Karen Burch

Winter Sowing Success

Interesting double Japanese White Dandelion

Interesting double Japanese White Dandelion-side view

I finally got some stubborn lettuce and kale seeds to sprout after what felt like an endless wait. I thought the seeds were bad, but no, they just needed winter sowing. As I tended to my little garden, I noticed this abandoned bird’s nest in one of the shrubs, a testament to the passage of time and the cycles of nature around me.

The Japanese white dandelions are blooming again, brightening the landscape with cool white, and to my surprise, I found a double bloom, a rarity I have never seen before. It’s amazing how nature continues to reassure me with its beauty and resilience as the seasons change and occasionally puzzles me with an oddity.

Update in Hiiros Tomatoes

Vegetable gardening

It looks like they are a hybrid because I have two distinct forms of tomatoes growing in my greenhouse. One variety features multiple small, oval-shaped tomatoes that cluster together, creating a string of fruit. In contrast, the other variety yields fewer but larger, round tomatoes. The differences in their shapes and sizes make me wonder how they will taste. Time will tell!