I finally ripped out the sad Hibiscus. It had a ton of roots, going all the way to the bottom of the pot. I had to cut it out with the Hori Hori knife, and I ended up leaving a decent amount in there. The main reason for dealing with it (as opposed to just leaving it there) was to reclaim the pot for the Jalapeno.
The Jalapeno plant (the original one) was getting too big for its pot. It had a ton of branches going out laterally, and a tall, thin stem at the bottom, so it was kind of toppling over. At one point, it had bean vine looping all over it, which may have thrown of the shape. Also would have limited the sun a little.
So I potted it up in the Hibiscus container, and I tried to plant it a lot deeper. Then I filled around and over top with the regular garden-waste compost. That actually used up quite a lot. Now it looks a little bit more stable, and I think the location will be more favorable. That's the spot that gets the absolute most sun. I just need to make sure I water it soon.
I dumped a generous amount of compost on to the Morning Glory containers as well. Then I put what little was left onto the Habenero plant just cause. So now that's all used up.
The compost in the spinner actually seems like it's still doing something; it's got a lot of heat coming off of it. I wanted to take it out and finish sifting it and then be able to start over with the other crap. I'm hoping that the trash bin full of stuff will actually all fit in the spinner. And I've got like, a gallon of coffee grounds that I want to work in there. I'm really hoping that I can get that started soon. I mean, if I can get it started by end of July/ beginning of August, then it would have 2 months to cook over August and September. If it's just the right mix and if it starts in the summer when it's warm, maybe it will be done by mid October? I'm shooting for that because I want to be able to empty it out, and refill it with the leaves coming down then. And I'm going to throw in lots of the worm compost, along with the worms, in the hopes that they'll get it going even faster,
I might want to try to harvest some Worm Castings soon. I mean, I don't really have a plan for it. I've got the 4th tray on there, and before too long it's going to be filled. And if that does happen, I'll need to empty out one of the bins so that I can add it to the top. In addition, I'm kind of thinking I want to have another kind of layer on the bottom, something that keeps the compost and the worms in the bin and not in the drip tray. That's where all the good stuff is. Maybe just a fine screen, or hardware cloth? When you start, you put in thick brown paper, but obviously that breaks down and as you harvest, you keep putting an already-full tray on the bottom.
Of course, I could buy more trays, 2 for $20.
I transplanted the little Rosemary plants- I had them in small containers but I was pretty lax about watering. I've now got them in one of the longer 24" containers. At least it won't dry out as fast,
I'm pretty disgusted with the Nasturtiums in the Gutter Garden. I'm probably going to rip them out soon. In August, I can direct-seed some lettuce, and I can get some nice lettuce off of that over the fall.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
The tomato is... not dead yet? It doesn't look as bad as it did last weekend. I can't bring myself to rip it out just yet. The tomatoes that are on there are growing and ripening. So I won't tear it out until that stops happening. I'm sure it's not going to put on more tomatoes or more flowers, so I'm just waiting out the ones on there already. When it happened, I had only gotten ONE tomato, and the idea of tearing out this giant plant after one fucking tomato was just too much. And now I've got like, 8 cherry tomatoes. There are like 2-3 dozen on the vines, and I don't anticipate they'll all be harvest-able, but we'll wait and see.
I got another 4 or 5 beans this evening, and I wanted to weigh what I have so far. I have 4 oz of beans right now. Ugh. And the one big tomato I got was I think 7 ounces? I want to be one of these people that knows the yields they get, because I like quantifying things. There are two larger tomatoes on that plant, and one is starting to get a little pink. Maybe in a week it will be ready.
I had all these Basil starts inside, still in their tiny six-pack prisons. I ripped out the stupid Gladioli from their container. I got like, 10 flowers off of them, and I think I have like 25 bulbs in there. So, that's fair, they were all either holdovers from last year or old bulbs I never planted. I'm really sick of them. So I ripped them out, and I put in 6 of the Basil plants. The other 6 are still sitting in their six-packs, but I need to do something with them soon.
I could rip out that stupid Hibiscus. It's not going to bloom again. It's obviously happy; it keeps growing and putting on new leaves. But it's just not going to bloom. I could try root-pruning it, but that seems like way more work than I want to do, and it seems like it's likely to kill it hard. So I should probably just rip it out.
I got another 4 or 5 beans this evening, and I wanted to weigh what I have so far. I have 4 oz of beans right now. Ugh. And the one big tomato I got was I think 7 ounces? I want to be one of these people that knows the yields they get, because I like quantifying things. There are two larger tomatoes on that plant, and one is starting to get a little pink. Maybe in a week it will be ready.
I had all these Basil starts inside, still in their tiny six-pack prisons. I ripped out the stupid Gladioli from their container. I got like, 10 flowers off of them, and I think I have like 25 bulbs in there. So, that's fair, they were all either holdovers from last year or old bulbs I never planted. I'm really sick of them. So I ripped them out, and I put in 6 of the Basil plants. The other 6 are still sitting in their six-packs, but I need to do something with them soon.
I could rip out that stupid Hibiscus. It's not going to bloom again. It's obviously happy; it keeps growing and putting on new leaves. But it's just not going to bloom. I could try root-pruning it, but that seems like way more work than I want to do, and it seems like it's likely to kill it hard. So I should probably just rip it out.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Actual work outside
As always, I should be doing some weeding outside, although I don't really feel like it. I might try to weed at least the front bed, because there are a lot of weeds and they're right in the front. I might do that tomorrow, maybe? Probably not. I've given up on the sidewalk bed.
I do need to plant all this basil soon. If the tomato dies, that's obviously where they are going. If not... I don't know, maybe I'll put them in a pot.
My herbs are not doing well. I haven't watered it, because we got so much rain I wasn't thinking about watering. But of course those are under the roof and never got any rain. I'm not sure the Mint is going to survive, which might be something no one has ever said. Actually, let's bring those poor bastards inside and soak them in the sink.
Let's talk about these containers. The Gladioli are done, I think. I'm not getting any more flowers. And the ones I got weren't all that great. I kind of like the way I did it, packing them into a pot as bulbs early in the spring, because I don't have to deal with them in a bed with other plants. I guess I'll leave them through this season, because they aren't bothering anyone. But they're not that great. The Hibiscus is growing fine, and I think it's healthy, because he keeps putting on more nice green leaves, but it shows no sign of flowering. I have read that some hibiscus don't reflower. And some say you need to prune the roots. I don't think I can do that. That's insane. I don't really want to throw it out, because it looks so healthy and I took care of it through the winter. But if it doesn't flower, I don't really see the point. It would not be that expensive to just buy another one. I'm not going to rip it out or really do anything to it, because I don't have anything to put in its place. When it gets cold, I won't bother ti bring it in. Or maybe it would be smarter to just pull the plant out instead of having to deal with it later.
