously, you could offer cuttings from the bush via the co-operative. I've got bay tree twigs that I am attempting to root at the moment, if they give rise to viable tree seedlings then you would be able to get from me what would, over time, grow into a very beautiful evergreen for the garden. And, if Ken Livingstone is right in his predictions of climate change, it would be a good choice of tree: the bay is native to the Mediterranean.

Any constructive comments on this will be greatly appreciated.

My opinions on anything are subject to change. My love for you will not change.