beds...

the west bed

the tomatoes are in the back, the night that i planted the tomatoes the temperature dropped and so I had to come up with a plan of insulating my newly transplanted toms. the upside down pots are the space near the roots of the tomatoes after i turned them on their side.
then i have a row of marigolds. on the west side i have romaine lettuce and then rainbow chard on the east side. a row of green onions in the front.

the east bed

so far i just have the tomatoes and marigolds in this bed, maybe broccoli and cauliflower or beans. The beds are made out of material from the rebuilding center: reclaimed lumber, old hardware like hinges and door locks, and of course screws. There is a few layers of newspaper between the old grass and the new soil.

 

 

next dirt!

Tomatoes in the ground!

So I finally planted my tomatoes on Sunday between rain drops, after a week of 'hardening' them by setting them outside on the porch during the day and bringing it inside at night (a good thing since it has been crazy spring weather a little sun then the next moment pouring buckets). I was supposed to do it gradually but I was unable to since I work all day I left them out during the day and tucked them in before it got cold at night.

I laid them out horizontally and buried them about half way up the stem, all the little white hairs will turn into roots. I had to cautiously bend it a little (one of them them bent too much, Aunt Ruby's German Green aka Aunti) so that the stem would turn but apparently they will turn upwards by themselves. I staked them to a short piece of bamboo, thriftily taken from behind my apartment and it has been beating against the office window all winter so it was nice to take it down ;)

The west bed looks the best since it has the tomatoes and also a row of marigolds and rainbow chard and romaine lettuce, and green onions. But in the east bed a couple of the toms don't look very good, especially Ox Heart the half breed that looked sad from the beginning and also Aunti with the bent stem . I am going to keep an eye on them and maybe replace them soon if needed.

My soil that I am using is "4 WAY SOIL" from Mt. Scott Fuel. "It is a mixture of topsoil, composted cow manure, yard debris compost and sand.  you can plant directly into this product. Works well for raised beds." I also mixed a little of K's compost into the mix, the best part about her compost it the plethora of worms. So now my beds are teaming with life.

Watering and irrigation is going to be the most challenging, I have a hose that was left over from K's place that barely reaches the boxes and an old watering spout (from an old P-town event I believe). For the tomatoes I am also using a deep watering technique of burying 2 liter bottles at least half way, with the bottom cut off to water each plant. This will be an effective way to water them (i hope!).

~posted by ms. derr
Gardening is a kind of disease.  It infects you, you cannot escape it.  When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed.  ~Lewis Gannit

introducing the west side...

tiger

Tiger-Like
Open Pollinated  Salad  Bi-color  Indeterminate  72 days
West Raised Bed
Vigorous and productive old Russian variety.  Territorial Seed Co. 2008 cataloge reads, "Tiger-Like's vigorous 22 inch  indeterminate vines bear loads of colorful fruit with a sweet, very complex flavor.  The 2 inch fruit has orange-red skin with yellow-green stripes.  The tastiest of the striped varieties." The plant is a small grower that produces tons of smaller, lovely striped fruits. They're quite exotic looking and make a very flashy addition to salads or sandwiches. The inside is a rich red.  Unusual, smokey taste that's definitely not your average tomato. They've got firm flesh and make an excellent addition sliced on a sandwich.

anna
Ananas Noire AKA Black Pineapple    
Open Pollinated  Slicer  Bicolored  Indeterminate 85 days
West Raised Bed
The name of this Belgian tomato, introduced by Pascal Moreau in 2005, is French for black pineapple. TomatoFest organic tomato seeds produce a large, sprawling, regular leaf plant that yields heavy crop of 1 to 1 1/2 lb., round, dark-purple, fruit with green shoulders. Interior color is a tie-dye like mix of pink, red, green yellow colors.  Loaded with an abundance of rich and delicious, full-bodied, sweet & smokey flavors with a whollop of acidity. A great new addition to the list of splendid black tomatoes. Try this tomato in a salad with other colors. Makes a delicious rich tomato sauce.  The skin has shades of green, purple, orange, and yellow.  Bright green flesh has burst of red streaks … flavor starts out sweet and ends with the perfect amount of tang."