COMPOST
I need to finish emptying the compost tumbler outside. I've done more than half of it already, and it's not that hard. I've been putting it all through the sieve, which is nice but of course takes some time. The stuff that I'm filtering out seems to make a nice mulch; it's just a slightly less broken down version of leaves and some stemmy things. I've almost filled the plastic tub, I think it's like, the 11 gallon kind? I don't really know what to do with all this nice compost right now. I can't get to the base of most plants to compost around them. I can put a nice layer on top of anything in containers, including the herbs. And if I have to pull out the sick tomato I can back fill that area with compost.
But anyway. Once I empty that thing out, I need to refill it with all the stuff in the garbage bin on the patio. I think the only way to do that is to just take a tub over there, fill it up with handfuls, and dump it in. And of course I will mix in that big bowl of coffee grounds I've been saving. My hope is that if I get this done early enough, like this weekend, it will finish up by the fall. There are a lot of leaves in there, of course, but also some other dried out plant stuff. It's not shredded, of course, so it won't be that fast. If I'm industrious, I could try to chop up the big stuff, like the longer grassy stuff. Now, it won't break down into perfectly smooth soil looking stuff. But it should get pretty far along, right, if I have a lot of coffee grounds mixed in with a lot of dry brown stuff. I could also throw in a few handfuls of stuff from the worm bin to try to move it along faster. And if it gets mostly composted but there are still chunks of leaves and stuff, it will make great mulch.
I do need to plant all this basil soon. If the tomato dies, that's obviously where they are going. If not... I don't know, maybe I'll put them in a pot.
My herbs are not doing well. I haven't watered it, because we got so much rain I wasn't thinking about watering. But of course those are under the roof and never got any rain. I'm not sure the Mint is going to survive, which might be something no one has ever said. Actually, let's bring those poor bastards inside and soak them in the sink.
Let's talk about these containers. The Gladioli are done, I think. I'm not getting any more flowers. And the ones I got weren't all that great. I kind of like the way I did it, packing them into a pot as bulbs early in the spring, because I don't have to deal with them in a bed with other plants. I guess I'll leave them through this season, because they aren't bothering anyone. But they're not that great. The Hibiscus is growing fine, and I think it's healthy, because he keeps putting on more nice green leaves, but it shows no sign of flowering. I have read that some hibiscus don't reflower. And some say you need to prune the roots. I don't think I can do that. That's insane. I don't really want to throw it out, because it looks so healthy and I took care of it through the winter. But if it doesn't flower, I don't really see the point. It would not be that expensive to just buy another one. I'm not going to rip it out or really do anything to it, because I don't have anything to put in its place. When it gets cold, I won't bother ti bring it in. Or maybe it would be smarter to just pull the plant out instead of having to deal with it later.
COMPOST
I need to finish emptying the compost tumbler outside. I've done more than half of it already, and it's not that hard. I've been putting it all through the sieve, which is nice but of course takes some time. The stuff that I'm filtering out seems to make a nice mulch; it's just a slightly less broken down version of leaves and some stemmy things. I've almost filled the plastic tub, I think it's like, the 11 gallon kind? I don't really know what to do with all this nice compost right now. I can't get to the base of most plants to compost around them. I can put a nice layer on top of anything in containers, including the herbs. And if I have to pull out the sick tomato I can back fill that area with compost.
But anyway. Once I empty that thing out, I need to refill it with all the stuff in the garbage bin on the patio. I think the only way to do that is to just take a tub over there, fill it up with handfuls, and dump it in. And of course I will mix in that big bowl of coffee grounds I've been saving. My hope is that if I get this done early enough, like this weekend, it will finish up by the fall. There are a lot of leaves in there, of course, but also some other dried out plant stuff. It's not shredded, of course, so it won't be that fast. If I'm industrious, I could try to chop up the big stuff, like the longer grassy stuff. Now, it won't break down into perfectly smooth soil looking stuff. But it should get pretty far along, right, if I have a lot of coffee grounds mixed in with a lot of dry brown stuff. I could also throw in a few handfuls of stuff from the worm bin to try to move it along faster. And if it gets mostly composted but there are still chunks of leaves and stuff, it will make great mulch.
Fall Vegetables
I can start thinking about the fall season of vegetables. And what would those be...?
If I am going to go for a Fall harvest, maybe I will try some of the longer Days to Maturity. Things like Brussels Sprouts or Cauliflower take 60-90 days, so if I plant them in August, they should be ready to pick in October and November, when it's nice and chilly and they'll be happy. I am worried that they would not get enough sun right there... It's not as big of a deal as the tomatoes and stuff, but something that puts on as much stuff as a Brussels Sprout plant would need a lot of energy. Same with Cauliflower and Broccoli, those are basically large flowers, so they would need a lot of sun. Maybe Carrots. They grow in nice rows, and they're just roots, so the light limitation wouldn't be as bad, right? But carrots have to be direct-sown, so I'm worried the seeds would get eaten by bugs or birds.
I'm leaning towards more Radicchio. They're actually pretty nice looking plants. And they take 90 days to reach maturity, and definitely need to be harvested when it's cold. Same with Kale, although I'm honestly kind of over Kale as a food. So yeah, I think I will start some Radicchio seeds inside here, and then I'll transplant them in like, mid August, and then in late October I will hopefully have some Radicchio to eat. And yeah, I'll start some Kale. I'm going to do all those in the plastic water bottles. Actually, I also want to start some Cilantro, maybe I'll do that first. If I start Kale now, it will be ready to transplant in mid August, which is maybe too early? I mean, go ahead and start whatever you want. If it starts to grow too fast, that's not really a big deal, I can just keep potting up larger as they get root bound.
So how many should I start? I mean, I only did 6 Radicchio last spring, and they were nice and they do get pretty big.
Ok, I just read the Burpee blurb about Radicchio and it says "For midsummer plantings, cut off all the leaves above the crown in early fall. New growth in early fall produces small, cabbage-like heads." So that's what I need to do! That's easy! I can start them now, and transplant them out there in like, mid August. Then in mid September, I can cut them back! By then they should be strong enough in their root system to continue to grow. I guess I don't cut back all the leaves. Hopefully, the new growth in the fall will grow the stuff I want. How did I not pick up on this before? I should really learn how to read.
