The summer in Maine has very little margin for error for growing tomatoes. A cool summer can leave us with a lot of unripened green fruit by the end of the season. We did pick a few of our first tomatoes this week, but many of our plants are still in bloom. Click on the image for a larger view. (While tomato flowers attract the usual pollinators you except to see, we were surprised to see our hummingbirds feeding from them.)
Category Archives: Life at Home
Blackberries in July
The blackberries are fruiting. It is far too early to harvest, but it looks like this year’s crop will be bountiful, unlike last year. Click on the image for a larger view.
June Forest
Our forest takes a richness this time of year that is striking. It was only about a month ago the foliage started to return. But now, the greens are deep. The foliage claims what was empty space. In summer, while most of the world is in light, the forest is in shadow. Click on the image for a larger view.
Virginia Spiderwort
Virginia Spiderwort, Tradescantia virginians, is found throughout the eastern US. The leaves, young shoots, and flowers are edible—raw or cooked. Native Americans ground the leaves into a poultice for insect bites. Our garden has this plant growing wild with blue, pink, and the rarer white blossoms.
Not all spiderworts are edible, there are about 75 species. Some are toxic for cats or dogs. Click on the image for a larger view.
The Garden Returns
While the weather has been cool, our garden is starting to come to life. The plum and apple trees have blossomed and they are starting to bear fruit. Our grapes are just putting out their buds. Click on the image for a larger view.
Wind Resistance 2
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Wind Resistance
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Riot of Spring
After the long steady state of winter, spring is almost violent in its excess. Our apple trees are all in bloom. This tree we call Ren-chan. She bares fruit biennially. It looks like this year she will be very productive. Click on the image for a larger view.
Metamorphosis
About two weeks ago, our wild plum was full of white blossoms. Now, the foliage has emerged and the flowers have taken a deep pink hue. It will not be long before the blossoms are gone. Spring is such a dynamic season. Click on the image for a larger view.
Fern, Interrupted
Interrupted fern, Osmunda claytoniana, is common in throughout Maine—this specimen being in our forest. The dark green leaves in the center of the stalk are not actually leaves, but sporangia, spore-bearing structures. Continue reading
