Six Feet Tall!
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Our tallest tomatoes are six feet tall! Robb admitted that when I asked him to build the bamboo tomato cage, he had his doubts that the plants would require such tall support. Other than the Green Sausage tomatoes, which are weirdly tiny, the plants have lived up to my dreams of tomato vigor.
The Hungarian Heart tomatoes are frustrating. They produce huge fringed flowers, but so far haven't set any fruit that I can see. I really don't know anything about these plants, and bought them as a sort of verbal self-portrait. We'll see how that turns out.
There are plants on the other side of the tomatoes -- beet, leeks, beans, and ornamental sage for the hummingbirds.
The beets and the chard are having a tough time. We've got leaf miners, so I keep cutting away their leaves. One of the beets started to bolt, but when I picked it, it was undersized. I wonder what's going on.
We had our first chard today, on pizza with crust that Robb made from scratch. I, being an idiot and a world-class slob, dropped my pizza onto my computer, which then caused a terrible scramble of cleaning, and computer-freezing-up. Robb had to remove nineteen tiny screws in order to open up and dry my computer. I'm such a dunce.
The squash is putting out a flower of two each day, but I'm not sure if they are both male and female, and if the plants are getting pollinated. I got these plants from a swap, when I was giving away my excess tomato plants. I don't actually remember what kind of squash it is. Maybe butternut? I dunno.
Something keeps eating the anise swallowtail caterpillars that live on the fennel. The butterflies lay eggs, they hatch into tiny caterpillars, which then disappear. This is "integrated pest management" in action. Let the critters eat each other. I just wish that whatever is eating these particular caterpillars would develop a taste for the cucumber beetles. They destroyed my cornichon cucumbers, and are the most common bug in the garden, after our honeybees.
Here's a different view of this same bed, from back in March. I find it oddly thrilling to see how much has grown in the time that we've been tending this little garden.
Our tallest tomatoes are six feet tall! Robb admitted that when I asked him to build the bamboo tomato cage, he had his doubts that the plants would require such tall support. Other than the Green Sausage tomatoes, which are weirdly tiny, the plants have lived up to my dreams of tomato vigor.
The Hungarian Heart tomatoes are frustrating. They produce huge fringed flowers, but so far haven't set any fruit that I can see. I really don't know anything about these plants, and bought them as a sort of verbal self-portrait. We'll see how that turns out.
There are plants on the other side of the tomatoes -- beet, leeks, beans, and ornamental sage for the hummingbirds.
The beets and the chard are having a tough time. We've got leaf miners, so I keep cutting away their leaves. One of the beets started to bolt, but when I picked it, it was undersized. I wonder what's going on.
We had our first chard today, on pizza with crust that Robb made from scratch. I, being an idiot and a world-class slob, dropped my pizza onto my computer, which then caused a terrible scramble of cleaning, and computer-freezing-up. Robb had to remove nineteen tiny screws in order to open up and dry my computer. I'm such a dunce.
The squash is putting out a flower of two each day, but I'm not sure if they are both male and female, and if the plants are getting pollinated. I got these plants from a swap, when I was giving away my excess tomato plants. I don't actually remember what kind of squash it is. Maybe butternut? I dunno.
Something keeps eating the anise swallowtail caterpillars that live on the fennel. The butterflies lay eggs, they hatch into tiny caterpillars, which then disappear. This is "integrated pest management" in action. Let the critters eat each other. I just wish that whatever is eating these particular caterpillars would develop a taste for the cucumber beetles. They destroyed my cornichon cucumbers, and are the most common bug in the garden, after our honeybees.
Here's a different view of this same bed, from back in March. I find it oddly thrilling to see how much has grown in the time that we've been tending this little garden.
Comments
As for the beet, it's too hot for it right now. You can try growing it in part shade or wait until the fall to try again. Most root veggies are winter crops for us Californians.
I had to lol about the pizza mishap. Thank goodness for boys with screwdrivers of all sizes kept handy for just such an occasion!
I've been working to introduce as much organic material as possible, to loosen things up.
I think I'm going to need to actually pay money for sand, if I wish to grow carrots. Not a problem you have in Alameda, huh?
As it turns out, the pizza grease and cleanup towel were not the culprit. Something's up with my version of Photoshop. Alas!
My first tomatoes are just starting to get some (non-green) color... and I can't wait!
I have had to unlearn everything I think I know about gardening seasons, to garden in Northern California.
No complaints, though.
California must be crazy-land.
They are not likely to be Deadly Poison since the peppery leaves and flowers are edible (for humans anyway), although I guess we could perhaps eat something that is poisonous to bugs.
Nasturtiums are supposed to repel aphids and cucumber beetles, but I'm not sure why- perhaps the strong flavor has an equally strong anti-bug smell.
You could put a few in pots in with your cukes, if you're worried about invasion.
Or plant radishes- I think they're supposed to have a similar effect, although I never grow them because I don't like them.
I think I'll read up a bit on "bait" crops. This strikes me as a very good idea.
I was painting the roof-line of my garage, and I was amazed/horrified by the number of cucumber beetles caught in spider webs. Also, by the alacrity with which the spiders work on my garage, compared to my own pokey pace.
http://www.brooklynfeed.com/2009/07/zucchini-sex/
Martha