Still have lettuces!

Is it tempting fate to show how the lettuces and squash are doing at the community garden? So be it. I tempt fate.

Compost fixes everything

Finally, finally one of my compost tumblers finished cooking the leaves and weeds, and finally I emptied it. So today I brought over a couple more bags of compost to my community garden plot, and the most important “finally” is that the whole plot has a layer of compost on it. The best part is […]

Starting to pick more raspberries

Both black and red raspberries are ripening now. I like the flavor of the black ones more, but growing them has turned out to be a bit of a pain.

Small carpenter bees everywhere

The Eastern Carpenter bees have tiny little cousins, called naturally enough, the Small Carpenter Bees. Instead of digging into wood, the Small Carpenter bee nests in a broken or cut stem, adding cell after cell, forming a row of larvae. When she gets to the end, she builds a cell for herself and there she […]

Our community garden has hawks!

The sky was grey when I visited my community garden plot today. It was still hot, but a bit of a relief from the blazing sun of the last three days. The wind rising provided more relief and a promise of thunderstorms later tonight. But I had a couple things to do before the rain […]

Carpenter Bee on patrol

Right about when the bumblebees show up, the Carpenter bees come out too. Bumblebees are placid, fuzzy fellows that take no notice of you. While they look like extra large bumblebee, the Eastern Carpenter Bees have a shiny tail, and the males will get in your face, and tell you in no uncertain terms to […]

Miner bees are where it begins

National Pollinator Week officially began yesterday, so that’s my excuse for doubly belatedly posting about the bees that have emerged so far this spring. Spring begins with bumblebee queens hunting for a sheltered spot to build a new nest. On sunny days, honeybees come out to forage and replenish their stores as winter ends. And the […]

I don’t think I’ll be harvesting much lettuce

The plants in my community garden plot are kind of a mixed bag. On the plus side, the soil is a really good starting medium. I’ve got lots of tiny turnip sprouts and cilantro sprouts, and burgeoning daikon sprouts. I sowed some old parsnip and carrot seed, not expecting anything to come up (those are […]

Just picked a raspberry!

It may have been too soon, as the berry was a tad sour, but it’s a raspberry!

Are you ready for raspberries?

No matter how you might be feeling, time marches on. Plants grow, birds frolic, bees pollinate, and fruit ripens. I’m still picking strawberries, and already raspberries are showing their first bit of color. Last year I was surprised by raspberries right around Fourth of July. This year, they’re even sooner. Two weeks early, just like […]