eva
Eva Purple Ball      
Heirloom  Salad  Purple  Indeterminate  78 days
West Raised Bed
A vigorous, 1800’s heirloom tomato from the Black Forest region of Germany. Delicious, round, 2 to 3-inch, blemish-free, pink-purple fruits. Tomato Growers Supply 2005 catalog reads, "Huge yields of sweet, juicy round fruit that is delicious for salads, sandwiches, and a variety of other uses.  Dark pink fruit is smooth and usually abut 2 inches across.   Heirloom variety from Germany."

the east side toms...

marv
 Marvel Striped      
Heirloom  Slicer  Bi-color  Indeterminate  85 days      
East Raised Bed
Beefsteak originally from Oaxaca, Mexico. Largest of the bi-colored tomatoes. May get over 4-inches and 2 pounds. Sweet, mild fruity flavors. This heirloom variety has  become one of gardeners' favorite bicolored tomatoes because of its hearty,  size, and taste.  Large yellow-orange fruit are streaked with ruby red and  have a sweet, fruity taste that is absolutely delicious.  Tomatoes weigh about 1 pound, although they often become 2 lbs. or even more.  Large harvests on vigorous vines.

aunti

Aunt Ruby's German Green      
Heirloom  Slicer  Green  Indeterminate 80 days
East Raised Bed
Originally from Ruby Arnold of Greenville, Tennessee. The large green beefsteak type fruit average 1 lb or more and have a sweet spicy flavor. Family heirloom from Germany.
Tomato Grower's Supply 2005 catalog reads, "Large green beefsteaks ripen to pale green with a tint of yellow and have a pink blush underneath that extends inside the flesh.  The flavor is sweet, yet spicy and quite delicious.  Fruit weighs from 12 to 16 ozs., and has the smoothest shape of any large green tomato."

ox

Cuore di Bue      (Italian for Ox Heart)
Open Pollinated  Paste  Bicolored  Indeterminate  85 days
East Raised Bed
This curious and striking tomato (orange/red skin) is guaranteed to turn heads as well as satisfy appetites.  Cuore di Bue is an old tomato type that originates from Italy. Cuore di Bue tomatoes are very attractive to consumers thanks to their typical "cuore" or heart shape and pinkish colour.  In addition to a highly distinctive colour and shape, this tomato has a characteristically creamy texture and a balanced taste. Large saucing/paste tomatoes, it is a squat pear shape, measuring almost 4 inches.  The dense flesh in nice, but they say it also has better flavor than other sauce types.

2010 container garden planning

Just picked up my tomatoes from Uncle Wayne's and I am so excited to get them in to my newly finished raised beds. 

Container Garden on the from porch is looking great! The description for the new tomatoes in pots are below.


Grape Tomato #6721
Open Pollinated  Grape  Red  Indeterminate  55 days
Containers on Porch
"Long, grape-like clusters of brilliant red elongated cherry tomatoes.   Very sweet, complex flavor is delicious and has made these tomatoes a favorite of people everywhere.  Crack-resistant and tolerant of heat and a number of tomato diseases."  Tomato Growers Supply
A grape tomato is a class of tomatoes originally believed to be of southeast Asian origin, shaped similarly to the oblong plum tomatoes but having the small size and sweetness of cherry tomatoes. Grape tomatoes produce small and typically oblong fruits. Introduced to the worldwide market in the 1990s, they have gained substantial popularity, due at least in part to their higher sugar content compared to regular tomatoes, and due to their smaller, bite-sized shape.


Gardener's Delight AKA Sugar Lump
Open Pollinated  Cherry  Red  Indeterminate 72 days
Containers on Porch
This is quite possibly the best tasting little tomato in the world. Several reviews proclaim this variety as the best flavored cherry tomato. Its sweet taste makes it delightful for snacking while you are gardening or for eating fresh in salads. Growing in long clusters of 6-12 fruits all summer long, you will hardly be able to resist popping one in your mouth each time you walk by. Even though the plants are indeterminate, the plants may be grown in containers on a sunny patio, deck, or balcony. As the plants continue to grow until fall frost, they will likely require a stake, small cage, or some sort of support.
Totally Tomatoes 2005 catalog reads, "German-bred and prize-winning, producing long, grape-like, red, sweet, 3/4" fruits. Clusters of 6 to 12 sugar- sweet cherries are crack-resistant and bear until frost.  Hardy vines require staking or caging."
The true tangy flavor of tomatoes of a century or more ago. If you are of the opinion tomatoes have lost their flavor then Tomato Gardener's Delight is a must for you. It is a greenhouse or outdoor type, packed with bite-size fruit, ideal for salads and sandwiches and full of vitamins.