I'll start 2 six-packs of Radicchio this weekend. And I'll start 8 Cilantro in the water bottles. I've got Drake's cactus starting mix, which is basically the same thing. I guess I could mix it with peat moss, and perlite and compost to make it more like regular seed starting mix. I might also start the Kale. I'm going to do those in the water bottles as well, but I could probably get away with starting them in six-packs first, like I did originally. Maybe by the time their roots reach the bottom, I'll have more water bottles and I'll have transplanted the Cilantro.
- Kale
- Radicchio
- Romaine
- Bok Choy
- Radishes
- Peas
- Spinach
- Mesclun
Or I could try some new stuff....
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Brussels Sprouts
If I am going to go for a Fall harvest, maybe I will try some of the longer Days to Maturity. Things like Brussels Sprouts or Cauliflower take 60-90 days, so if I plant them in August, they should be ready to pick in October and November, when it's nice and chilly and they'll be happy. I am worried that they would not get enough sun right there... It's not as big of a deal as the tomatoes and stuff, but something that puts on as much stuff as a Brussels Sprout plant would need a lot of energy. Same with Cauliflower and Broccoli, those are basically large flowers, so they would need a lot of sun. Maybe Carrots. They grow in nice rows, and they're just roots, so the light limitation wouldn't be as bad, right? But carrots have to be direct-sown, so I'm worried the seeds would get eaten by bugs or birds.
I'm leaning towards more Radicchio. They're actually pretty nice looking plants. And they take 90 days to reach maturity, and definitely need to be harvested when it's cold. Same with Kale, although I'm honestly kind of over Kale as a food. So yeah, I think I will start some Radicchio seeds inside here, and then I'll transplant them in like, mid August, and then in late October I will hopefully have some Radicchio to eat. And yeah, I'll start some Kale. I'm going to do all those in the plastic water bottles. Actually, I also want to start some Cilantro, maybe I'll do that first. If I start Kale now, it will be ready to transplant in mid August, which is maybe too early? I mean, go ahead and start whatever you want. If it starts to grow too fast, that's not really a big deal, I can just keep potting up larger as they get root bound.
So how many should I start? I mean, I only did 6 Radicchio last spring, and they were nice and they do get pretty big.
Ok, I just read the Burpee blurb about Radicchio and it says "For midsummer plantings, cut off all the leaves above the crown in early fall. New growth in early fall produces small, cabbage-like heads." So that's what I need to do! That's easy! I can start them now, and transplant them out there in like, mid August. Then in mid September, I can cut them back! By then they should be strong enough in their root system to continue to grow. I guess I don't cut back all the leaves. Hopefully, the new growth in the fall will grow the stuff I want. How did I not pick up on this before? I should really learn how to read.
I'll start 2 six-packs of Radicchio this weekend. And I'll start 8 Cilantro in the water bottles. I've got Drake's cactus starting mix, which is basically the same thing. I guess I could mix it with peat moss, and perlite and compost to make it more like regular seed starting mix. I might also start the Kale. I'm going to do those in the water bottles as well, but I could probably get away with starting them in six-packs first, like I did originally. Maybe by the time their roots reach the bottom, I'll have more water bottles and I'll have transplanted the Cilantro.
Tomato Problems!!!!
Oh my god, my poor tomato looks like it's dying! It's totally wilted, like it's been in a drought, and I know we've gotten plenty of rain. The soil around it feels pretty nice. It wasn't wet or even damp, but it definitely wasn't dry. And it's only the cherry tomato. The other tomato is right next to it, and it doesn't seem to have any problems.
I went outside and dumped a watering can onto its roots, even though I don't really think that's the problem. I'll watch now and see if it starts to perk up.
One other thing I noticed- that tomato has some large branches that seem to be snapped off near the top. I'm not sure how that happened, I guess it could be squirrels. Or children. I'm thinking that kind of damage would cause it to lose water through the top? Or maybe if it was messed with when it was soaking wet, that would cause it to get pretty sick.
Now I do have to acknowledge that this is the tomato that was planted in the exact spot as last year's tomato. This is only the second year, though! It does not seem at all fair for me to only get one year out of an area, and then have to leave it without any tomato for 3 damn years.
I don't think it looks like Fusarium wilt. From the pictures online, it looks like that just shows up as the lower leaves turning a little yellow at first, and then it starts to wilt. This seems like it's just wilting, no yellow.
But if it is Fusarium wilt, there's nothing I can do about it. I can try throwing some compost on it, I guess. But it will just keep on going and it will be dead in a week.
Maybe it's not that. Maybe it's something weird and it really just needed that extra water. I'll dump another can of water on it and see if it helps. If it's not perked up in the next few days, I have to give up.
And then what? I mean, if it totally dies, of course I need to rip it up. I don't think I need to be proactive about that; it's not a disease that spreads plant to plant, right, it's just in the soil. If I end up ripping it out, I'll have all that space to plant something else, I guess. I'm not sure what that would be, actually. I could put one of the peppers in there. I kind of wanted to keep them in their pots so I would have a better chance of keeping them alive inside over the winter. Maybe it would be better to put in all the Basil starts. They grow well next to tomatoes, and I have a ton of them (12). If I had any Swiss chard, I would put that in there. Nope, just put the Basil in there. IF the tomato dies, that's what I'll do next weekend.
Other vegetable updates:
The purple beans are starting to produce. I got like, 12 of them this morning, and there are a few that are going to be ready in a few days. They don't seem as prolific as last year, but honestly it is kind of early. I remember last year the purple beans started significantly earlier than the green ones, but I thought that was due to their different locations. The beans are also broken off at the top, so whatever happened to the tomatoes probably happened to them. I'm a little saddened that they are only really producing near the top. It looks like the bottom 2 feet are not putting on any flowers.
The Swiss Chard are growing and stuff, although not as nicely as I'd like. That one Radicchio is still there, and it does seem to be heading up nicely. I don't know if it's totally eaten away by worms deep in there, but pretty soon I'll pull it out and see if I can eat it. I don't see any cool days or nights in the forecast, so I might just go ahead and pull it up tomorrow. And that frees up even more space, but not really a sunny enough spot for Basil.
The only other things in there on that end are the Parsley and the Chives, and they seem to be doing ok.
I went outside and dumped a watering can onto its roots, even though I don't really think that's the problem. I'll watch now and see if it starts to perk up.
One other thing I noticed- that tomato has some large branches that seem to be snapped off near the top. I'm not sure how that happened, I guess it could be squirrels. Or children. I'm thinking that kind of damage would cause it to lose water through the top? Or maybe if it was messed with when it was soaking wet, that would cause it to get pretty sick.
