Seemingly motivated by several rainstorms this past week, I have been amazed that my tiny garden is starting to grow with increased vigor! Every row seems to be showing some sign of life with tiny sprouts pushing through the soil with delicate green leaves. As the vegetables have sprouted, so have several varieties of weeds including grass, clover and other obnoxious greenery. I remain hopeful that my close quarters (French Technique) planting will eventually drown out these invaders and leave me with a garden that requires little “tending”.
Inside Starters and Dates
4/25 – 40 Tomatoes and 20 Red Peppers
5/07 – 20 Tomatoes
5/10 – 20 Red Peppers, 20 Cucumbers, 10 Tomatoes . . . in purchased mini greenhouse.
5/10 – Purchased 6 Red Pepper plans approximately 8 inches high from Longfellows Greenhouse.
If anyone noticed in the photo of my starter tomatoes I have some interesting pots made of “recycled” newspaper. The easy directions for how they were created can be found on wikkihow. While they require much more work than the store bought containers they are also free, easy to make and great fun for kids to construct.
Though far from being a green thumb, I have to admit that most of my initial feelings of anxiety experienced during my beginning planting have subsided. Eyeing my growing crops this overcast Sunday afternoon has left me with a feeling of confidence that I can actually grow something. I have no doubt that most seasoned gardeners reading this post will chuckle at my total lack of inexperience in things “green” but I am also sure that others out there will completely sympathize with my trepidation.
Nice work, and love the photograph of the starter plants... very creative!
ReplyDeleteYou are going to be knee deep in tomatoes pretty soon! Practice pinching them off to keep them thick and compact. You'll get more pounds of tomatoes though less in absolute numbers.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing the garden grow!
Regards,
Albert
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles.
The Range Reviews: Tactical.
Proud Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit.
Expirimentation is the only way to know what works for you!
ReplyDeleteI like the chicken wire idea for your cukes. The first year I had some (before T had the "brilliant idea" to put in a real garden), I had them in a flower bed in front of my shed and trained them to climb lattice attached to said shed. It worked really well. (I may borrow your chicken wire idea this year since we haven't put in anything except lettuce and onions at this point - and we have a small abundance of chicken wire at our house now.....).
Also - THAT'S A LOT OF TOMATOES! haha
David - Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAAR - More an more of my inside Tomatoes are failing. Yellow leaves . . . am guessing to much water and have cut back.
Jodi - Excellent, I was hoping someone would say they tried having cukes climb . . . now I will just have to see how well they do for me!
I should mention - to train your cukes (or any vine growing plant), old panty hose are great. Just cut them into strips and tie the plant loosely. The nylon won't choke your plant but will give it enough support to hold it in place until the vines grow enough to grab a hold.
ReplyDeleteYour writing skills are excellent! You should be a columnist!
ReplyDeleteAmber, Thanks!
ReplyDelete