This first picture is of a bumble bee, busy pollinating clover.(Having problems seeing it? Look at the flower to left of the middle.)
I've been dreaming of Greek salad ever since I started the tomatoes from seed inside in February. That dream is soon to be a reality!Above, cucumbers have set on.
These are an heirloom tomato, called Black Cherry. As the name implies, they are a cherry tomato that is "black", which is really a dark red-purple.
This is also an heirloom variety. It was free seed sent to me when I ordered the other seeds. It is called Cuor di Bue and is an Italian tomato for fresh eating. I will probably use it for slicing, for Greek salad, and will try canning with it.
Next are Yellow Pear tomatoes. These are the only tomatoes I am growing this year that I didn't start from seed. I forgot to order the seed and by the time I remembered it was April. I was afraid the seedlings wouldn't be big enough to transplant in time, so I bought a single plant from the Ace Hardware down the street. The following photo is also of Yellow Pear; the plant is LOADED with little green tomatoes.
Not all of the tomatoes have set on yet. This is a shot of one of the Amish Paste plants. These are similar to Roma tomatoes and are used for sauces and tomato paste. Lots of flowers = lots of tomatoes = lots of paste and sauce to use in the winter!
This is a kohlrabi plant. They are from the Brassica family, which also includes broccoli, cauliflower and the like. It grows above ground, but is a root vegetable. I eat them when they are slightly smaller than softballs. I peel the tough outer skin off and then shave them, or slice them julienne and put them in salads. Very crunchy, the texture of an apple, but the flavor is similar to broccoli.
This is a Chinese Red Meat radish, which is also referred to as a Watermelon radish because when they are sliced the outer edge is pale green and the inside is a vibrant red-pink. They are sweeter than typical radishes and aren't supposed to be eaten until rather large- 4" diameter. Not all of mine have gotten that big because it got so hot. They can also be planted in the fall, supposedly with better results because they have a tendency to bolt.
Last but not least, the Castor Beans. I planted these in with the vegetables. Moles found my raised beds earlier this spring and uprooted a lot of stuff. Mom used to plant Castor Beans to keep moles away, so I'm trying it. They are very poisonous to humans though; the entire plant contains a poison called Ricin which I've seen on a "top 10 deadliest poisons list" in the past.
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