Now I do have to acknowledge that this is the tomato that was planted in the exact spot as last year's tomato. This is only the second year, though! It does not seem at all fair for me to only get one year out of an area, and then have to leave it without any tomato for 3 damn years.
I don't think it looks like Fusarium wilt. From the pictures online, it looks like that just shows up as the lower leaves turning a little yellow at first, and then it starts to wilt. This seems like it's just wilting, no yellow.
But if it is Fusarium wilt, there's nothing I can do about it. I can try throwing some compost on it, I guess. But it will just keep on going and it will be dead in a week.
Maybe it's not that. Maybe it's something weird and it really just needed that extra water. I'll dump another can of water on it and see if it helps. If it's not perked up in the next few days, I have to give up.
And then what? I mean, if it totally dies, of course I need to rip it up. I don't think I need to be proactive about that; it's not a disease that spreads plant to plant, right, it's just in the soil. If I end up ripping it out, I'll have all that space to plant something else, I guess. I'm not sure what that would be, actually. I could put one of the peppers in there. I kind of wanted to keep them in their pots so I would have a better chance of keeping them alive inside over the winter. Maybe it would be better to put in all the Basil starts. They grow well next to tomatoes, and I have a ton of them (12). If I had any Swiss chard, I would put that in there. Nope, just put the Basil in there. IF the tomato dies, that's what I'll do next weekend.
Other vegetable updates:
The purple beans are starting to produce. I got like, 12 of them this morning, and there are a few that are going to be ready in a few days. They don't seem as prolific as last year, but honestly it is kind of early. I remember last year the purple beans started significantly earlier than the green ones, but I thought that was due to their different locations. The beans are also broken off at the top, so whatever happened to the tomatoes probably happened to them. I'm a little saddened that they are only really producing near the top. It looks like the bottom 2 feet are not putting on any flowers.
The Swiss Chard are growing and stuff, although not as nicely as I'd like. That one Radicchio is still there, and it does seem to be heading up nicely. I don't know if it's totally eaten away by worms deep in there, but pretty soon I'll pull it out and see if I can eat it. I don't see any cool days or nights in the forecast, so I might just go ahead and pull it up tomorrow. And that frees up even more space, but not really a sunny enough spot for Basil.
The only other things in there on that end are the Parsley and the Chives, and they seem to be doing ok.
Monday, July 6, 2015
July 6th
Yay, day off from work! If I was smart, I would use this to do all kinds of stuff I don't have time to do, like run errands and buy groceries and cook and get my hair cut. But I'm probably not going to do that. I might get around to doing something outside. It is a little muggy outside, and it's going to start raining in a few hours.
WEEDS. I could try to pull more weeds out of the sidewalk bed. I got big plans for that spot! This fall, I'm going to try to get some sale perennials and fill it out a little better. I might even plant more Daffodils. I think there are at least 100 in there, but you literally cannot have too many Daffodils. I don't remember being all that impressed with the show last spring. And they're so easy to plant. This new Burgess website seems to have unbelievable prices. I can get 80 King Alfred Daffodils for $27. From White Flower Farm, that many would cost more than $100. If I did 10 patches of 8 Daffodils in there, that would be enough for it to start to look really full. I never did cut back the leaves of the Daffodils. I don't think that's a bad thing. They didn't start to turn brown until like, now. And I didn't see any reason to cut them back; maybe having that small amount of space occupied made for slightly less space for weeds to grow?
Anyway, the weed situation in there is out of control. And my philosophy on weeds in beds is that there shouldn't be any exposed dirt for weeds to use. Why wouldn't you fill the space you have? If I can get some cheap perennials in there, it would at least reduce the opportunities for weeds. And eventually, the bed will be basically self sufficient, and I won't even need to do anything.
Part of me thinks I should have used that space for the Tulips. The problem with the Tulips where they were is that they're so crowded in with other plants, and I don't think the front bed drains quite as well as the sidewalk bed. If they're in an area where no one fucks with them, they're much more likely to perennialize. I guess that area might be a little more accessible to deer. I've seen them around there before, like yesterday, in broad daylight! What kind of deer walks around a residential area, on a weekend when we're all right here, in the summer, at noon? Something is wrong with these deer. But I think all I need to do is spray some deer repellent. This "Deer Out" stuff I found on Amazon sounds amazing. The reviews are so positive, and everyone says it just smells minty. Active ingredients are peppermint oil, white pepper, garlic, and some putrescent egg solid, but not that much, apparently. I don't think it will take much. I generally have very little problem with deer, and after that one incident, they didn't even come back for the rest. I think they have plenty to eat around here, so a mild deterrent will handle it. I'm also planning to put a ton of Tulips in the patio bed, which I think will look amazing. If a deer actually walks all the way up to my front door and into the patio, I will freak the hell out. So, I'll probably not bother to spray those.
But anyway. I'm not going to dig up all of those Daffodils out of the Sidewalk bed and replant the area with Tulips. I'm going for a naturalized, low maintenance area over there, and Daffodils are the right choice. Couldn't hurt to have some nice Crocus in there... 80 bulbs is only $17 from Burgess.
Now, I know that when I go looking for Perennials in like, September, I'm not really going to have my first choices. I am definitely going to be strict about the color palette. I only want red and yellow. NO PINK. I want Coreopsis, for sure. It's not a very impressive plant, but I think it's really tough. I've seen some at Wedgewood that have really nice flowers, mixes of red and yellow. If they're still there, I'll go for those. I might even be willing to pay $10 for them. I would also do Echinacea if I can find some really red ones. And there's always the Black Eyed Susan.
Ok, but don't get like, 2 of all of the above. Ideally, I want to get like 3 more Yarrow that match the 2 already in there. I'm pretty sure I have the "Paprika" kind. I think that's a great plant to have in there. It's really drought resistant, it flowers for like, 5 months, I can use it as a cut flower (or dried!), and the deer supposedly don't go for it. And I like its leaf texture. I think it's a nice contrast to all the others. (Although it's really just grassy weeds in there now.) That's the first priority, to get the same Yarrow and get like, 3 of them, and plant them closer to the back. Then I think the next thing is the Coreopsis. I wold think those would be cheap. They kinda look cheap. I would plant those more on the sloped side, or to the right of the Yarrow in there now. I like the idea of a lot of dark red Echinacea in there, so if I happen to find the exact kind I want and they're like, $5, then yes, I'll get like, 5 of those. They would go near the back, I think. They should get to be like, 3 feet tall.
