Saturday stroll

I have one! Finally, I have one.  I can't wait!!!

Container garden tomato -- first one!

And I have no idea what kind of tomato this is.  Sigh.  My kitties, though I love them, played with my markers when I put my seed trays out to harden.  Now as my tomatoes are growing it will be so exciting to finally see what they are.  

[Update: this is a Moskovich early tomato.  Now I really can't wait to taste the first one.]

The pole beans are growing so fast that I need to figure out how to make a bigger trellis for the driveway container garden.  The good news is that I am hoping this means we will have lots of tender purple beans to eat.

Cosse Violetta Pole Bean vine

Our wild blueberries are beginning to ripen.  Each year I have gotten a handful and the birds have gotten the rest.  Not this year.  I broke down and bought netting.  I am thinking blueberry preserves, blueberry frozen yogurt, blueberry pie.  Yep, those are MY blueberries.  Lest you think the birds will be starving, there are at least 40 other bushes scattered around our property that the birds can feast on.  The 7 or so bushes at the edge of the yard are for people.

Netted wild blueberries already ripening

I have one lone kale plant.  I planted at least 20 seeds and one germinated.  Boy is it tough getting plants to grow from seed here in Connecticut. Where I come from in the south you put a seed in the ground and have fresh veggies in a week.  Okay, not quite, but 3-5 days for germination on most (except parsley and carrots which must go to hell and back before germinating according to old wives' tales).  Most of the plants that I started indoors are doing wonderfully, but a lot of what I sowed directly in the ground did not come up (not counting the lettuce and spinach which do beautifully) without multiple sowings.  I'll need to figure out if there is a way to increase the germination rate of seeds.  Probably just wait until June 1st to plant anything.  But I'm impatient! 

Bumblebee

This was an accidental capture.  It isn't super amazing but it is kind of amazing.  I felt like a nature photographer when I saw this shot.  Too bad I was using an $80 camera.  

Bumblebee partaking of Evening Primrose

This is a bumble bee that was feasting on my evening primrose.  There were actually several partaking with my blessing.  I just envisioned all of those wonderful evening primrose seeds I was going to harvest.


Not sure if this is the same bee pictured above, but this one seemed drunk on evening primrose nectar.  He also didn't seem to care one whit whether I watched or not.  He was determined and focused.  I admire that.