This is by far not my first tomato of the season, nor the second, third, or fourth. All but the big one on the left I picked just about thirty minutes ago. However, yesterday there were three big tomatoes picked and a lot of the little yellow tomatoes as well as a few of the cherry tomatoes. I am a tomato growing fool. I have no problem eating at least one a day. This isn't the best picture I know, it was taken with my cell phone, and as for what kind of tomatoes they are? Hell if I know honestly. The big one I planted but I don't know what it is, I think it's a beefsteak variety from Bonnie, but I'm not sure. The other three are from two of eight plants in the same garden. They are similar in taste and texture, so I'm not to concerned. However, the one that I know I don't care for is the "Fourth of July" tomato. It is way to mild for my taste, I prefer acidic tomatoes.

I also watered twice today. Earlier in the afternoon since it wasn't too hot yet and they really needed it, and a little while ago. Though with this watering I used some Miracle Grow on everything, and then after that, I sprayed the hell out of the plants with my Japanese Beetle "juice" that also kills other common bugs. While I was holding out as long as possible for another spray, I was forced to pull up my string beans because they were decimated. I have found the little critter that was responsible, but I have not found out what it was yet. The bug killer seemed to turn them to juice so that makes me very happy. I feel a step behind honestly though, I missed two very important points when starting, I didn't mark down WHEN I planted nor did I pay attention to the days to maturity. I also know that I can try to guesstimate, and I would probably turn out fine, but it would be nice to know at least a round about time to pick things.

My pepper plants are doing somewhat well. My Sweet Banana Pepper plants have tons of peppers on them, okay not tons but probably enough for me to make at least a pint of the pickled banana rings I buy so much of for my italian salad. My Mariachi Pepper plant has two huge peppers on it, lol, woo! That may be all I get from it in all honesty, it is one of the plants that I started from seed and didn't harden off. I'm glad it got this far. I'm going to be pulling up two tomato plants possibly. My Big Rainbow and Bonnie Big Boy. The big rainbow is one from seed and is just... pathetic, poor thing the other is the biggest plant I have, but has yet to actually produce anything, and I'm sick of putting forth the effort, it needs to go. However, my Bonnie Better Bush will be pulled within the month as well. It has two tomatoes on it, if they get ripe to pick the whole plant will be coming up. It's more or less stopped growing and has not put forth any new growth. I'm still somewhat hopeful that it might do something, but I wont hold my breath either.

So, after much thought, I have decided that, yes, you can plant eight tomato plants in a 3x3 planter. They need to be Inter's and not Deter's, and if pruned right, you should have no problem with them getting to bushy. While I'm not planning to do the same thing next year, if I had to use this same set up that I'm using now, I would now that I know what I do. I know that I have a lot more to say, but I have to get some links put up in the post and then I wouldn't be able to post again for awhile. What fun would that be?

Ciao!

June Cometh Early

I've already harvested my first three tomatoes, and about a dozen cherry tomatoes, a healthy amount of string beans, one head of romaine, a handful of blondie peas, lots of yellow cherry tomatoes, and the mosquitoes have loved me just as much. In place of the peas and lettuce I've planted some potatoes, and I've started some new bush pea plants to replace the string beans that are coming up soon. I've had to throw out two hot peppers and one sweet pepper because bugs wanted to eat the fruit, and I've had to spray them all with insecticide because of Japanese Beetles. I am not an organic gardener, you mess with my plants I will kill you dead. I always wash wash wash the veggies real good.

I've had to pull up a few taters that decided to rot, no biggie, I figured it would happen since they were SO late going into the ground. I also realize I haven't talked about my melon vine much, well, it's doing GREAT. I've been plucking off flowers since I have 3 good melons going, and a fourth that is coming now. I can't wait to try them. Thankfully they will turn yellow and have a small silver line when they are ripe. Back to the potatoes though, I seem to have some very strong suckers in there, they are starting to get fairly big, and I have some new growth coming up from a few of the smaller ones.

I have yet to go outside and pick a tomato today, but I should also be able to maybe pick a pepper as well. I am a tomato snob, as the hubby says, so I have twelve tomato plants right now, and hopefully more for next year. I'm going to be working on uploading the seeds I have on hand right now, as well as my layout of what I have growing for all to see. A picture or two might eventually make it's way up here. I think the next post I do will involve a little bit more on the learning that has ensued so far from this, which means a few more tags will pop up for easier referencing. I've been keeping those fairly simple right now, but I might go back to the last post and add a few more specific ones.

Ciao!

May Explosion

Ahh, vacation to Myrtle Beach in the beginning of the month was much needed for the Hubby, and we actually did a lot of stuff this time. It was great, Riley seemed to have enjoyed himself as well. Upon returning a few things have taken hold in the garden and have either done good or done bad.

The breakdown: I have been forced to buy at least three tomato plants (it might be four or five, but that's all I can remember right now). Some just couldn't handle the sudden shock of it all. There are still no luffa's or watermelon in the ground so I gave up completely, a Topsy Turvy has been bought as well as a yellow cherry plant, string beans, sweet peppers, romaine lettuce and a bucket of potatoes.

