Yesterday after work my loving husband helped me set up 7 foot t-posts in the raised garden bed. They will serve as the support for the Florida Weave trellis I plan to build. Now that they're hammered into the ground, they're only about 5 and a half feet tall, which should be plenty of height for tomato support. I'm excited to try the Florida Weave method. The t-posts weren't cheap, but I should be able to use them for years and years.
Today I planted most of my garden!
Tomatoes: Two each of Eva Purple Ball, Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Nebraska Wedding, Rosso Sicilian, and Berkeley Tie Dye. Two cherry tomato plants (Mexico Midget and Ingleheart Yellow Cherry) are planted elsewhere (the flower bed in front of the porch).
Although you can't see it in this picture, there's space on this end of the bed for my cucumbers. I plan to build a trellis for them with the two end t-posts and some smaller bamboo stakes. Another thing you can't see in these photos: marigolds are sprouting down the center of the bed and between the tomato plants. I planted those seeds a couple of weeks ago to get them a small head start. Year before last, when I used marigolds as a living mulch, I got the most tomato production I'd ever seen! I don't know if the scent kept bad insects away, or if the flowers attracted pollinators. Maybe both. It was a good year.
On this end you can see the baby lettuce and the radishes growing. Only about 6 or 7 carrots have sprouted, over on the right side. They're not very noticeable. (I don't have much luck with carrots, for some reason). The radishes will come up and out soon, but the lettuce needs to grow a bit more before I start picking it. Eventually, that end will be where the pepper plants go.
This last picture is of my potted up peppers (Datil hot peppers, Zapotec Jalapenos, and Sheepnose Pimentos) and the leftover tomato plants. As soon as I see if the tomatoes I planted in the bed take off, I'll be giving away the extras to gardening friends. The peppers will be ready to start planting out in a couple more weeks.
After working in the garden for a couple of hours, I got a little tiny bit of sunburn on my arms. I came inside, took a shower, ate lunch, and had the most delicious two hour nap. It rained while I was asleep--perfect for my newly planted garden!
Happy Earth Day!
Oh WOW- you busy girl!That looks fabulous, pat yourself on the back! Still too cold up here to be planting anything! Your garden looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHappy Earth Day to you, too. What a gardener you have become. It makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteI do miss having a veg garden. I hope yours flourishes; I'm sure it will.
ReplyDeleteWhat green fingers you have! Yesterday I ordered some tomato plug plants. I swore years ago that I would never buy online plants again, as I was always disappointed with them, but this was an offer worth trying.....12 " Sungold" for £12.99!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a bountiful harvest.
ReplyDeleteI'd seen that kind of trellis and never knew it had a special name. Very effective AND attractive. You two have been busy!
ReplyDeleteYour raised garden beds look amazing. I'm feeling inspired. I'm looking forward to seeing a picture of the Florida Weave trellis when it's completed.
ReplyDeleteVery nice!!
ReplyDeleteYou've got a good plan going here, Jennifer. Hope all your plants have a terrific year!
ReplyDeleteWishing you much gardening success this year!
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of a Florida weave for tomatoes but what a great idea! Some of ours are being tied to a trellis that Mr. Moon had made for cucumbers or something. I can't remember. That was last year!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet blessing for the rain to come just when you needed it! You'll have a beautiful garden this summer.
I’ve always envied your green fingers and neatness of course
ReplyDeleteNebraska Wedding! I remember growing those! Lovely toms!
ReplyDeleteAll's good and I am so pleased to see that yor are still as thrilled as ever about growing things that you can later eat.
ReplyDeleteWell done, you! You really made it your personal Earth Day. I love it!
ReplyDeleteGood for you. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of everything as it grows.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Excellent ! Loving this ! ππΏπ
ReplyDelete