Garden Photos w/Commentary

Remember that Stupice tomato seedling that bloomed indoors on April 10? Well, it is NOT one of the plants that perished in the frost, thank you. Here it is 2 months after that first flower. We'll probably eat it later this week.

Potatoes were planted a bit late, but are beginning to pick up. Here is the row of Wagner's potato sampler.

I never knew that potatoes held such diversity. Shown are two of the 9 varieties in the sampler. The Skagit Valley Gold variety (top) has a very fine growth habit, with many thin stalks topped in bright green and nearly round leaves; contrasted with the Paint Jar variety, is probably the most vigorous of the selections, which has few but thick dark purple stems topped with almond-shaped leaves shaded with purple. The Paint Jar looks ready to mound up for the second time, while the other varieties have not yet had their first. Can't wait to see the diversity in the blossoms.

Chard is going strong, and lettuce is doing well, except I think a rabbit has been sneaking some. Time to put up that fence. I did not expect that homegrown chard would taste so salty.

Celeriac that has been kept trimmed by a suspected rabbit is being overtaken by some weeds that I thought to just let grow. Lambsquarter or goosefoot is supposed to be a good and very mild cooked green. In fact I will testify that raw, it tastes better than arugula. But then again so does just about everything. Its already about 8 inches tall, looks like it will be a good harvest, with plenty to share with my numerous neighbors who hail from the subcontinent, who call this weed "buthwa" and cook it as an ingredient in "saag". Apparently the "Eat the Weeds" guy has a similar idea.

And why do onions grown from sets always bolt on me? Why?

Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. That trash can is my homemade compost tumbler. It is now almost full of equal amounts of kitchen scraps and fruit flies. It is now banished from the patio. Pakman has forbidden any further composting activities effective immediately, and has promised to buy me as much bagged compost from the garden center as my heart desires. I think he has a fruit fly phobia.