Tomatoes & Peppers are finally In

After three cold nights Mar 4-6 where the lows were 36, 31 & 36, I finally started planting my spring garden beginning with tomatoes, bell peppers & lastly cucumber seeds.  You'll note I started planting the afternoon of the last cold night … tired of waiting for warmer weather combined with a favorable 10 day weather forecast!

• Wed Mar 6: 2 Grafted Celebrity Tomatoes in Bed 3, 12 Early Girl Tomatoes in Bed 2
• Thu Mar 7: 6 Big Boy Tomatoes & 6 Sweet 100 (Cherry) Tomatoes in Bed 1
• Sun Mar 10: 4 Sunmaster & 4 Celebrity Tomatoes in Bed 3
• Sat Mar 16: 12 California Wonder Bell Peppers in Bed 4
• Sun Mar 17: 18 Burpee Hybrid II Cucumber seeds in Bed 4

I had previously transplanted on Feb 18 some of the lettuce in Beds 1-3 into Bed 5 (I have six 4 foot x 12 foot raised beds) to make room for the tomatoes.  So you'll note from the pics below the tomatoes are planted among the lettuce … which by the way is working out just fine!

This year I did something a little bit different.  I first dug holes & removed the soil where I would plant each tomato.  I took the soil & mixed it: 2/3 soil, 1/3 Cow Manure plus some Miracle Grow Tomato Fruit & Vegetable Shake & Feed in plastic green pots.  Then I put the mixture back in the hole and planted the tomato.  In the past, I would try to mix the manure & fertilizer in the beds surrounding the tomatoes & peppers as I planted them.  We'll see if this more methodical method makes a noticeable difference this year.  My soil is very loose … I did use a spade to loosen the soil, but was able to remove most of it with my bare hands.  Won't comment on how dirty my hands got!

We did have several days of high winds just after the tomatoes were planted.  So I covered the tomatoes Mon Mar 11 for three days.  When I uncovered them on Thu Mar 14 ... the tomatoes had weathered the 15 - 20 mph winds just fine.  The Bed 1 plastic covering did come undone on the north side, but I was able to recover it the next morning.  There were a few gaps, but no more total failures of the plastic coverings (2 mil 9' x 12' painter's plastic) during the 3 day wind event.  Of course, this was nothing compared to Colorado & Nebraska who were experiencing record winds … no way I could deal with that … of course I don't live up there for a reason.  Then again they don't have hurricanes ...

How about some pictures of flowers in the rest of the garden.  Note the new addition … Sophia Angel Wing Begonia!