The Orchard Spider, an Orb Weaver

This young Orchard Spider (Leucauge venusta), who belongs in the Orb Weaver family, had hanged her web over my equally young tomato plants, and if I had a way to encourage it to stay there for the duration of the summer, I would have done so. While the bottom of its thorax is black-green-orange, the top side is predominantly silver with black and green accents. These spiders can be found through North and Central America.

Getting Back into the Gardening Grind

With last year's success in tomato-growing, I have decided to expand my horizons. Last year, I had three Better Boy tomato plants going strong, but I didn't just really love that variety. So this year I got what I thought were two Pink Brandywine Heirloom plants, but once I got home I realized the plants bear different leaves (top-right and bottom-left); so presumably, I have one Pink Brandywine Heirloom and one of another variety. 

I also quite like peppers, so I got a Yellow Bell Pepper plant (bottom-right) and a Cubanelle Pepper plant (top-left). I wasn't familiar with Cubanelles when I picked it up, but they're listed as a sweet pepper with some heat, similar to an Anaheims; they're good for roasting, frying, or stuffing.

Fortuitously, it rained the day after the vegetation was planted, aiding their transplantation. In 70-90 days, all of them should be bearing ripe fruit, so I'll be sure to keep you updated.

The Ripening

It was only a matter of time, but at times it seemed like the day would never arrive. More than four months after the beginning of the composting, and almost exactly two months after the tomato plants were first planted, ripe fruit has been borne.

The first one to ripen is one that I have dubbed Tiny Tom. It's about the size of a golf ball.

Additionally, it was mauled by bugs before I abandoned my attempt to forgo the use of insecticides.

Several more, of more substantial size, are quickly approaching ripeness as well.