It’s May and I don’t like it. I don’t like this whole “passage of time” schtick and I won’t allow it.
Time seems to keep moving on despite my feelings on the matter- so here’s a random assortment of stuff that I’ve been doing in April that I’ve only got to posting about now.
(Unfortunately lots more that this- but these are the things I took decent photography of so no whining.)
First things first I’m branching off into flowers. Specifically calla Lilies- and more specifically the fancy ass ones.
Why? Well, last year and the beginning of this one were brutal and cruel and I’d like some more beauty in my life. I’ve always somewhat performatively preferred function over form, but sometimes you just want to grow something stunning. Also just because my mom is allergic to a lot of flowers doesn’t mean she’s allergic to all of them and happily calla lilies are on the ok list.
I remember them in the garden when I was a child. They’d pop up periodically from the many bulbs seeded by the houses prior owners. Those were the practically wild white varieties- these are black and red specifically and I really hope they bloom.
But the star of the show right now is my enormous early squash. No fruit yet- but forming. It’s my favorite too- the heirloom Costata Romanesco. I have high hopes. I’m trying it in a pot this year with rich soil and in a few days I’m gonna stake him for vertical growth. I see zucchini in my future.
My repeatedly futile or semi-futile plan to have sweet peppers in my garden continues into year 3. These are a 6-pack of Hungarian wax peppers- a type that can vary in spiciness depending on the heat of the area they are grown in. Cool summers should mean a nice pickling pepper. If we have a scorcher- I can make surprise paprika.
I also have some summer kale going, and my favorite edible flower green- shungiku! (or crown daisy in Chinese cuisine)
I likes what I like.
I’m also starting to dig and plant my potato beds because I like nothing more than a tuber. Stay tuned for more on that score- I just like that I got to use the old pitchfork.
After years of failed sages- I once again have some robust plants going- so I’ve decided to focus on the other supposedly easy to grow herb that keeps randomly deciding to be one with the god of decay- thyme. I have a few nice plants going, and fingers crossed I’ll have a thicket soon.
Speaking of flowers- year 2 of my pot of salvia and anise hyssop had returned with a vengeance- unbowed by winter. That’s nice.
Now here’s the problem. Ignore the tarragon- it’s the tomatoes that are the problem. I started my tomato seeds early this year- knowing how many just don’t germinate and therefore over sowing.
Nearly every single one came up and thrived.
I guess I have tomatoes in my future.
The Neanderthal Gardens 
Black and red callas?! I still believe that the big monga white sorts are the best, and they happen to be the easiest to grow. I mean, that is why they naturalize there. The black and red sorts take a bit more effort. They are certainly worth it if you like the color. We have only three at work, yellow, pink and red. They were not my idea. I got a dragon lily here too, but it smells horrid!