Green and Growing

The last several days have been full to say the least...no new projects to unveil yet,
but lots going on around here.  Namely a bedroom re-do for my daughter, 

homecoming for my mother who is recovering from a broken ankle, and
a birthday party for the 1-year-old granddaughter.  Never a dull
moment for sure! And while all these goings-on have been taking
place, there's been a whole lot of growing going on too....

I'm starting only four varieties of tomatoes this year.  Thought I'd stick with my
favorites, because I just can't get enough of those Green Zebras!

 

Yes - that IS grass....Ponytail Grass actually.  It is a beautiful ornamental that bobs

and sways gracefully in the lightest breeze. These will be the centerpieces 

of some of my porch planters this summer.

 

The cherry tomatoes are the fastest growers - though they were sown the same time 

as the other varieties they are nearly twice bigger already!

 

Looking forward to planting these beauties outdoors in a few weeks....

come on spring!

Baby Toms Up!

Those who know me well, know that one of 

my ultimate gardening pleasures is seeing seeds germinate.

 

I never get tired of seeing the tiny threads of green raise their heads from the soil in search of light.  And it's so amazing to me to know that these tiny tomato babies will be standing as tall as myself in a few months, bearing fresh, juicy gems from my summer garden!

 

I've cut waaaayyyy back on the number of varieties I'm starting indoors this year.  I've got too many other irons in the fire to take care of more than I really need.  So my tomatoes this year, will of course be, my favorites: Green Zebra, Kellogg's Breakfast, and a cherry tomato I purchased at a plant sale - saved seed because we love this but don't have a clue what variety it is.  Oh, and one newbie - German Red Strawberry, from seed my sister saved and shared.

 

I hope to sow a few sweet peppers this week and that's it for my indoor seed starting this year.  Just can't give it up completely though - seeing these babies pop out of the soil is just too good a reminder of all the miracles that take place

around us every single day.

Happy gardening!

Odd Lobed Tomatoes and More

After a couple of weeks with a minor back injury (but it felt BIG!) I'm back in the middle of things! Like my job, my garden, and finally, my blog. Catching up in the garden has been a real trick, but I feel like I'm starting to get there finally. With help (drafted, but help none the less!) from family, and a stool to seat myself on while I work so I'm not bent, I may just get back on top of this.I'm a little puzzled by these tomatoes. My sister started them from heirloom seed, and told me they were German Red Strawberry tomatoes. The are fun looking - pear shaped with multiple lobes. Funny thing though - I can't find an image online of that type of tomato that looks like mine....hmmm. Wonder what I have here - maybe a cross of some sort? As long as they taste good, I don't care one bit. Just curious.The crookneck squash always amazes me - the leaves are simply HUGE! You can see blooms and a couple of tiny yellow squash under the monster leaves. They grow so quickly, I hope to harvest our first squash sometime over the weekend. That is if my battle against squash bugs is successful. I've used wine in bottles to attract and kill them (no captives yet, but I'm not ready to give up yet). Also a concoction of cayenne pepper, garlic, onion and dish soap. And by simply picking them off and crushing them! And I sprayed eggs and hatchlings with a dose of hairspray. I'm serious about this! I love my squash.
Happy little watermelon plants. Actually they're well on to a growth spurt. And I am hopeful onward to a nice blossoming of flowers. This plant is growing in our newly created watermelon patch. A huge tree blown over during the May storm created a deep hole. Hubby filled it in with soil from the old cow yard. Then I added some sand, blood meal and mounded it all up. Grandson poked the seeds into the mounds and we watered it. Hopefully we're on the right path to get a bunch of juicy sweet melons in August/September!