Monday, May 14, 2012

Veggies! (it must be summer?)

I realize now, after the fact, the real story would have been the veggie inventory at Garden Fever Nursery. You would not believe the choices, all healthy and happy…most (all?) of them organically grown. Tomatoes whose names and descriptions were pure poetry, more Peppers than Peter Piper could have picked in his whole picking lifetime! But I was so fixated on making my choices that the camera didn’t even come out of the handbag. So sorry.

Since “summer” has officially arrived in Portland (seriously over a week of waking to blue skies and we hit 86 yesterday with a predicted high of 88 today), it was time for the whole city to get out and buy their tomatoes. Luckily I realized this ahead of time and took advantage of a Friday afternoon to buy mine before the masses hit the stores on Saturday. What am I growing this year? Well, I’m glad you asked! Eight different tomatoes…








A pepper, just one, last year I ended up with so many peppers I dried them and we’re still cooking with them. Ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb...

Lemon cucumber, because I love the cool crunch and their leaves, until they get all mildewy and have to be cut away.

A happy basil plant to get things going…

And seeds for once I’m sure the warm weather is here to stay…

And finally mint…because Mojitos happen! (at least I hope they do)
Unfortunately I thought I bought a lemon mint (the smell was amazing!) but when I took this picture I discovered I picked up Berries and Cream instead. Still good, and look…I can use it as a granish!

Again the driveway stock tanks will be our veggie garden. The existing soil amended with well rotted steer manure and planting compost.



I know the calendar says May 14th but after already experiencing warmer temps than we did all of May, June and July of last year…planting my veggies…and having brought all the tender succulents out from indoors and undercover it sure feels like summer. Will the June gloom tamp down my spirits, or are we experiencing one for the record books? Only time will tell!

25 comments:

  1. Great location for a veggie garden. The soil should warm up nicely in those stock tanks, and tomatoes love warm soil. We put our veggies out a few weeks ago and the tomatoes have already taken off. I can't wait for the first harvest!

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    1. You're right...the soil is very warm already! After back to back bad years for tomatoes I hope this is the year things go crazy!

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  2. I didn't realize you grew so many veggies! Do you do anything special to your tomatoes? Grow them under plastic cover to get their warmth up? I have to do that. My first year here without I got no tomatoes, so last year I did all kinds of experiments to see what would work. This year they are all under greenhouse cover, and have been for a while, and will be for a while too, despite our good weather here this week.

    Looks like you have a great spot for them, that concrete will warm up in the sun and hold its warmth well too.

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    1. It is so hot right there in the drive. The concrete, the dark house color, the metal tanks...perfect for the veggies (and thus that's why they're grown there!). I do normally put the wall-o-water things around the tomatoes when I first plant them but with it being so warm this weekend I thought I'd hold off until it was back in the 70's, like maybe tomorrow. They do really help, especially at night.

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  3. Isn't the warm so incredible!!! I feels like there was hope for the world once again. Looks like a fantastic tomato variety! Just think about that fresh tomato and basil salad you will be able to make... sprinkled with some balsamic and a few bocconcini!!! Hooray for summer!

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    1. It's like we were separated at birth! That is exactly the first thing I'll make with the tomatoes and basil! LOVE IT. I also like to make bite sized versions on a toothpick. A small tomato, a chunk of cheese and a basil leaf...drizzle the balsamic over the top...num, finger food for patio time.

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    2. That's awesome!!! Great minds think alike!

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  4. Just ate the first Stupice tomatoes from my mom's garden yesterday. Great tomato to grow here, planted Februaryish for early tomatoes. I'm going to put some in my little plot next winter. Nice temps you're having!

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    1. Ah the thought of planting tomatoes in February...

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  5. I was wondering where they were all going. Now I see. Can you believe our tomatoes are winding down. we have been eating for two weeks but now they are not setting fruit because it is too warm.

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    1. I do believe it, my brother in Phoenix is on the same schedule as you guys. Can you get a second harvest in the fall?

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  6. Hopefully the gloom won't arrive and the warm spell is there to stay for quite some time. Glad to hear weather has been fab in your area, we could do with some warm spell here too! :)

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    1. My husband is convinced that I'm going to go from worrying about too much rain to worrying about it not raining. It's always something...

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  7. I love your container garden! Nothing better than organically grown veggie starts! I'm hoping for a milder 'June Gloom' which is inevitably around the corner. Cheers, Jenni

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    1. What if...it never shows up? Can you imagine? Although I do finally see rain in the extended forecast.

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  8. That's a nice group of tomatoes there. I'm a fan of Stupice and you have to have an Early Girl, right? (after all, summer could be Junuary the whole way through, but perish the thought.) I'm impressed that you have enough room in your tanks for eight tomato plants. They must love being up against your dark south-facing wall. Hasn't this past week's weather been just fabulous?!

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    1. Yes my father and grandfather both swear/swore by the Early Girl, can't go without. This will be my first Stupice, I've read great things so hopefully it will live up to the hype.

      A couple of years ago I bought too many tomato plants simply because I wasn't keeping track. That's when I learned I could really cram them in there and they do fine. I also have a the center big black pot that I use. Two Sungolds will go in there.

      As for the weather...OMG! YES!

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Hey...why did you remove your comment? I liked it! There will be succulents in the future...soon...lots...don't you worry!

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  10. what do you do for support on your tomatos? I read about using a cylinder of concrete support mesh this year. Everything else we've tried hasn't been strong enough.

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    1. I just use the usual wire cages. I have an assortment of round ones and square ones. I think because they can intertwine between each other (because they are so close together) they also use each other for support.

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  11. What about white and yellow cucumbers? Purple zuchinni? I get seeds from heirloomseeds.com

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  12. Good luck with your vegetable garden. Looks like you will be doing a lot of cooking this year. Try an olive oil based pasta with garlic, fresh chopped tomatoes, finely chopped tomatoes and fresh arugula.
    My son has cherry tomatoes growing out back but we had a pest problem and had to try putting foil under the plants (you might want to try as preventive measure) which seems to have paritally worked. The rest of the pests we vaccumed away.

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