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| Tomatoes and Basil planted May 19th, 2013 |
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It took me a very long time to come out of winter hibernation this year. Usually I start all of my tomatoes, peppers, and squash inside to grow out on the porch. Just never got into it this year. Then came sticker shock when trying to buy veggie starts. Some tomato plants going for $3.49 per small pot!! Finding the little six packs of tomatoes is almost impossible. In the picture above, I have finally gotten some tomatoes and basil in the ground. Nine days after the magic frost date of May 10th, yet we just had a frost so I was waiting. With cooler temperatures recently, the tomatoes and peppers would not have made much outdoor progress anyway.
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| Peppers in the ground, May 19th, 2013 |
How is this for intensive gardening? The peppers run down the outside of this bed, garlic is in the middle, and tomatoes will be planted along the poles on the left side. The garlic plants should all be harvested within a month, leaving more room and light for the tomatoes and peppers. Grass clippings are used to fertilize and keep down the weeds.
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| Beans started, May 27th, 2013 |
The turnips that had overwintered were finally pulled out and taken over to Highland Orchards for a treat for the pigs and chickens. If you bought eggs there at the end of May and they were particularly good, that was my turnips! On the left side of the bed you can see the white shelled Tenderpod beans, and on the rest of the bed to the right you can see some brown shelled Dragon's Tongue beans. The Dragon's Tongue is the most moist bean I have found for eating raw.
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| Bean seeds covered |
Trying to avoid extra work, I just broadcast the seeds on top of the lightly hoed bed. They were covered with about an inch of mushroom soil. And yes, I remembered to soak the beans overnight in water before planting to get them fully hydrated. I plan (hope) to do a better job of planting succession crops of beans this year. There is still plenty of time to get in multiple plantings.
I've planted my tomatoes in the beginning of May and really wish I waited till this week instead with all this hot/cold weather they're just not doing well. Hopefully yours will grow nicely now.
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