berries and more stolons

there are three distinct berry patches in the yard...one by the back fence...another towards the center with the rye and alfalfa...and another on the north side by the onions and mashua ( and, soon, the site of another bed of the new variety that is on the way )...in all three new and much larger berries are appearing ( first thrpough fifth phot )...at least 1/2" in diameter or bigger ( not much bigger however...they are not as big as domesticated berries...there is no artificial selection going on here ...yet...the new plants are going to be an attempt at creating a more flavorful berry for Jean )..i am relived at their size and we should see them this size the rest of the season...puttering around the patches i found more stolons as they work at expanding their range ( they will eventually need to be contained...human interference in the lives of plants has an old history...i am part of it )...these three ( sixth photo ) are on the north side...one ( seventh) had rooted so i put it back after the photo ( eighth )...another had a small rootlet ( ninth ) so i put it back too...more as it comes up.

another daughter?

i was explaining this process to Jean earlier and so now i believe i will illustrate...i found an old plastic pot a plant came in last season ( first )...filled it with soil ( second ) dug a hole in the bed and recessed the pot so it would not move (third )...took the end of the stolon that had the beginnings of a rot ( fourth ) and planted it in the pot ( fifth and sixth )...now we wait...it it goes well there will be a plant in the pot soon enough.

stolons

the berry plants have begun to produce some voluptuous berries over the past few days and will continue to do so into october...they are also produc8ing stolons and the plant in the second photo is attempting to create daughters by runing stolons into the bed with the tomatoes, cucumbers, and asparagus...they are about eighteen inches long, are already sprouting leaves and, if you look closely at the last photo, you will see that the stolon i am holding has begun to set a root where it had touched the soil...unfortunately i cannot ( and will not ) allow the berries to colonize that bed ( human interference in the lives of plants is what gardening is all about )..i was talking to Jean about the method for creating potted plants by burying a pot in the bed and letting the stolon set root in it and create a plant in that...cut he stolon and you have a plant to move wherever...thinking we will do that as an experiment/learning experience...the berries do not have a robust flavor so i have ordered 9 and, i am told, they have shipped ) another variety of wild strawberry from n y state...we may try our hand at cross breeding once the new arrivals are established....more on the stolon/potted plant in a bit....i have to find a suitable pot.

memory vindicated

these are more like the berries i remember from last season...perhaps the early berries were prototypes or experimental models...leaves are turning red with the berries.

odds and ends

the road to berryhood seems long and full of turns...somehow i remember much larger and redder berries from last year..perhaps it is early yet...perhaps my memory fails...the blooms have all turned to nascent berries and...seemingly...nascent is all they have progressed to...berry one ( first photo...fittingly ) is just an odd color... two ( second photo ...sense a pattern? ) is opening and changing color...which is at least reasonable...number three ( third ) seems to have been this color for weeks on end...the duo of the fourth set ( fourth and fifth...the pattern disrupted ) are looking the most relaxed of the bunch...number five ( sixth ) is still closed and is the representative of the trio comprising number six ( seventh )..the weather has gone from cool to summerish hot which may have an impact..i am uncertain and will be finding out along with you...there is a double berry out there ( eighth) and i will be looking for more twins as we go...finally the last photo is of a fully petaled bloom ( yellow...just the way Jean likes them ) to show that there will be more which will, hopefully, become the berries of my memories.

berry progressions

berry one ( first photo...fittingly ) has reemerged from hiding and is coloring...number two ( second ) is likewise returning to the sunshine...beery three ( third ) is one i have never caught napping and it is decidedly red..the duo at station four ( fourth ) are following along with their siblings ( lots of daughters out there )...the solitary bloom at number five ( fifth ) is in the process of losing its last petal and, if the behavior is consistent...should be closing soon...finally the triumvirate at station six ( sixth through eight ) have vanished behind the calyxes as part of the ritual of berryhood...these berries are neither as red ( yet ) nor as large ( yet ) as the ones i remember from last season..it is, however, only early may and the cool temperatures that have ushered in the month on the south end of the inland sea may have something to do with that...it is early...we have time...we will watch and see.

dropping petals

berry one ( first photo ) is getting redder these days which is progress...since this is the first time i have actually tried to track the development i cannot say if it is good or even "normal" development...however it is movement...berry number two seems to have closed itself off from the world ( second )...it was closed day before yesterday and i am uncertain why..berry three becomes more striking every time i look at it...Jean has wondered if the berry is dyed by the leaves...her intuition seems sound from the looks of things...in the three days since i last posted the blooms four ( fourth )...five ( fifth ) and the triumvirate that was six ( sixth through eighth ) have all dropped their petals and begun a journey to berryhood...clearly i am going to have to pay better attention and post more often if i am going to capture the subtleties of the metamorphosis...not to worry...this is a long season...there will be many more blooms...there will simply need to be more posts.