I have wanted to get a photo of this Jack In The Pulpit just to show how magnificent it is. We have a lot of them in shady areas where we encourage ferns, plant hosta, and other ornamental plants. I just fine this one impressive, and Phoebe is cute too.
Baby Violet is still growing just fine. <grin>
This is a stinging nettle crown.
I have dug out over 20 gallons of these from the area which was underneath the brush pile we worked through burning the other week, and the area behind the compost pile, between it and the fence the property behind us has bordering our yard. I am glad to be reclaiming the area. Nettles are good for you, either for eating, or in teas, and I really do not want my yard full of them. I am perfectly happy gathering them in other areas. They do not bother me too much, but my girls and wife go on like they have been stung by a hundred hornets when they brush up against them.
Michelle Grannes came by with a pink hat for Baby Violet, a flat of tomatoes for me, and dinner things for all of us. After just being around the house and getting a tour of the garden, she, Patti and the rest of the girls went out for the afternoon looking for garage sales, and ended up at a park for the kids to play at.
I kept working in the garden for a while after they left. This beetle decided to land on my shirt for a moment. Was striking enough in color, and large enough to get a pretty good photo of it.
One of the tomato types Michelle brought me was Caspian Pink. She makes grow cups out of newspaper and it works pretty slick. The roots grow out of the sides of the paper, but you can still read the types which were written with a Sharpie Marker on the sides.
This is a different plant, same type, just with the paper removed to show how they were not root bound at all, which my plants tend to be. I have to cut up or unravel the roots before I plant mine. No issue with her’s of that kind.
So a nice row of 4 Caspian Pink tomatoes are now behind the compost pile.
I figured out how to take a photo of the grape bud clusters. Just put my hand behind one. This variety is Bluebell.
Top view of one of my F4 Terhune/Joe Lauerer tomato crosses. They all look good, and are starting to show some buds, but no flowers yet.
Another photo of one of the crosses, but a different plant.
Overall I got a lot done today. Michelle took care of dinner for me, and I even got a nap in for a couple of hours while the girls were all out of the house. After dinner was done, and Michelle had gone home, I worked slowly in the garden until darkness convinced me to quit for the day. Total was pretty high as far as volume of plants: 24 Siberian peppers, 4 Caspian Pink tomatoes, 4 Summertime Gold tomatoes, 6 Czech Bush tomatoes, and 8 more basil. Total tomatoes in my yard here is now 90, and I have 72 at the Minnetonka garden, for a grand total of 162 so far. Not a record for me, and while there are going to be some more going into the Minnetonka garden, I am still going to be below 200 tomatoes for the season. Not bad all things considered though.
