Garden tags
These are my little garden tags along the fence line. I have pole bean and cucumber tags; some tags for my tomato varieties too. They are waterproof with the clear packaging tape on them. Punched a hole in the tag to string them to the fence.
tomato plants in windowsills
It’s going to be quite a garden this summer. I’ve got my south windowsills full of tomato plants. Below photo is behind the sofa windowsill.
another windowsill behind a sofa below:
In the bathroom (below)
bedroom windowsill (below)
Running out of South exposure windowsills, I have to utilize the kitchen Island where the sky lights are.
Have to wait till the temperature at night is 50 degrees before planting tomatoes.
germinating seeds
Here’s a tray of tomato seeds; various kinds. This is a 72 piece peat tray and what surprised me was the miraculously short time span it took for them to germinate. February 26th in the evening I put in the seeds and on the 4th day- March 1st, I saw 8 of these sprout up in the 2nd row (2nd row from the back). After thinking about it, I think I found out why the “instant” germination.
The reason why they came up so fast- I had the space heater on the bathroom counter and the place was well over 70 degrees. It was very warm and ready for the seeds, and I watered the tray the night before to get the little peat things well watered, but really, never before has any seedlings germinated that quick before in my experience.
It was the Tlacolula Mexican ribbed tomato that sprouted first. These two photos above were taken on the 6th day.
I take off the netting when I transplant these little seedlings so their roots can form better.
Summer full of tomatoes
this video has me thinking of doing this is in the backyard when we get 90 degree weather again! I did dehydrate some tomatoes in the dehydrator.
I was picking a roaster pan full every day through August and September. Had 5 different kids- Brandywine’s, Colossal, Abe Lincoln, Dr. Wyche Yellow (was my favorite), and a few others.
These tomatoes have been coming in handy and they lasted till November. I made a lot of tomato soup to freeze and I was adding up the savings when I think of a can of soup is at least $1.19.
It’s nice to be able to pull out a frozen portion of tomato soup; beef and barley too which takes a lot of tomatoes for the broth. I froze tomatoes plain to make fresh beef and barley soup. Isn’t Beef and Barley the best soup there is?
The big pumpkin
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It’s a rouge Vif D’ Etampse pumpkin (French), although I don’t like the light colored flesh to bake with, but the seeds are good to butter, salt and bake.
a tomato story
I planted these tomatoes plants on the side of the house this morning and took this photo. This spot gets south west afternoon sun and is shielded from the north wind, so I thought it be a good place for tomatoes!
This view is missing the 4th tomato plant on the left. I filled in grass clippings around the plants, and circled them so you could see where they were. These were the smaller left over plants in the greenhouse. The bigger ones in the previous post went to the garden and I’m not sure what each type is (these were from the tray that didn’t get labeled properly). I think there is a Brandywine plant in the middle of the 2nd photo. The first and last plant are beef stake ones, that is why I put them by the green metal post.
For the last 8 years this spot was filled with climbing rose bushes. I put an add in the paper for someone to come and dig them out and haul them away. A mom and daughter came yesterday and it was a big job for them since the roots were woody and down deep, but they got them out! There van was filled with 4 big climbing rose bushes when they drove away.
I was so happy to have this space for tomatoes! I’ll have to take another photo in August of this exact spot.
I love tomatoes
We grew these tomatoes and I didn’t realize how much I loved germinating seeds and growing things until this spring when we germinated a lot of seeds. It’s the first time they turned out real well. Started these in the house and used every south windowsill, but the lights in the bathroom we had set up did a lot too.
Lot of these sold at farmers market which means we got payback for the seeds we bought this year- $50.00 worth.
tomatoes from seedlings on mothers day 2011
These are our 2 feet tomato plants we started from seeds and even though it’s a little early (mothers Day 2011 ) we had to get them planted so they wouldn’t break off at the stem. Planted them by the garage; not in the garden because they are more wind protected by the garage. These were not grown in the greenhouse even though I checked the category on this post as “greenhouse”.
We’ll have to heat the greenhouse next year to get the tomato plants this big, also these are like a beefsteak variety, so they grow bigger. This one is a Dr. Wythe’s yellow tomato from Bakers Creeks seeds, although they are more orange like in color.
the greenhouse
Shelves getting built in the greenhouse. Good. Now I can have my windowsills, dining room table, sofa, and floor space back to normal in the home since they were all taken up with plants and seedling trays.
Hey- it looks like a greenhouse now!
Had a little help from this nail air gun. These nail gun’s run 150.00 or more and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen one.