Of course, there are about 8 variegated Liriope in there that really should be divided. I would want to do with them what I did with the ones in the front bed. I want to split them into quarters at least, maybe smaller. Then they should go primarily along the edges. There's a lot to work with, and it could make a pretty nice border. Unlike the front bed, I have no real desire to plant any annuals in this area, so I can totally use these as the front of the bed, or even the back. I don't think I will get a border that's quite as dense as what my mom has, which is fine, since that's a little more of a formal kind of look. But my hope is that if the perimeter is filled out with something tough like that, weeds will have a harder time moving in. I think I have enough Liriope to span the whole thing, at least the front. I could take out the ones from the Patio Bed, even. I do not like them in there. I put them in because they were there, and I wanted to fill it out quickly, but that is not something I needed help doing. The Coleus are doing a fine job of that on their own. And Liriope does not look good at eye level, it might as well be a weed, and it's blacking my view of the Begonias. So I think I will take it out in any case. I could even put it along the edge of the second raised bed. It's just about the right height, it will cover up the wall of the raised bed, and it's so tough that if I kick it around a little when I'm picking beans or whatever, it should be fine.
Anything I do with the Liriope, I would be doing next Spring. I'll wait until the landscaping people come around and chop it all back, and then when everything is thawed out, and it's rained a lot but it's not muddy, and ideally before they mulch, I'll go out and dig them up and chop them into little pieces. The approach we took with the other grasses seemed to work. I would dig them most of the way up, but the root ball was really too big for me to lift, so we would use the shovel to hack off pieces that were the desired size. Of course, if I'm doing this in the spring, I will need to be careful about not trampling all the Daffodils. I think that was ok when we did it this past spring, they had come up, so we could easily tell where they were, but they weren't blooming yet. And at that point (like, April, I think?) the herbaceous perennials won't even really be showing yet. I definitely want to transplant some of the Liriope to form a row right in front of the Yarrow that's in there now. It's looking a little messy now, because those plants are 6-8 inches back from the edge, and they kind of flop over and into the sidewalk. I mean, I could stake them, which would involve buying even more shit, or I could try to make some kind of stakes and tie them back, which might look terrible. But if I had a dense row of Liriope there, they wouldn't fall over in the first place. Boom, problem solved.
That reminds me- I want to make sure they do not cut down the ornamental grasses this fall. I don't think you're supposed to cut anything back in the fall, right? And I really like having them there after they're browned out; it's winter interest! And when we divided them, I'm sure it took a toll and getting chopped back in the fall and then hit with the snow would not be good for them. So what can I do? The only thing I can think of is to put up a sign or a note or something. "Please Do Not Cut These Back Until Spring." And maybe a picture? Is that insulting? It's basically implying they can't read or don't speak English. Presuming it's always the same people, the ones that I've seen out there today are mostly young white guys, one black guy, so yeah, don't draw a picture. Asshole. Should I be really sanctimonious and include an explanation?
"Please Don't Cut Down Ornamental Grasses Until Spring. The dried stalks help to protect the plants over the winter and seed heads provide food for birds. These grasses were divided this year to prevent die-out in the centers. They will re-grow better if they aren't cut down before the winter. They can be cut back in the spring, at the same time as the Liriope. Thank you!"
or maybe just
"Please don't cut down ornamental grasses until spring. Thank you! Sarah, A12"
Yeah, let's go with that second one. How to make this sign weatherproof? Maybe just write it on a piece of cardboard with a Sharpie, and stick that cardboard in a plastic bag, and tape it to that post in the middle? Yeah that sounds good. What's the other option, getting it laminated? Maybe I'll do more than one sign. How long to leave it up? I guess until we get snow.
So clearly I'm not going to do anything with the weeds in there today. I did pull out the really big nasty ones yesterday, but I didn't mess with the grassy ones. I don't know if I will ever do anything. I mean, philosophically, I am opposed to spending tons of time and energy pulling out tons of weeds from a big open space. Why would I want to do that? That isn't fun at all. And it just ends up full of weeds again after 2 weeks. Fuck that. I'm not trying to do anything that hard. Why would I do that when I could sit on my couch day drinking and looking at pictures of plants on the internet? I would much, much rather fill that space out with native, low maintenance, flowering, pollinator attracting, drought tolerant and hopefully cheap perennials. Oh, and this conventional wisdom about wood mulch preventing weeds is demonstrably false. That stupid bed is piled with it, and by now you can't even see the wood mulch under all the weeds.
Oh wow, I can also grow Butterfly Bush from seed! Burpee has two, one is the orange one, and the other is like, red and yellow like the Yarrow. Hm, that one does say it's an annual, which is weird. Still worth a try I think. And I do want to try to fill that space with Sunflowers and Zinnias. Might as well use it as a cutting garden, since it's there, and getting a ton of sun all day.
WEEDS. I could try to pull more weeds out of the sidewalk bed. I got big plans for that spot! This fall, I'm going to try to get some sale perennials and fill it out a little better. I might even plant more Daffodils. I think there are at least 100 in there, but you literally cannot have too many Daffodils. I don't remember being all that impressed with the show last spring. And they're so easy to plant. This new Burgess website seems to have unbelievable prices. I can get 80 King Alfred Daffodils for $27. From White Flower Farm, that many would cost more than $100. If I did 10 patches of 8 Daffodils in there, that would be enough for it to start to look really full. I never did cut back the leaves of the Daffodils. I don't think that's a bad thing. They didn't start to turn brown until like, now. And I didn't see any reason to cut them back; maybe having that small amount of space occupied made for slightly less space for weeds to grow?
Anyway, the weed situation in there is out of control. And my philosophy on weeds in beds is that there shouldn't be any exposed dirt for weeds to use. Why wouldn't you fill the space you have? If I can get some cheap perennials in there, it would at least reduce the opportunities for weeds. And eventually, the bed will be basically self sufficient, and I won't even need to do anything.
Part of me thinks I should have used that space for the Tulips. The problem with the Tulips where they were is that they're so crowded in with other plants, and I don't think the front bed drains quite as well as the sidewalk bed. If they're in an area where no one fucks with them, they're much more likely to perennialize. I guess that area might be a little more accessible to deer. I've seen them around there before, like yesterday, in broad daylight! What kind of deer walks around a residential area, on a weekend when we're all right here, in the summer, at noon? Something is wrong with these deer. But I think all I need to do is spray some deer repellent. This "Deer Out" stuff I found on Amazon sounds amazing. The reviews are so positive, and everyone says it just smells minty. Active ingredients are peppermint oil, white pepper, garlic, and some putrescent egg solid, but not that much, apparently. I don't think it will take much. I generally have very little problem with deer, and after that one incident, they didn't even come back for the rest. I think they have plenty to eat around here, so a mild deterrent will handle it. I'm also planning to put a ton of Tulips in the patio bed, which I think will look amazing. If a deer actually walks all the way up to my front door and into the patio, I will freak the hell out. So, I'll probably not bother to spray those.
