Ecola State Park, coastal Oregon.

Day trip, needed some perspective.  

Raspberries

This raspberry (Summit) is in its 3rd year. It was included in a shipment from Raintree Nursery, starting with a single 1 foot tall cane.

As an "everbearing" it bears 2 crops - one in May-June, one in Aug-Sept. There were about 2 quarts overall earlier this summer; if last year is an indication there will be a bit more this fall.

These never make it into the kitchen. I eat them off the plant.

I have another variety, Fallgold which is also 'everbearing', and has larger, juicier yellow berries. These are very sweet. I dont know which one I like more - probably, the one that I am eating at the time.

I grow this bramble as a shrub, like a rosebush. I don't need a long row - this "shrub" is enough for two people. The garden "footprint" is about 4 square feet (2 feet by 2 feet). Each year, I add a few inches of compost to the soil surface around the bramble. In early Summer a bark chip mulch is added to the soil surface on top of the compost. They don't get any other fertilizer, and no sprays at all. They are surrounded by an edging to hold in the mulch and provide a slightly raised bed, although some canes have spread beyond the edging. These can be easily removed with a pruning shear.

Maintenance is minimal. Once a cane has completed its crop, it is pruned off at the base (I removed the 2nd crop canes last week). In the fall, when bearing stops, the bearing portion of the cane is removed, leaving the lower portion for next year. That's all for the pruning.

Raspberries were eaten in Troy (Western Turkey) by the ancient Greeks. The Romans spread them through Europe. They were enjoyed by European royalty, and byalso native Amercans prior to the presence of Europeans on this continent. There are varieties native to Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Global Warming

Scary stuff.

Four local fig trees

Here are 4 fig trees along the route to work. I dont know the varieties. Once I start looking, I see them everywhere.

Heliotrope, Bike log, Tomato time.

This is a heliotrope that overwintered accidentally. The pot went into the garage while cleaning the yard. It stayed dry all winter. It was brought back out when cleaning the garage. It started growing and here it is. It has been fed some compost, and now watered regularly. This winter maybe it will be overwintered intentionally.

The scents and fragrances make the garden a great place to putter. There is usually something during the entire growing season. The strongest ones now are lilies, heliotrope, lavender, and rosemary. Some basil and mint as well.

Bike: 60 miles this week. Varying the route to keep it interesting. Avoiding traffic when possible. I like checking on yards. There are quite a few fig trees around town, many with ripening fruit. Also, quite a few yards and tree spaces with ginkgos. Many yards have gone brown for the summer - either more people are thinking about water conservation, or just lazy about watering.

Shared tomatoes are popular at work. Lemon boy is producing enough to start sharing. Cherokee purple - great tasting, not that many tomatoes yet. I get a small cucumber about every 3rd day. The cool thing about trying new vegetables in the garden is that I eat things that I would rarely buy, like the cukes.

Plan for tomorrow:

Big-time homework day (arrgghhhh). Set aside to time for fig and tomato check for blog. Maybe bike to different work location to catch up some paperwork there in the afternoon, weather permitting.