The bigger breakdown: The tomatoes are going ©@Z!3 (crazy). I have explosions of blossoms everywhere, and been utilizing the slight "hand shake" to pollinate them and it's worked wonders. All but one plant is doing well, my Big Rainbow is just there to fill a spot I think, there's always next year. My peas decided to hell with the world, and started new growth, unfortunately, the weather has been getting might hot so they are all but done producing now, but what I did get was really good, another learning experience. String beans are doing great and already have pods, the sweet pepper plants have their first flowers and my mariachi pepper plant from seed has mad a full recovery! The lettuce (romaine) had to be harvested, it was bitter from getting ready to bolt, the lettuce was the one thing that had me worried. I have never grown it before, so didn't know what to expect/do. However about half was saved from a bitter demise, thanks to the hubby who researched how to get rid of it.

The last breakdown: I have a lot more confidence with all of this now, and have decided that I'm going to research the fall crops I can grow and it should be fun. Also learned from carrots, they are to be direct sown outside as they do not transplant at all, same with radishes (though I didn't plant those). HUGEST thing I learned I think thus far.

Ciao!

April Preping

A somewhat slow month by our standards, but nonetheless, exciting! The planters have been put together, filled with dirt and planted! Needless to say I am super stoaked about it all, though pesimistic as well. I'm not new to gardening, I have grown tomato plants in the ground quite a few times, and even neglecting them they were mass producers. However, I am newer to the SFG method (square foot garden). My Bio-Dad had a planter where he planted tomato plants and a few pepper plants and it was almost the same method, it was just a bigger planter and in the ground. I dare say he did it on purpose, it just happened. That memory however did spark the massive search into that type of method, which has led me to the Companion Planting guide I made and among other things.

It is however quite obvious that I will be having to replace some of the tomato transplants. I did not even think (or really know for that matter) about the hardening off process. I got so excited with planting that I just planted straight from indoors to out, not all liked this process. I'm still holding off hope for the peas, though they aren't looking well, the beans are in the same boat, as well as the pepper plant, carrots, and lettuce. I still haven't gotten my tiller back from a friend and so I've had to hold off on the luffa and watermelon. My pumpkin never did germinate and I didn't grow enough beans because they didn't come in in time. But, we shall see!

Ciao!

March Madness

Well, as if February wasn't busy enough, March brought on a whole new term of stress. My Mom and Dad (step, and that's the last reference to it I shall make) came down to help with a kitchen gut job and redo. Time was short, one week to be exact, and it was even more hectic since my helper wasn't able to come over and help due to snow. So a lot of prep work didn't get done that should have, but we went through it like champs the four of us (and our helper even came over to help with painting for a few hours), and we now have a fully functional, and mold, moisture, bug free kitchen. Complete with snack bar (finally)! It's almost 100% done. We still need a tile back splash of some sort, a few more pieces of molding, caulk the tiny nail holes, and the biggest thing to get done is a new floor.

My seedlings were pretty much all but forgotten the first week in March. Without their grow light, and not being watered as it wasn't high on the to-do list. Some of them suffered, others flourished, not all sprouted. The beans and peas are huge, a melon or watermelon is trying to find it's way outside, and a few tomato plants are getting bigger and bigger every day. They are all now out of the dome, but still in the sponges, and under the light on top of the fridge where they should be. All is well so far.

Shipments have been coming in while they have been available. I seem to have misplaced an Upside Down Planter I wanted to try, I have no idea where the blasted thing is (it came during the remodel). A Garden Support Set has arrived, Garden Grids (I received two sets, lucky me!), two Raised Beds (self-watering, woot), three Self-Watering Planters, and a partridge in a pear tree.

I've even received a few of my back ordered seeds from Park Seed, but I guess Burpee just doesn't even give them to you at all. I can't wait to plant what I have, though some of my seedlings seem to be not doing so hot, we'll see what happens later.

Ciao!

Christmas in Februbary?!

You're damn right. Our friend Dustin came to visit during our Christmas in February. Why in February you might ask? Money my dear friends, money. We decided to make a trip back to Wisconsin since it had been almost two years since I've seen them. So we used our Christmas money for each other to fund the trip and used tax money (woo!) to celebrate Christmas and Valentines Day. This is actually the second time we've done this, and I have to say I prefer doing it this way.

On to the gardening aspect. I started my seedlings after Dustin left. I used Park's Double 120-cell Bio Dome to start what I could. Not all of my seeds came in on time, I had many on backorder from Park Seed as well as Burpee which I have to say I'm not to please about. I would have liked to been informed while I was in the check out process, then I could have ordered things that were in stock. I was ordering a bit late I realize, but still, keep up the website people.

I will put up a sidebar link to the seeds closer to Summertime. Why? I don't feel like listing them all here, plus, I would only like to list the seeds that I actually own. No use crying over seeds that I don't have. I will be able to start those next year, so it will all work out in the end.

Ciao!

The First Post

So, this is my first official post. Yay! I have been planning this garden for a long time now and it's finally going to happen. I've ordered all the seeds and stuff that I'm going to need to start them for the most part. I shall post more on that later. I still need to order my actual self-watering gardens and other things, but for the most part, I have everything I need, except for the soil.

But, I am tired, and I'm still futzing with this place, so I shall post more as my orders come in.

Ciao!