This is a guest-entry from Kris, the Tomato Queen.
Okay, call me crazy. I just took an afternoon of vacation to come home and dig in the dirt. My tomato plants, started from seed on February 24th, were begging to be put into the ground. J.D. tilled the vegetable plot yesterday, the sun is shining and the bees are buzzing! All is in readiness.
photo by Kris
This year's crop includes(d) eleven varieties:
- Aunt Ruby's German Green — repeat from '06, it's green when ripe & actually tastes bacon-y to me
- Bloody Butcher — early salad-sized tomato, repeat from '06
- Black from Tula — Russian "black" beefsteak, recommended by Amy Jo
- Box Car Willie — fatal transplant accident! (More below.)
- Dr. Wyche's Yellow — huge orange-yellow beefsteak, repeat from '06
- Oregon Star — recommended by Craig
- Raad Red — free tomato seed w/ purchase, relegated to the spot with least sun
- Red Star — a pleated red cherry tomato
- Rutgers Select — roma/paste-type
- San Marzano — roma/paste-type
- Sungold — golden cherry, from the Garden Show last weekend
Alas, I handled the Box Car Willie too roughly and snapped its stem as I was attempting the transplant. In sheer desperation, I cut off the lowest tier of leaves, filled the hole with rich potting soil, and stuck in the stem six inches deep. Watered a lot. Misted. Watered. Misted. It probably will shrivel up. It's too late in the season to start another one from seed but there's always next year. Poor Willie!
photo by Kris
This past weekend was the annual Master Garden Show at the Canby Fairgrounds. I exhibited incredible restraint! I had a list and stuck to it (mostly), purchasing:
- pickling cukes
- anaheim pepper
- aforementioned Sungold cherry tomato
- butternut squash
- acorn squash
- pineapple sage
- lemon-rose-scented geranium
- basil
- cilantro
- lemon verbena
- English thyme
- ornamental currant "ribes brocklebankii"
- evergreen "clematis armadii" Snowdrift
Of course, then on Sunday I coerced J.D. into facing the crowded Portland Nursery. I was craving a small evergreen for the spot by the garage where we removed a monster of a climbing rose. Found the perfect juniper communis "gold cone" and picked up a couple more peppers (jalapeño and cayenne) and some catnip for the cats (really for J.D., who thinks the cats need it).
Already up in the garden are: peas, yellow onions, rice, turnips, carrots (second planting — aliens took the first sprouts one night, en masse), and red and Yukon Gold potatoes. Oh, and asparagus, but not enough to really harvest, although I've cut a couple to nibble on. Beets are planted, and nasturtiums. Corn, green/wax beans, salad cucumbers, ornamental gourds, sunflowers, and dill to be planted soon, now that the spring has arrived.
I am eager to begin the harvest!
p.s. Not really growing rice — just checking if you're awake.
On this day at foldedspace.org
2006 — Insomnia In which I cannot sleep.
2005 — Birdfight! In which the birds in the yard wage an epic battle.
2004 — 4027044 In which sometimes you don't know what you're looking for -- or even that you're looking -- until the object of your desire appears unexpectedly before you.
2003 — Videophone In which Mac and Joel and I are helping Debbie do market research on videophones.
2002 — Scrabble In which all of Custom Box Service is hooked on Scrabout, a Scrabble clone.
2001 — Bachelor Life In which Kris is gone for a week, so I have time to live a man's life.
You're crazy... ;-)