But anyway. I'm not going to dig up all of those Daffodils out of the Sidewalk bed and replant the area with Tulips. I'm going for a naturalized, low maintenance area over there, and Daffodils are the right choice. Couldn't hurt to have some nice Crocus in there... 80 bulbs is only $17 from Burgess.
Now, I know that when I go looking for Perennials in like, September, I'm not really going to have my first choices. I am definitely going to be strict about the color palette. I only want red and yellow. NO PINK. I want Coreopsis, for sure. It's not a very impressive plant, but I think it's really tough. I've seen some at Wedgewood that have really nice flowers, mixes of red and yellow. If they're still there, I'll go for those. I might even be willing to pay $10 for them. I would also do Echinacea if I can find some really red ones. And there's always the Black Eyed Susan.
Ok, but don't get like, 2 of all of the above. Ideally, I want to get like 3 more Yarrow that match the 2 already in there. I'm pretty sure I have the "Paprika" kind. I think that's a great plant to have in there. It's really drought resistant, it flowers for like, 5 months, I can use it as a cut flower (or dried!), and the deer supposedly don't go for it. And I like its leaf texture. I think it's a nice contrast to all the others. (Although it's really just grassy weeds in there now.) That's the first priority, to get the same Yarrow and get like, 3 of them, and plant them closer to the back. Then I think the next thing is the Coreopsis. I wold think those would be cheap. They kinda look cheap. I would plant those more on the sloped side, or to the right of the Yarrow in there now. I like the idea of a lot of dark red Echinacea in there, so if I happen to find the exact kind I want and they're like, $5, then yes, I'll get like, 5 of those. They would go near the back, I think. They should get to be like, 3 feet tall.
Of course, there are about 8 variegated Liriope in there that really should be divided. I would want to do with them what I did with the ones in the front bed. I want to split them into quarters at least, maybe smaller. Then they should go primarily along the edges. There's a lot to work with, and it could make a pretty nice border. Unlike the front bed, I have no real desire to plant any annuals in this area, so I can totally use these as the front of the bed, or even the back. I don't think I will get a border that's quite as dense as what my mom has, which is fine, since that's a little more of a formal kind of look. But my hope is that if the perimeter is filled out with something tough like that, weeds will have a harder time moving in. I think I have enough Liriope to span the whole thing, at least the front. I could take out the ones from the Patio Bed, even. I do not like them in there. I put them in because they were there, and I wanted to fill it out quickly, but that is not something I needed help doing. The Coleus are doing a fine job of that on their own. And Liriope does not look good at eye level, it might as well be a weed, and it's blacking my view of the Begonias. So I think I will take it out in any case. I could even put it along the edge of the second raised bed. It's just about the right height, it will cover up the wall of the raised bed, and it's so tough that if I kick it around a little when I'm picking beans or whatever, it should be fine.
Anything I do with the Liriope, I would be doing next Spring. I'll wait until the landscaping people come around and chop it all back, and then when everything is thawed out, and it's rained a lot but it's not muddy, and ideally before they mulch, I'll go out and dig them up and chop them into little pieces. The approach we took with the other grasses seemed to work. I would dig them most of the way up, but the root ball was really too big for me to lift, so we would use the shovel to hack off pieces that were the desired size. Of course, if I'm doing this in the spring, I will need to be careful about not trampling all the Daffodils. I think that was ok when we did it this past spring, they had come up, so we could easily tell where they were, but they weren't blooming yet. And at that point (like, April, I think?) the herbaceous perennials won't even really be showing yet. I definitely want to transplant some of the Liriope to form a row right in front of the Yarrow that's in there now. It's looking a little messy now, because those plants are 6-8 inches back from the edge, and they kind of flop over and into the sidewalk. I mean, I could stake them, which would involve buying even more shit, or I could try to make some kind of stakes and tie them back, which might look terrible. But if I had a dense row of Liriope there, they wouldn't fall over in the first place. Boom, problem solved.
That reminds me- I want to make sure they do not cut down the ornamental grasses this fall. I don't think you're supposed to cut anything back in the fall, right? And I really like having them there after they're browned out; it's winter interest! And when we divided them, I'm sure it took a toll and getting chopped back in the fall and then hit with the snow would not be good for them. So what can I do? The only thing I can think of is to put up a sign or a note or something. "Please Do Not Cut These Back Until Spring." And maybe a picture? Is that insulting? It's basically implying they can't read or don't speak English. Presuming it's always the same people, the ones that I've seen out there today are mostly young white guys, one black guy, so yeah, don't draw a picture. Asshole. Should I be really sanctimonious and include an explanation?
"Please Don't Cut Down Ornamental Grasses Until Spring. The dried stalks help to protect the plants over the winter and seed heads provide food for birds. These grasses were divided this year to prevent die-out in the centers. They will re-grow better if they aren't cut down before the winter. They can be cut back in the spring, at the same time as the Liriope. Thank you!"
or maybe just
"Please don't cut down ornamental grasses until spring. Thank you! Sarah, A12"
Yeah, let's go with that second one. How to make this sign weatherproof? Maybe just write it on a piece of cardboard with a Sharpie, and stick that cardboard in a plastic bag, and tape it to that post in the middle? Yeah that sounds good. What's the other option, getting it laminated? Maybe I'll do more than one sign. How long to leave it up? I guess until we get snow.
So clearly I'm not going to do anything with the weeds in there today. I did pull out the really big nasty ones yesterday, but I didn't mess with the grassy ones. I don't know if I will ever do anything. I mean, philosophically, I am opposed to spending tons of time and energy pulling out tons of weeds from a big open space. Why would I want to do that? That isn't fun at all. And it just ends up full of weeds again after 2 weeks. Fuck that. I'm not trying to do anything that hard. Why would I do that when I could sit on my couch day drinking and looking at pictures of plants on the internet? I would much, much rather fill that space out with native, low maintenance, flowering, pollinator attracting, drought tolerant and hopefully cheap perennials. Oh, and this conventional wisdom about wood mulch preventing weeds is demonstrably false. That stupid bed is piled with it, and by now you can't even see the wood mulch under all the weeds.
Oh wow, I can also grow Butterfly Bush from seed! Burpee has two, one is the orange one, and the other is like, red and yellow like the Yarrow. Hm, that one does say it's an annual, which is weird. Still worth a try I think. And I do want to try to fill that space with Sunflowers and Zinnias. Might as well use it as a cutting garden, since it's there, and getting a ton of sun all day.
