The Friday Mulch

A boysenberry, fairly ripe. Yum.

Christian Science Monitor has a personal account of community gardening in Chicago.

Eight foods that MAY make you look younger says the hype. Tomatoes are on the list. All I know is that I can't wait for my tomatoes to ripen, and that certainly isn't helping me look younger.

Three community gardens win awards for outstanding garden, all amazing gardens who more than gives back to their community.

So Miracle-Gro is sponsoring community gardens.  What does that look like in reality? Here is an example in Los Angeles, more specifically Boyle Heights. Surprisingly, it is not a Round-Up ready garden; rather, it is all organic. There is hope, people!

Around the Blogs
I'm so partial to kangaroo rats. Here's why at Camissonia's Corner.

Fresh from the garden potatoes are such a delicacy, I think a quiet secret amongst veggie gardeners. I see we've got potatoes developing in Japan and in England.

I haven't tried this nut recipe but it sure sounds good.

A lesson in phenotypic variability, courtesy of the Madia plant.

I'm also partial to photos about fawns, a double dose cuteness over at Curbstone Valley Farm. I guess it's that time of the year.

Tomato update

No change from last week, these Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes. I think they aren't going to grow in size anymore.

Sungold tomatoes. No photo of the plant today but it is growing like the plant from the Little Shop of Horrors without the teeth.

The one Momotaro tomato. Surprised to see its rapid growth.

Last week's Momotaro tomato.

New: a Black Krim tomato.

The Friday Mulch

This sunny tomato flower comes from my Black Krim. No tomatoes yet, however.

Promising efforts in response to the high demand for community gardens in Santa Cruz County

Tips on avoiding injuries while gardening, to which I would add one thing: be sure to get your tetanus shot! I know that was the first thing I did when I got my garden plot.

Helps to know a bit about companion planting, a must especially in space-challenged plots like mine. I like to plant basil with tomatoes though my challenge is to make sure the basil is able to get enough sun. Tomatoes are such sun hungry beasts!

A site devoted to getting kids involved in gardening. I like it's developmental approach.

Two stories in one in this article on gardening in Canada: the first story is about how the First Nation gardened, the second about a couple in modern times.

Around The Blogs
Curbstone Valley announces the birth of their resident goldfinches and flycatchers. Lovely baby pix to be had for all to ooh and aah over.

Town Mouse spends quality time at Tassajara with photos for proof, which makes me want to go also one day. On my bucket list.

Mark's Veg Plot celebrates the first chili of the year and more.

Exquisite shots of May blooms at the garden-roof coop, complete with one very unusual (to me) wildflower called the Two-Flowered Cynthia 'Krigia biflora', a North American native.

Root Simple on Terrence McKenna's quote about creating your own culture. As I don't watch TV much, the exception being So You Think You Can Dance, I find the absence of TV leaves a vacuum easily filled with too many other activities: reading, cooking, crafting.

Thyme in the window

Grown from seed in the window, a few thyme seedlings straggle. I haven't much luck with herbs in general so I'm happy to see them still growing. I think it's time to repot them.
Oh and the larger one in the back is a pepper, the only one that germinated of the batch.  

Tomato update

Update on the first tomatoes to form in my garden.I don't know exactly what they are because this plant started as a volunteer but I'm guessing Japanese Black Trifele because of the fruit morphology and leaves.

My Sungold cherry tomatoes this week.

I think this is the year of the Japanese Black Trifele in my garden. I started this plant from seed.

Spied the first Momotaro. This is one of my favorite hybrid tomato plants. It does 'just okay' in our foggy summer clime but I try to grow it every year anyway.