I mentioned a few posts back that I was letting last year’s kale bolt this spring, in hopes of figuring out where the seeds develop. When I wrote that, I think I kind of had an idea that I would be picking the tiny black seeds out of the little yellow flowers with tweezers. I examined the flowers again and again, and I could not for the life of me figure out where those seeds were.  

But then yesterday, I was outside, examining my kale forest, which has grown gangly and unruly. The stalks keep getting longer and longer, pushing out more and more little yellow flowers as they grow up, and leaving behind what looks like a green porcupine…and that’s when it hit me. Those long, slim, pointy green things that I’ve been staring dumbly at for days now are seed pods! I pulled one off and slit it open, and though the seeds were still in development, they were pale green and soft, they are, nonetheless (going to be) seeds.  

Check it out! Who knew?????  

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My first novel, Big Work, is available as an e-book on Amazon, Smashwords and B&N.com. I am expecting the print version to be available in the next two weeks. For more information visit my website. 

When I first started gardening like I mean it, about five years ago, I did not expect to start to enjoy reading gardening books. The ones I like best are the ones that tell the most personal stories of trial and error, triumph and perseverance, while at the same time offering up some practical advice. Which is exactly what I found in this little gem of an e-book, The Philosophy of Slow Vegetable Gardening by Peter Hadley. Mr. Hadley gardens in Australia, which is interesting enough in and of itself. I found his ideas of acheiving self-sufficiency one vegetable at a time to be both encouraging and inspirational, plus I picked up a few tips that were so exciting to me that I had to put the Kindle to sleep and trot on out to my own garden to make it happen, like planting pumpkins amongst my potatoes.

Don't have an e-book reader? Don't need one. You can download it and read it right on your computer, and it only costs 99 cents - a heck of a bargain, and a lot less than I would have to pay for my halloween pumpkin.

This is going to be the year that the pumpkin comes out of my own back yard!