YUM… when there are too many….

……bake ‘em with garlic!

It’s really not smart…

…to collect ripe cherry tomatoes and then collect big tomatoes and put them in the bag on TOP of the small, ripe cherries!

August update!

Well…. I picked my first PEACH from my tree!  Been eating a few blueberries and raspberries but no blackberries so far.   There are only a few strawberries but at least the plants now have a home and I look forward to more. There are bunches and bunches of grapes.   Have picked 5 or 6 eggplant and a few more cucumbers.  A billion tomatoes will ripen real soon... probably during this next heat spell.  I've had a few peppers and 2 carrots are growing (the tomatoes pushed them out..  have to find another place for them). The squash, melons and watermelons have suffered because I'm a procrastinator but there is still hope. Most of the apples are rotting on the tree (gotta figure that out) but the pear tree is amazing  I'm looking forward to rhubarb next year and will figure out a way to get to the cherries before the birds do!  Pretty darn cool, huh?

The “east” beds…

From most recent to spring…

SO..  this area has been the home to critters as long as I remember.  Ari and Kobie would race here to hunt!  Why did I think that changed!  The area has a raised bed made with concrete blocks for a tomato plant and I thought for carrots but they never got planted.  There is also a pallet box where peppers are planted.. red and yellow and purple.. oh my!!  I started out with 2 trellis put together thinking I could also use it to cover the bed in case of an insect, bird or hail event.   After the dogs nearly demolished the bed I reevaluated and decided to attach plastic fencing to the trellis and create a barrier hoping the dogs (although Jake is shown checking it out!) would get the picture which I think they have.  I rebuilt the concrete bed adding more blocks, added more dirt to both beds and then topped off with straw.  We’ll see!  We were being watched by a cardinal in August!

To see the carnage, click here!l
And here…

Progress through June and July….

May 30th – planted..

Lesson’s learned…

Start sooner…. This straw bale gardening is going to work..  it’s a wonder these plants are even alive!

What’s below was unplanned.  There were yet more tomato plants without homes so I thought “why not”….
The plan is to cover this area to extend the season and for next year to start it earlier. we’ll see!

not just tomatoes….

Amazing growth!

My plan is for this tomato plant to grow to the end of the long bed and not up the fence because I have another tomato plant you can see in the background that I will have grow up the fence.

Ahh… the first tomatoes…

I LOVE The dark/black varieties!
The little one in the front is a cherry tomato!

Getting there!