The garden

Never have I been less enthusiastic about a garden than I was this spring.  I considered just skipping the whole mess, since the weeds are likely to take over by July.  Then I decided to simply make a smaller garden so that if (when) it fails, it won't be so MUCH of a failure.  

In spite of my lack of enthusiasm, I find myself walking the rows at the first light of dawn to see if anything new is happening in my sandy soil, and I can tell you that plenty is happening:  Cliff has been eating fresh radishes all week.  In another week, if we get the predicted rain today or tomorrow, I think the spinach will be ready to start harvesting.  There's a row of green beans up; it was at first a perfect row where every single plant germinated and came out of the ground, but the cats decided that area of the garden makes a perfect potty place and scratched several young, barely-out-of-the-ground plants up.  Meh.  Who cares?  It'll all go to viney weeds anyhow.  The beets, potatoes, carrots and onions are doing fine.  Just for the fun of it I planted some multi-colored carrots, as well as an ordinary orange variety.

I planted two good-sized tomato plants early on, planning to cover them at night if frost was predicted, but I only covered them one night when it wasn't supposed to frost, but was heading for 34 degrees.  That was too close for comfort.  Those plants have blooms now.  There is some sweet corn I also planted too early, just a small planting, that is doing great, about two inches tall.  I've also done a second planting, but that one isn't up yet.  I had great success last year planting smaller areas of sweet corn every two or three weeks, and I'm doing that again.  It's great to have a steady supply of sweet corn coming in!  

I was going to have maybe six tomato plants this year.  Enough with the over-abundance!  I can buy canned tomatoes at Aldi's.  Well, that was the plan, but I ran into the two large plants at Ben's, and then I went to a tractor swap meet with Cliff and ran into some healthy, Amish-started smaller plants at a good price.  Oh yes, and early on I pre-ordered some varieties I've never tried from Burpee (at an outrageous price, but you only live once):  Big Daddy Hybrid, Brandy Boy Hybrid, and Cloudy Day Hybrid.  Three plants of each (sigh).  Then yesterday I called and added another variety to the order that sounded interesting, a Russian heirloom variety called "Black Krim".  So I've done it again, same thing I do every year with tomatoes.  They are my first love when it comes to garden vegetables, and I guess I will always get carried away with them.  One year I found a friend to take my excess tomatoes.  She is now doing her own gardening, but maybe I can find another needy person if it turns out to be a good tomato year.

HEIRLOOM. Medium-sized, very dark maroon beefsteak, with wonderfully rich flavor.

Customer Favorite!

This medium-sized, very dark maroon beefsteak, with wonderfully rich flavor, originated in Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea with perfect "tomato summers". Extremely tasty.

Seasonality: Mid Season 

Fruit Weight: 8  ounces

Fruit Bearing: Indeterminate 

Days to Maturity: 80  days

Sun: Full Sun 

So yes, I've done it again.  Bitten off more

than I can chew.