Yesterday as we were driving along we saw a very strange sight.  It looked like a “potato bag” tree!  We only caught a glimpse but there were definitely several potato bags tied around the branches of a large tree.  A little further on, we suddenly figured out what it was.  The tree was a cherry tree (we’ve got a couple so we recognized the leaves) and this was their way of protecting the cherries!  Birds certainly couldn’t get to the cherries, and the heavy bags would also protect the fruit from any rain, and therefore prevent the fruit from splitting.  (Once cherries start to ripen, their skins stop growing and any moisture that is absorbed through the skin causes the flesh to swell and the skins to split.)  We’ve seen fleece “sleeves” being used but the potato bags were also a great way of protecting the cherries!  I just wonder whether the cherries need light to ripen – perhaps not.