Getting a bountiful harvest from fruit trees or seeing returns on agricultural investments doesn’t happen overnight. It often takes many years to reap the benefits of our decisions, efforts, and investments. As we patiently wait for our hopes to come to fruition, it’s important to remember that this period is not a time of idleness. Waiting requires continuous care for our crops. It is challenging to persist in caring for plants that may not yet show signs of being worth the effort.
Temptations Favour Impatience
The long wait can often be challenging as it tempts us with quick, short-term results. Such choices seem appealing but offer little value in the grand scheme. Challenges can create additional pressure, making it even more difficult to persist with investments that take time to yield results. However, it’s important to remember that a fruitful outcome may eventually materialize despite the prolonged wait. Whether this outcome is exceptional and worthwhile requires even more patience and optimism. Yet, even a slight chance of success justifies the risks and effort involved.
Accommodating The Unknown
The citrus tree in the pictures has been quite the enigma for us. We haven’t confirmed whether it’s an orange, lemon, or pomelo, and it hasn’t flowered for years. The temptation to make space for a more “useful” tree of known pedigree crept in. Still, we held off, hoping to eventually produce a new, interesting citrus variety with superior quality and yield. Despite the flowering delay, we let the tree grow and sought alternative spaces for the other plants. Selecting the potential for long-term benefits, we decided to accommodate the competing priorities without giving up on our citrus tree.
The Benefit of a Doubt
Our experience cultivating the less favoured fig varieties from other regions provided many insights. Unlike in their countries of origin, the less popular fig varieties outperformed the more popular ones. We were encouraged to embrace diversity and offer equal opportunities to the underdogs. Our perseverance bore fruit when the citrus tree produced its first viable blossoms in its ninth year. The fragrance and appearance of the blooms and leaves strongly suggest an orange tree gene pool. Now, we wait patiently for the fruits to grow and ripen. We anticipate another three years of waiting for the fruits to reach their full potential before concluding. Agriculture demands that we nurture our faith, patience and persistence while tending to our crops.
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