Office Pepper 2013

I elected to overwinter one pepper plant this winter, a mild “hot pepper” variety called ‘Trinidad Perfume’ (I purchased mine from Solana Seeds.) And wouldn’t you know it the darned thing up and made a little fruit. It’s a teeny, weeny jewel of a thing — barely worth a mention, really. But it is orange and it glistens in the sun (when we have sun) and right about now it’s about the most charming thing around.

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Herbaria (October 5, 2012)

When I began this project, I set a parameter that allowed me to repeat a specific plant as long as a different stage in its development through the changing seasons was depicted. For example, I have included Columbine meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegiifolium) twice: early in the season when it was in bloom and in August once the seeds had matured.

As the weeks pass with this project I have found it harder and harder to recall which plants and parts I have already photographed. When I get a chance I will sit down and put together a master list, but until then I find that each week, before I begin to assemble a box, I need to go through all of the images I have taken so far and re familiarize myself with what has and hasn’t been covered.

This system worked until the week of October 5, when I discovered that I had accidentally repeated ‘Vanilla Ice’ Sunflower, a plant that first appeared on September 21. Oh well, mistakes happen. At least I presented it differently the second time around.

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Herbaria (September 3, 2012)

Again you are looking at last week’s photo, shot just before I took off for a road trip to teach a workshop at Margaret Roach’s garden in the Berkshires. The garden was fairly unruly and overgrown before I left, but nothing like it is right now. Total mayhem! I’m not exaggerating. Even the dog doesn’t know what to make of the obstacle course out back.

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Herbaria (August 31, 2012)

The hot peppers are in their prime, the late season tomatoes are ripening faster than I can use them, the sun is setting earlier in the evening (no more gardening until 10pm) and even the tomatillos are not far now. All of the hallmarks of the September garden have arrived. I am trying my best this year to enjoy it as-is without fretting about summer’s end.

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Herbaria (July 13, 2012)

Once again work deadlines have pushed last week’s Herbaria into this week. Still, I was sure to take the photograph last week — it just took me until this week to do the write-up.

This collection marks the 8th box that I have done so far. I figured it was high time to write up an F.A.Q for those who were not around for box #1. You’ll it at the end of this post.

Tomatoes dominated my attention last week. We enjoyed our first two varieties, and I was sure to document the occasion by adding them to the box. Each week I take care to choose plants that stand out in the garden or that have a short lifespan and will not be around by the next week. While my garden may be small, I have packed it full of so many things that it isn’t easy to keep track and I find as the weeks go on I have to refer back to old boxes to be sure that I wasn’t repeating myself or missing something important. I am now finding that despite my diligence some things have fallen through the cracks. My blueberry harvest is one example. The bushes were full of fruit just a few weeks ago, but I have since missed their season. Here’s hoping I don’t miss anything else of importance moving forward.

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