My 2018 Tomatoes and Garden

[jmsieglaff]

Thanks Marsha and Karen! The patio door dwarf tomatoes got to go out on the deck this AM! 51F at 915am. Should be our first 60F day—mid 60s in fact.

[jmsieglaff]

Got peppers into buckets Saturday. Tomatoes went into the ground tonight! Still have a few more tomatoes in the cold frame to get in buckets and other beds. Micro dwarf hunt failed but those small dwarf tomatoes on the deck should yield tomatoes very early, maybe even late May! Still have a lot of things to plant, squash, cukes, mini pumpkins, herbs, flowers.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Looking good!

Nan

[jmsieglaff]

Thanks Nan!

[jmsieglaff]

Rest of the tomatoes were planted tonight, including 9 dwarf project varieties. Dwarf Metallica (4th from left) has the thickest stem of any dwarf I’ve grown.

[jillian]

Very nice, everything looks so neat. Do you plant anything in the cinder blocks? I have a flower bed outlined with them and have wondered how strawberries would do.

[jmsieglaff]

Thanks! Yes, I plant annual herbs (rosemary, summer savory, and cinnamon basil) and have some perennial herbs (thyme and garlic chives) and a lot of marigolds. I start a flat of marigolds each year, I still need to plant them into the cinder block holes. They are a dwarf variety that stays under 8", which is perfect for the holes. Hopefully later this week or this weekend at the latest.

[jillian]

That's awesome, I too have some marigolds and herbs planted in mine but I have plenty of holes left . I have never try to grow strawberries and may have waited too late this year, idk. Next year for sure.

[kath]

Originally Posted by jillian

That's awesome, I too have some marigolds and herbs planted in mine but I have plenty of holes left . I have never try to grow strawberries and may have waited too late this year, idk. Next year for sure.

I've had great luck with strawberries planted in cinder block holes, Jillian!

Your garden is looking great, jmsieglaff!

kath

[MissS]

As usual everything looks fantastic this year. You do a great job.

I have a ques ton for you, do those whirligigs help to keep animals from going under you deck, or do they just get used to them? I know that you have a fence on your backside but I don't know if it is around the whole yard or not.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by MissS

...I know that you have a fence on your backside...

Oh, the visual!

Nan

[jmsieglaff]

Ha! Thanks for the kind words all! The beds are completely fenced in, but the whirlybirds are to scare away any chipmunks which for the first time we had a problem with last year digging up newly sprouting cucubrits. They also serve to keep any small rabbits that get in away from plants I think they may eat. Even though I use rabbit guard fence that gosh darnoodley baby ones have gotten in by squeezing through the very small spacing in the bottom of the fence. The rabbits won’t touch the tomatoes at least!

[MissS]

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

Ha! The rabbits won’t touch the tomatoes at least!

Oh yes they will. The little ones here like to nibble the lowest ripening fruit on the vines. They need to have a sample of each and every one that they can reach. I kept wondering what was eating my tomatoes until one day I saw litter Peter Rabbit nibbling away.....

[Nan_PA_6b]

Yep, I've had bunny damage on the low-hanging tomatoes.

Nan

[jmsieglaff]

Well it is official. Rabbits are little devils. I’ve had them eat nearly everything, but tomatoes. I guess by the time the plants have fruits that are coloring they are too big to sneak through the fence.