Just a friendly reminder to spread yer compost a tad earlier...like before sub 32°f/0°c temperatures... The Gotch

My most recent birth. By 7:00 this morning when I checked on the chrysalis this newbie had just emerged. Welcome to the world!

You're a great midwife!

One month removed from the previous photos.

I’ve harvested some lettuce, first clipped lower leaves, but now some whole heads of Buttercrunch. Planting more lettuce in its wake.

Harvest a little of the tuscan kale, napa cabbage and spinach. Brussels sprouts seem to be doing fairly well. I see little sprouts on them and they are still adding height. The semi miniature Stonehead cabbage are heading nicely. The much bigger all seasons cabbage variety is heading up also. Looks like the stonehead cabbage will be ready in a couple of weeks. Big flathead cabbage is also forming heads.

I need to pick some bok choi soon.

Something, a squirrel, got into the carrots and disrupted a few by burying an acorn.

The Indian blanket was a volunteer or something. I don’t remember planting any.

Your stuff's looking really great, K! Beautiful color on them. I'm doing Stonehead too as they're just right for two people. There's one out there now that's ready.

I've never seen the oxalis, aka wood sorrel, bloom so early in the year. It can be invasive and take over an area quickly but I leave it alone because at this time of year flowers for pollinators can be scarce, unless the gardener makes an effort to grow flowers and shrubs that will bloom at this time of year or at least "hang on" from the summer and fall.

Note the empty monarch chrysalis on the hair of the garden statuary.

This happened a little while ago. The chrysalis turns from green to very dark to totally transparent. After that things happen very fast.

Immediately after the butterfly is out of the chrysalis it pumps fluid from its very large abdomen into the wings.

@SpookyShoe
Those sure are NICE pictures

Simply amazing @SpookyShoe .

Stunning!

One of the pictures is very blurry because the butterfly literally fell out of the chrysalis. His legs were still inside so he was able to hold on I guess.

Wife's cousin (cousin-in-law?) brought his drone over. Nice pic of the whole garden in the off-season, and can see winter tomatoes against the house.

Two future monarchs decided to build their chrysalises on a Christmas cactus in a pot. The caterpillar hanging in the iconic j shape will build its chrysalis sometime today.

Twelve Tomato and 23 pepper sets. Amana Orange, Black Krim, Hoy, Japanese Black Trifele, Sun Gold, Dragon’s Eye, Kellogg’s Breakfast, Giant Syrian, Pineapple on the tomatoes.
Peppers, Greek and Italian Pepperocini, Shishito, Jimmy Nardello, and a few others.

Thought I would give these all little drink of collected rainwater and some fresh air for the next couple of warmish days. Going back inside Wednesday evening with the return of the cold weather.

A little fun in the sun and great outdoors for the tomato and pepper sets. Good opportunity to water and feed a bit also as everything was on the verge of the wilt.

My goal is to make it to February 14th with the 10 biggest tomatoes, then I’ll put them in the ground. Soil temperature closing in on 60° in the 10 slot new raised bed I plan on putting these. Will continue to bring these outside until then, although they might have to go back in at night. Sort of rolling the dice a bit, but no guts, no glory.

I’ll wait another 2-4 weeks before putting any more tomatoes in. That’s the plan.

The first ten are as follows
2 orange —-Amana Orange x2
2 dark —- Japanese Black Trifele, Black Krim
2 Bi-Color — Dragon’s Eye, Pineapple
3 Pink — Hoy, 1884, Gregori’s Altai
1 Red — Carmello.

16 tomato sets in the raised beds. More tomatoes and peppers in the wings awaiting their turn. Might do as little as 7 or as much as 16 more tomatoes in a few weeks. Got more room to work with this year. Good time of year here.

One 9’x16’ bed planted. Pole beans, bush beans, cucumbers, Zucchini and Yellow squash.
Various Tomato and pepper Sets awaiting their turn.

Will Japanese Black Trifele be first to flower and set fruit? I don’t know. Looks promising. Pineapple isn’t too far behind.

Some of these early buds lack the horsepower to do much.

Signs of spring...

Apricot Beauty tulips and daffodils in grow bags. Chinese ground orchid. Carolina jessamine.