Gardening

Garden Update for June 2013

June 20, 2013

Tonight Lea came over for a short visit to check on me and to bring some gifts for Mackenzie. I snuck out while they were playing with trains to put in a load of laundry, and I noticed that the light in the backyard had a beautiful hue to it. I walked out, and the sky was orange from the sunset. The lightning bugs were out — it was the perfect time to snap a few pictures of our garden.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered this!

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Our first tomato of the year! Yay!!

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Of course we had to do a taste test. I cut the little tomato into four slices. Chris, Lea, and I all thought it was delicious. Mackenzie was excited to try it, but then she took it out of her mouth and said, “I don’t like that.” Ah, well. She’s still a basil-eater (and mint, and anything else with pretty leaves that looks and smells edible).

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Our little Roma tomato plant is really thriving. There are two more nearly-ripe tomatoes on the vine, and lots more coming. Yay! I forgot how reliable little Romas can be.

We had a very rainy and wet spring here in Nashville. According to the local farmers, crops are about two weeks behind. That meant a great bumper crop of strawberries, but summer produce is late in coming.

Just a week ago, these tomato plants were hardly more than seedlings. I’m glad they are doing so well! These are heirloom yellow tomatoes. I have high hopes. 🙂

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We decided to transplant two of our tomato plants from this garden box to new ones in full sun in the hopes that they would dry out from the rain faster and get stronger. They’re taller, but still looking a little weak.

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And this, well, this is supposed to be arugula. For now let’s call it Mackenzie’s Mystery Box. I have no idea what is growing here, but it looks happy and healthy.

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Our gerbera daisies are big and green and healthy!

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We still have pole beans, two sweet bell pepper plants, two sweet basil plants, and one tomato plants in our larger garden box. Chris built a nice gate around the box, but I think we are going to have to move the tomato plant into fuller sun, and possibly the bell peppers and basil, too.

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This spot gets full sun for a good portion of the afternoon, but it’s in shade by the time I get home in the evening. The soil is also heavy (possibly from a toddler walking around on it), so I may add compost and mulch to improve the drainage (and encourage the toddler to stay out of the garden).

I know that full sun is ideal for summer vegetables, so I’m thinking of planting something else in this spot instead. I found this article very helpful, and this one about shade-tolerant vegetables is great. Do you have any experience or suggestions to share?

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