In The Garden

Downtown is bustling with activities and events but I have to admit, my backyard is where I want to be, doing nothing but watching things grow. - Fern

The Miracle of Rebirth

This is the closest I'll get to an Easter theme this year but I think it's a fitting one. Last fall I planted garlic bulbs in my garden and slowly over the winter they have emerged from the soil until today they stand tall and positively glowing green. I know it's not anything unusual really but to me, it's trully amazing. - Fern

Lonely Tomatillo

Here's an attractive plant from our backyard garden this year. It's especially popular in Mexico and Mexican cooking and is called a Tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica). Ours grew into a large healthy plant and bloomed profusely but inside those lovely lantern-like pods there are very few fruit. Now I discover from Wikipedia that the tomatillo is very "self-incompatible", meaning that it doesn't like to pollinate itself so there should be at least two plants for it to set fruit properly.

The Garden

Fern planted a vegetable garden this year and whether it is the long hot spell we had or the generous layer of compost she used I don't know, but the tomato plants are gigantic and loaded with tomatoes so delicious that there is no comparison with the tasteless red styrofoamy things that go by the same name in the supermarkets.