More Seeds
And now I'm thinking about the other seeds I'll be buying for next year. Of course I want a TON of Zinnias. I think I want to try some of the shorter, single flower Zinnias in front of the big tall ones. And I'll do the same thing with the sidewalk bed, I'll do red and yellow in there and do one kind of big tall ones and a set of the 12-18 inch ones.
And of course I want some Sunflowers. I'm pretty disappointed in the Elf ones, actually. They are really small, and I get like a few days before they look terrible. It's a total waste of that window box. I'll need to put something else in there pretty soon. I guess I could do them again, because they are kind of cute, but I then need to follow it with something else. But I will get a lot of other sunflowers. I like the "Elegance" kind, which are like 3 feet tall. If I get a ton of them, I can fill out the center of the sidewalk bed and hopefully out compete some of the weeds.
I'll also get Basil and Cilantro, but I think those are the only herbs I want to grow from seed. I might need more lettuce seed, but I think as far as all the other vegetables go, I'm pretty much set. I have way more than I need.
The Nasturtiums that I have this summer are terrible. There are so few flowers, and they're so sad and ugly. I remember some that I had last year and I thought they were great. I'll do some kind of Nasturtium again, but not these stupid pink things.
I will definitely do the standard Morning Glory again. I'll start it a little early, in the containers, inside.
And I can start thinking about vegetables to grow in the fall. I'm going to try another round of Radicchio and Kale, I guess. Of the 6 Radicchio that I had, 5 either bolted or got attacked by those gross things. Actually, the 6th one should probably come up. There's a big space now, and I would put Swiss Chard in there, except mine are just not growing at all. They're under the lights, they're not dead, but they just don't grow. I don't know what's wrong. Maybe the soil? Maybe I'll feed it some worm tea.
So if I start these in like August, or maybe July, they can go outside as soon as it's not too hot. Maybe I'll start them now. I've got a ton of compost. They could go outside in mid to late August, right?
And of course I want some Sunflowers. I'm pretty disappointed in the Elf ones, actually. They are really small, and I get like a few days before they look terrible. It's a total waste of that window box. I'll need to put something else in there pretty soon. I guess I could do them again, because they are kind of cute, but I then need to follow it with something else. But I will get a lot of other sunflowers. I like the "Elegance" kind, which are like 3 feet tall. If I get a ton of them, I can fill out the center of the sidewalk bed and hopefully out compete some of the weeds.
I'll also get Basil and Cilantro, but I think those are the only herbs I want to grow from seed. I might need more lettuce seed, but I think as far as all the other vegetables go, I'm pretty much set. I have way more than I need.
The Nasturtiums that I have this summer are terrible. There are so few flowers, and they're so sad and ugly. I remember some that I had last year and I thought they were great. I'll do some kind of Nasturtium again, but not these stupid pink things.
I will definitely do the standard Morning Glory again. I'll start it a little early, in the containers, inside.
And I can start thinking about vegetables to grow in the fall. I'm going to try another round of Radicchio and Kale, I guess. Of the 6 Radicchio that I had, 5 either bolted or got attacked by those gross things. Actually, the 6th one should probably come up. There's a big space now, and I would put Swiss Chard in there, except mine are just not growing at all. They're under the lights, they're not dead, but they just don't grow. I don't know what's wrong. Maybe the soil? Maybe I'll feed it some worm tea.
So if I start these in like August, or maybe July, they can go outside as soon as it's not too hot. Maybe I'll start them now. I've got a ton of compost. They could go outside in mid to late August, right?
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Can I "Cheat" with my Tomato Rotation?
Hi, Mike McGrath, thanks for taking my call! I'm in West Chester, PA! .... Well, I'm a relatively new gardener, I've only been gardening for a few years. I've been more successful than I have any right to be, and I credit that to all the great information and advice I've gotten from your show! My boyfriend introduced me to it a few years ago, and I think he might be starting to regret it, because of how often I start sentences with "Mike McGrath says..." When I have a question about gardening, I of course think of calling you up to get your advice, but then I either find the answer in your archives, or I can use the understanding I've gotten from your show to figure it out myself.
But I do have a question I don't know how to answer and I'd like your advice. I have very limited gardening space (I live in a townhome), and I'm growing tomatoes in the same space in a raised bed for the second year. I know the Fusarium wilt will build up and I'll have to relocate them. And I do have a plan for this; I have a second raised bed for when I need it.
I'm so giddy over the success of my current tomatoes that I've started picking out varieties for next year, and I found some appealing varieties that were listed as resistant to Fursarium wilt. (Specifically, the Rutgers tomato!) I'm wondering, what is meant by "Resistant?" Does it mean that the plant is not damaged by the presence of the virus? Or, hopefully, does the wilt not use it as a host? If that's the case, could I grow resistant varieties for 3 years, and would that have the same effect as not growing tomatoes in that spot for 3 years?
I suspect it's the former- I could get away with growing the resistant varieties in that spot, but doing so will not eliminate the residual virus. Presumably, these resistant varieties are resistant to damage, but still allow the wilt to persist? Then if I were to plant a different variety, like Brandy Boy or something, it would be the same as if I planted it after several years of tomato growing. I'm hoping you'll tell me that a resistant variety is impervious to the wilt. Like the New Guinea Inpatients! Those aren't a host, it's ok to plant those, they don't perpetuate the Impatient blight. Are the resistant tomatoes the same?
Tomato Time!!!
I am about to get my first ripe tomato. The Better Boy has a big, healthy looking tomato on the bottom that is now almost entirely red. I think it was about a week ago that I first saw some blush on the end. The timing of this is nice, because I'm going to be at home for the next 3 days, and not traveling for the next, like, 5 days, so I can try to catch it at the perfect time.
Right now it's pouring rain, and I'm not sure that's a good thing for an almost-ripe tomato. I think it will make it more watery and possibly split. Although we have had rain consistently, so at least it won't swell up a lot at the end. Tomorrow is going to be dry and partly cloudy, and then I should pick it Monday morning. And what am I going to do with it? Well, I'll probably just slice it and put a little salt on it and eat it, while taking careful notes and pictures.
This tomato seems to be coming in almost a week before its stated Days to Maturity (75). The Cherry Tomato has lots of green tomatoes but no sign of red. Its Days to Maturity is 70, and I usually expect cherries to be faster than the biggies. The Better Boy is on the side that gets a little more sun, so that probably accounts for it.
