Keep planting

      I am out of room at the park already.  The tomatoes are not in, the peppers are not either.  The squash and cukes are just starting to sprout on the porch.  So now we start the ritual of cramming more and more plants into inadequate gardening spaces.  The weeds do it, why can't my garden?  Give the weeds a run for their lives.

Peas and Tango Lettuce, Bellevue, 4/27/11

      The shot above is of the ninth bed at Bellevue Park.  On the 27th, I planted a packet of Little Marvel seeds directly in the ground behind these Marvel plants put in from transplants started on the porch.  The frilled Tango Lettuce is now big enough to snip off some outer leaves.  It just occurred to me that I should start some sort of trellis bean on the porch to fill in, as the peas are bush peas, and will not use the top trellis space.  That would be an unacceptable waste of space.

Ox Heart tomatoes, 4/27/11

      One of my gardening neighbors, Brownie, gave me some Ox Heart tomato plants as he was planting his.  Brownie bought and installed a walk-in kit greenhouse at his home last fall.  He is now the proud father to way too many strapping young plants.  He called me over the other day to chat, and surprised me by handing me a fistful of fotos to look at.  You guessed it, his stack of greenhouse pictures.  I divided the two plants in the clay pot, and set out the four plants to spots that could add stakes.  I have never planted out tomatoes this early, but if Brownie can do it, so can I.
      The bottle on the right side of this shot is the "Bottle of Doom".  I patrol the garden at times, and hand pick the bad bugs.  The nasty Herlequin Beatles are already making a very early appearance.  I am trying to pick them off before they get a first initial spawn in.  They take a final swim in the gross remains of former bugs in the bottle.  Maybe if I just left the top off, the disgusting smell would warn the bugs that my garden was not a friendly place.  Maybe then I could sell the stuff?  

Crowd it in, 4/27/11

       The shot above was taken after I transplanted Space Spinach starts in among the Caprio onions starts put out earlier.  The four leafed plant is one of many, many sunflower volunteers getting ready to sky rocket.  At the bottom left is a carrot volunteer.  Along the bottom of the shot are the turnips starting to come up from the seed direct sowed last week.  No weeds invited to this party.

Fava beans, 4/27/11

      The Fava beans are already starting to flower!  Way before other beans are even planted into the ground.  This year I need to try harder to find some recipes for the beans.  I have been enjoying snitching a few leaves now and again to eat straight from the plants.  To force them to get bushier of course.
      Well doing all of this writing has just made me too impatient.  I must go over to the park now to see things in real time.  To check on the plants.  And the robins too.  Good gardening - George