Irises, peas and potatoes

The first of the irises has bloomed out front. This is a lovely and dark bearded iris. While I think these are always pretty en masse and from a distance, a close-up reveals some amazing details--the variegation in the leaf and the fuzzy beard are really fascinating to look at.

Out back, the peas are growing. The bush in the foreground is about 6 inches high and filling out nicely. Behind the onions, you can see the painted lady beans are just now getting to the wire trellis I've put there to grow on.

The potatoes are also coming up, with the russets having enough leaf growth I will start to bury them again. The purple caribe potatoes have not yet poked through (which is always alarming--did they die? are they just slower?).

Over on the side, the apple trees are flowering. I've been hand pollinating the blossoms to see if I can get more than three apples a season. There look to be more blooms this year so I have my fingers crossed. 

There are a a few more beans to plant out back and then I have quite a bit of weeding to do this weekend. If the weather holds, I may try to get over to the new 124th Street market this evening. I also have fruit captain training this weekend with operation fruit rescue.