I started using plastic forks for the plant markers,
then went to cutting up the window blinds (it says “Brandywine tomato” on cut up window blinds below)
Now I’m using nice store bought ones (not shown).
Here’s a new clasp for the $15.00 broken screen door from bargin town. Can’t have wind in the greenhouse for those tiny plants.
my favorite weatherman
my favorite weatherman talking about solar and lunar modulations Here’s the link to the u tube short video of him, Piers Corybn, the astrophysicist who understands solar and lunar events that cause the weather. Since the Tsunami in Japan I have been listening to him. Solar flares produced the Tsunami. He says Nuclear power is over rated. I like the way he can explain some of these things in a way the average Joe can understand it.
It was humorous at the end of the video when asked if the earth as a consciousness (gaia) and he said no, but we do as people.
More turbulence to come in late March
That is what Piers Corybn says, especially around Marcy 27th where the Midwest has blizzards and in Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan. Flooding in Midwest like Ohio has now. Could it be this super storm coming from the Pacific that could start all of this?
from Corbyns website Here is his website link to the left in blue. Can’t get the font any bigger… still working on it.
sweet potato squash
This will be the first time I ever grew this one!
It says to harvest when they are 8 inches long, but these in the photos look bigger and longer. I just planted them in a seed tray. Will they grow? So many things get blown away once they are planted, or don’t germinate that well.
My sister gave the seeds to me from their squash 2 yrs. ago ; not being sure of the type of squash it was, they labeled it a mystery squash which is probably a delicata they wrote on the packet, so I had to look up “delicata” not knowing what in the world it meant. The internet is just the ticket for identifying plants and produce with all the photos and info of any given vegetable.
I’m a Seed Saver Exchange convert
seed saver website Here’s their website link, but I don’t
know how to get the blue link font larger.
their logo
The reason I’m going with them is that they give you twice the amount of seeds as Bakers Creek for the same price. their Russian kale is very good too. I’m giving them a try this year.
Dr. Wyche’s yellow tomato
Doesn’t this look delicious?
This photo looks more orange on the baker creek site, and it’s classified under the orange tomatoes.
I got mine from Bakers Creek seeds. this tomato at Bakers creek
They haven’t even came in the mail yet. Can’t wait to germinate those seeds! “Tropical sweet taste… heavy yields” the description says!
Green house- phase 1
I never dreamed I’d ever get a green house! Here’s the start of it. This used window shown in the photo and the other windows not in yet are from the thrift store; the door too. It’ll have a neat glass door ( there it is lying on the ground to the left of the photo.) lay and lying… here’s your grammar lesson for the day!
Now the front door is in, although I could not open it when I was walking through there. I’ll have to fix the ripped screen in the upper part of the door.
Photo below is the cracked window (happened when it got set in the frame; oh well, the one on the other side looks ok. The front door is to the left of this window. I can’t wait to read a book along with a chocolate candy bar as I sit inside this greenhouse come spring time.
Here it is, same photo as the first photo, except for the addition of windows on either side of the plant window and the front door on the other side.
my garden cages
Here’s one of my garden cages. This one shown has green pepper plants in them. I could take it off now, but the hose goes right through there and snaps off the peppers, so I leave it on.
I just bend a piece of cattle fence or whatever it is and my little green peppers in there won’t be stepped on by clumsy me. The hose won’t drag over them and ruin them either! I have about 4 of them in use right now. Green peppers in one row, bush green beans in 2 others, row of lettuce in one too.
seed envelopes
one of many seed templates from blossomswaps
blossomswap templates on their website on Blossom Swap. If you go here to this link you can print out 3 little seed envelopes to cut out. There are two sizes, I picked the smaller ones that are about 3 in x 3inch’s . When I organize my seeds, I’ll have all these little packets. They are great to use if you are saving seeds from your produce in your garden, sharing seeds, swapping seeds and collecting seeds.
On another site I saw a template that said “In Memory of”. It’s a seed envelope to pass out at a funeral. I like that idea. I just cut out 5 pages ( 3 envelopes on one page) of packets and used the small template.
jumbo pink banana squash
This squash really gets big and is great eaten with chicken or beef. Jumbo pink banana squash is what it’s called, got it from Heirloom seeds in Missouri but I didn’t wait for it to turn a flesh pink since it was so big. It seemed ripe enough when we cooked it. There’s a photo of it growing on a post from a few weeks ago. From one squash there is enough to eat, freeze, and give to neighbors.
red carnations
pansey wreath 1995
