fig tree

A Catholic sister reflects on the parable of the barren fig tree, in which a gardener asks for one more season to nurture a fruitless tree before it is cut down. She frames the story as a lesson in patience, mercy and second chances, connecting it to how people treat one another and themselves.

An exceptionally warm September has pushed fig trees into overproduction, with gardeners reporting unusually large harvests. One gardener described the fruit as 'little bags of jam' and picked around 5 kilograms, leaving harder-to-reach figs for birds, bees and hornets. The early, abundant ripening is being linked to the warm late-summer weather, with comments pointing to climate effects on seasonal crops.

A gardener has picked a ripe fig in October, marking the fourth consecutive month of harvests from a tree rescued 15 years ago. The fruit was soft and reportedly tasted great, despite looking browner and less photogenic on one side. The grower shared the small horticultural milestone with an online gardening community, where home harvest achievements like this draw appreciation.