Our Plot

Our Plot
Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts

Thursday, July 3, 2014

The Sun is Out!

It is a few days into July and the sun is peeking out of the clouds! The June Gloom came at the end of the month and I was worried about the tomatoes. Blight can be devastating! Anyway, the Meyer lemon tree still has some great lemons on it. I had this tree for 3 years in my patio which only gets full sun in the morning-early afternoon. I really recommend getting one of theses dwarf lemon trees. I went to a nursery and spent three times the Home Depot price because I wanted a semi-mature tree. Home Depot citrus trees are great but sometimes, the trees are so stressed. The whiteflies love it too so I have to hose the tree down once a week with a strong spray of water. I know living in an apartment means you don't have a lot of space and light to grow things but you can if you know what kinds of plants can can tolerate the less than ideal conditions. Growing ornamentals can be rewarding as well. Shady plants are happy under my fruit trees. I have a few in my patio as well.

I think I am starting to figure out what tomato was planted where in my community garden plot. The Sungold is a very popular choice because the cherry tomatoes develop very fast in beautiful green clusters that turn yellow orange. The clusters look amazing! I am looking forward to seeing the Black Cherry. Where it is I don't quite know yet. The blight can be seen in the garden now. I have been making sure my leaves are not on the ground and there is enough air circulation. Even with all the care, it just spreads no matter what. It is in the soil. I just pray that my tomatoes stay healthy and happy. My roses have been taking over literally. The early summer pruning has helped but it has to be done regularly because they are just growing like mad. The weather as been perfect. Abraham Darby and a few are stricken with rust but it can be managed. Some of the more upright roses are just blooming in profusion like this Molineux. Jubilee Celebration did its thing and now the Snow Goose is ready for its own show. Mary bloomed all at once and the red roses are waiting for their turn. I find that the roses need constant attention. High maintenance! I miss most of the blooms anyway. The plot is only 2.5 miles away but sometimes, I have to let it be.

I have been rehabilitating this bare root rose sine April. It is finally recovering. There is another one in the community garden that I am trying to take care of. The new growth got broken off accidentally. 

 I went to the school garden yesterday to water. The plants were looking okay. I decided to wait three weeks between the watering. I completely flood the beds. It got mulched before I left for the summer. That seems to help with retaining the moisture in this little garden that is located in full sun built into the asphalt. I tried the timer with the soaker hoses but there are rascals who jump the fence and find the time to do something stupid. The garden is in need of some pruning but I will do that later in the month. School starts in early August. 

Friday, June 20, 2014

Need to Catch Up!


It's been awhile since I have blogged. School is out and I have been trying to get a position at another school closer to home. I have only been on vacation for two weeks. Time is going by so slowly! The garden had been neglected and I have been spending a lot of time grooming the roses. The rose are going crazy! Today the girls are at Raging Waters with their dad and friend.  So that gives me time to relocate a rose, water, mulch, weed, prune, tie back the milkweed, turn the worms, and trim the sage. I still need to go back to later to tie the tomatoes back. They are spilling over. Either at this garden or the school garden, work never stops! But I love touching the soil, the worms, and being patient with my newly planted seeds. The deep watering sure helps! The sun is out bright and early with no hint of overcast weather. This is not normal. What in the world is going on? The tomatoes are looking fantastic in all the plots. The temperature is just perfect! How can this be?

The mulberry tree is just about done!


I stripped the leaves but you must always leave a few in top.
First time growing Stevia. I think the plant looks interesting. 
Last time I walked by A Shropshire Lad, I snapped the flower off. This time I am very careful with this David Austin rose because it is such a tender bush.

Oh, Jubilee, you are so gorgeous and the blooming is so continuous! This is a must have David Austin rose in your garden!

I have tomatoes too . All of them have names but I did let someone else plant them. What is this one? We'll just have to wait until they ripen. I planted my mystery favorite from the seeds I collected last year, Black Cherry, Tangerine, Golden Nugget? and some others.