I'm obviously really eagerly anticipating tasting this tomato. And I'm starting to worry that it will be very disappointing. And since I'm building it up so much, that is probably true, but since I feel like I'm having success with a non-cherry tomato, I'm feeling brave enough to try a real Heirloom next year.
Not only that, I think I'm capable of starting these from seed. That gives me a wider selection to choose from, so I can get exactly what I want. Wedgewood really only had 3 or 4 varieties, none that I was that excited about. Lowes and Home Depot have a lot more, but I think those poor things are kind of damaged, physically and emotionally. There may be a better source, like the Gateway Gardens my mom goes to, but I do think I want to try growing from seed.
Luckily, if I'm not successful with the seeds, I can recover from that without much expense. I'll figure out pretty quickly if the seed-started plants aren't going to work, and then I can go to Plan B. Worst case scenario, I'll buy the exact same Sweet 100 and Better Boy from Wedgewood.
So now I want to figure out what tomatoes I do want to get. I have to be honest with myself; I really only have room for two plants. And I only have the two towers. Now, the towers are on sale right now, $45 instead of $55! (Jesus, did I really pay that much for them?) If I really want to, I could grow a Determinate variety in a container on the patio, where it will actually get some great sun. I think I do want a cherry tomato; I primarily want them for snacking and I totally will eat all of them and they're pretty much a guaranteed to succeed.
Cherry
Right now it's pouring rain, and I'm not sure that's a good thing for an almost-ripe tomato. I think it will make it more watery and possibly split. Although we have had rain consistently, so at least it won't swell up a lot at the end. Tomorrow is going to be dry and partly cloudy, and then I should pick it Monday morning. And what am I going to do with it? Well, I'll probably just slice it and put a little salt on it and eat it, while taking careful notes and pictures.
This tomato seems to be coming in almost a week before its stated Days to Maturity (75). The Cherry Tomato has lots of green tomatoes but no sign of red. Its Days to Maturity is 70, and I usually expect cherries to be faster than the biggies. The Better Boy is on the side that gets a little more sun, so that probably accounts for it.
I'm obviously really eagerly anticipating tasting this tomato. And I'm starting to worry that it will be very disappointing. And since I'm building it up so much, that is probably true, but since I feel like I'm having success with a non-cherry tomato, I'm feeling brave enough to try a real Heirloom next year.
Not only that, I think I'm capable of starting these from seed. That gives me a wider selection to choose from, so I can get exactly what I want. Wedgewood really only had 3 or 4 varieties, none that I was that excited about. Lowes and Home Depot have a lot more, but I think those poor things are kind of damaged, physically and emotionally. There may be a better source, like the Gateway Gardens my mom goes to, but I do think I want to try growing from seed.
Luckily, if I'm not successful with the seeds, I can recover from that without much expense. I'll figure out pretty quickly if the seed-started plants aren't going to work, and then I can go to Plan B. Worst case scenario, I'll buy the exact same Sweet 100 and Better Boy from Wedgewood.
So now I want to figure out what tomatoes I do want to get. I have to be honest with myself; I really only have room for two plants. And I only have the two towers. Now, the towers are on sale right now, $45 instead of $55! (Jesus, did I really pay that much for them?) If I really want to, I could grow a Determinate variety in a container on the patio, where it will actually get some great sun. I think I do want a cherry tomato; I primarily want them for snacking and I totally will eat all of them and they're pretty much a guaranteed to succeed.
Cherry
- Sweet 100's- 70 Days- 1 oz
- Yellow Pear- 75 Days- 2 oz
- Sun Gold- 60 Days - 1 oz
Determinate
- Tumbler- 50 Days- 1 oz
- Patio Princess- 68 Days- 4-5 oz
- Fresh Salsa- 75 Days- 4-5 oz
Biggies
- Brandy Boy- 80 Days- 14 oz
- Better Boy- 75 Days- 16 oz
- Stupice- 60 Days- 4 oz
So, I should of course stagger them so they have different Days to Maturity. Although... the early ones never taste that great. And I don't think I can do 90 days; I don't want to have a huge plant that doesn't even start producing until August. Then I'll have like, 6 weeks before it gets cold. But I am feeling brave enough to try something a little more ambitious than the Better Boy. It's down to either the Brandy Boy, or Stupice. They're both likely to have better flavor than the Better Boy, right?
Obviously, I don't have to decide now. I was thinking I could go ahead and buy these when they go on end-of-season sale... I think they end up being half price. Part of me thinks, what is the point of saving, like, $10? If I'm going to go through all the effort, not to mention the additional $60 I just spent on more grow lights, shouldn't I get the best quality seeds to start with? Why introduce an unnecessary source of error?
On the other hand, people save seeds all the time, especially tomato seeds! And if I get them at the very end of the year, Burpee has been storing them in what I hope are the ideal conditions, it's not like they're sitting around in my damp house. I'll start them in like, February, and I'll know pretty quickly if I don't get enough germination. At that point, I'll have plenty of time to start over with 2016 seeds. So I either save $10 by just using on-sale seeds, or I waste $10 by buying those and then have to order them again at full price. Yeah, I think it's worth doing.
I was a little surprised to see that you only get 10 seeds in a pack! I expected more like 50. I guess that is a more reasonable number, if it was a lot more than that, you'd either need to be starting a tomato farm, or you're throwing out or saving most of the seeds. Actually, it varies- of the 6 varieties I've picked out (Jesus, how did I go from 2 to 6?!), the Patio Tumbler has 10 seeds, the Yellow Pear has 125, Stupice has 25 and the rest have 30. 30 is a nice number; I can do 2-3 seeds in each cell and get 2 six-packs for each variety. And yes, I will start all of them. But ok, no I cannot buy 6 varieties. I can either do Yellow Pear (75 Days) and Stupice (60 Days), or I can do the Sun Gold (60 Days) and the Brandy Boy (80 Days). I think I can get away with the two Determinate kinds. The Tumbler is so early, if it really is 50 days, that would mean I'd have started getting tomatoes in mid June. Then, since it's Determinate, it should be finished after a month, when the Salsa tomatoes start to come in. Also, I think the container tomatoes are more appropriate to give away at work if I end up with lots of nice extras.
So we're looking at 2 six-packs each of Patio Tumbler, Salsa, let's say Yellow Pear and Stupice, Actually I could probably do more of the Yellow Pear if they're really going to give me 125 seeds. Christ, I could do like, 5 six-packs of those. I only have 10 trays. More importantly, I don't have enough light for these poor fuckers. I'm probably going to end up getting another light, aren't I? Good thing I'm going to save $10 getting last year's seeds!
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