Summer's coming
The veggie beds are shaded in the morning by Natchez crepe myrtle in full bloom.
Crepe myrtle is buzzing with dozens of bees.
The fruit is so dense on this patio tomato that I missed the fact that there was a tomato ripening.
Now, this is just rude! Somebody took a couple of bites and left the rest for the ants.
Time to pull up the dill! Might try to transfer the ladybug larvae to other aphid-y areas (like the mojito mint).
The fennel has been a great host
To swallowtail caterpillars like these (a couple of months back)
Yesterday was the first time to harvest the bulbs (my sister cooked them with lentils and sausage: delicious!), and they had multiplied. A lot. The bulb on the left is actually 6 inches high (the white part), but most of the others are small.
And it looks like there's a least one more round of caterpillars before summer sets in.
Cherokee Purple tomatoes are a little easier to spot...hoping I get one before the bandit gets them.
A new potted arrangement: dwarf beans from seed, dwarf blue corn, purple basil & an exotic version of bachelor button (not blooming at the moment).
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7 comments:
Your garden is thriving! We had some of the same caterpillars but they disappeared one day. I hope your turn into butterflies. Your fennel dish sounded delicious, by the way.
I have yet to see any swallowtail butterflies, but I have seen many fat caterpillars. Maybe they're flitting in someone else's garden..hope they come back to visit.
The garden's looking good. I have chocolate fennel. Do you know if it will taste different than regular?
Hmm, I haven't heard of chocolate fennel, just bronze and Florence. And I've never tasted the bronze, although there are several around the yard...never quite know what to do with fennel leaves while cooking.
Oh my goodness, you grew fennel bulbs. I adore fennel but it is always so expensive. Did you buy the plants or grow from seed? Isn't it annoying when critters just snack and move on. So far nothing has eaten my tomatoes and the crop is poor this year so I hope they don't come by. I love your little poppy emblem at the top of oyur blog.
Thanks on the poppy emblem! I grew the bulb fennel from transplant (4" pot) planted sometime in the fall; with just 2 small veg beds, I like to give some things a head start that way. And a friend told me you can cut the bulb all the way to the base to harvest, and it'll grow back...I'll have to try that next fall. Hope the critters keep ignoring your tomatoes!
Your fennel looks great! We have a similar "bandit" / Bad squirrel in our garden. Ours will remove the green maters, take a single bite and throw them on the ground. Ugh! He might enter the "relocation program" soon:)
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