Figs are looking good!

Brebas on Petite Negri. There are about a dozen, all looking plump. Most usually fall off, we'll see if they do this year. I pruned back most branches that don't have brebas, to keep the tree size small.

Similar to Petite Negri, this is Lattarula. Same breba and pruning comments.

I don't know what I'll do with it, but this is the Sals' fig that I gave up on and left the dead looking stick in the ground for a couple of years. Last year it took off and grew. I potted it up, and here is is now. I think I'll continue to grow it in container.

Petite negri in container. This was the specimen that I grafted last year. The scions did not take, and I cut off those sections.

Kitchen Garden Log. Tomatoes

I added 3 more "Wall-o-water" units, planting almost the last of the tomatoes. One Supersweet-100, one Lemon Boy, and one Black Truffle. There is still one Black Truffle remaining to plant later.

A view inside the WOW. This tomato plant has doubled in size since being planted - 2 weeks ago? See prior entry. inside running high 60s on most days, and when I check in the am.


Another WOW-sheltered tomato. Almost too big now for the enclosure.

Kitchen Garden Log. Container gardens

The containers are doing great. I've been eating salads from the greens, lots of radishes and scallions. Carrots didn't grow.

Radishes and mesclun. These were "hail white radish". Very punguent, exactly the right size and readiness now. When pulled up, the mesclun will fill in a little better.

I filled the potting soil up to the top. When they grow a bit further, I'll come up with some kind of extension and add more.

The second potato planter, planted later. See earlier entries. This is not as far along. That's good, it will space out the harvest.


This barrel still has some mesclun, mostly lettuce, and a few scallions. Planted one little eggplant from Fred Meyer.

This barrel now done with the first mesclun, lettuce, and radishes. I pulled out the daikon - long and skinny, didn't work out. Planted a fe radish seeds, cherry belle which seems to grow small leaves. Because of the peppers, I'm covering it at night.

Lettuce is done, radishes (white icecycle) are done. I didnt like the white icecycle as much as hailstone and cherry belle. Those two were my favorites, then French breakfast. Spinach is almost done - it turned out very well. The peppers are yellow banana pepper and a yellow bell pepper, from Fred Meyer. I think they will be OK, the barrels are warmer than the ground.

Orchid Vuylstekeara Aloha Sparks "Pacific Flame"

Vuylstekeara is a novogenus, consisting of contributions from 3 oncidium alliance genera, Cochlioda, Miltonia, and Odontoglossum. It was created by Belgian Charles Vuylsteke in 1912, although this is a newer hybrid. These are considered cooler growing, so should do well in my house. Instructions also state to grow in filtered light. Some Vuylstekeara are also called Cambria.

Charles Vuylsteke Google translation of article from Dutch here. The awkward automated translations are charming, here is part of the translation: "This cultivar had everything to succeed. Not only answered this orchid to the demand of the market but he also had a name that one could speak, or at least the second portion thereof. The word "Cambria", a name given to all brothers and sisters of "Plush", is so easy to pronounce the name Vuylstekeara quick omitted. Worse yet, eventually called the dealers all hybrids of Odontoglossum Cambria's. There is nothing scientific to this name, it gives the goosebumps orchidofielen but Cambria is so good in the mouth! "
As usual, I repotted and gave a neem treatment on getting this plant home. The original pot was too big, so I stepped it down to a smaller pot. I don't have "ventillated" pots in the small size, so used a clay pot.

The close-up shows why I liked this specimen. The blood-red is set of by bright yellow. The flower form is nicely shaped, no "spidery" petals, which I don't care for. In addition, I'm not crazy about the "pansy" Miltonias, which look too much like pansys (duh). Somehow, it all came together in this hybrid.

The 19th century lithographs, below, represent genera but may not be the correct species, that contributed to Vuylstekeara. If I can narrow it down more accurately, I'll change as appropriate. These are South American species, such as Columbia and Venezuela. These are from my usual source, recently, Wikimedia commons.

Cochlioda noezliana This might be a good guess as a grandparent: "Cochlioda noezliana ~ One of the last species of the genus to be discovered and cultivated, (in 1891), it has small bright red orange flowers, with a disc of golden yellow on the callus of the lip and a violet-purple column...It blooms in winter or spring." also " tend to grow at medium to high altitudes in the Andes mountains of northern Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. In these highland cloud forests humidity is typically high and nights are cool, perhaps around 45°-50°F...usually grow as epiphytes, but are often found with roots growing in moss, and occasionally, in gravelly soil..." "Cochlioda are probably most renowned for their contribution of bright red, orange, scarlet and pink hues to various Odontoglossum hybrids. (Cochlioda noezliana is especially important in this regard.) The genus Cochlioda was established by Lindley in 1853"

Miltonia spectabilis

Odontoglossum luteopurpureum

Kitchen Garden & To Do List

Checked the "Wall-o-water" temperature at 8am today. Inside the WOW at ground level, the temp was 58F. My outdoor thermometer was reading 45F at the same time. Seems to keep them quite a bit warmer. Yesterday inside the WOW the temp was 76, it was an overcast day. I didn't check the ambient temp at the time.

Today I should repot the little peppers and eggplants into larger containters. They are outgrowing their tiny pudding cups.

That's about all on "to do". I have too much work homework.


In keeping with the theme of 19th century Orchid lithographs, but nothing to do with today's post, here is Dendrobium bellatum.