It Gets the Hose

We are on the other side of two days of nonstop rain here in VA. We needed it, but I am glad to see a little sunshine again.

Regular rainfall would be nice, but I can't always count on that to keep the garden soil moist and the plants happy. Carrying pails of water to four garden beds plus the new tomato bed is quite a hassle, though. Particularly since the outdoor spigot on the back of the house hasn't been working, so all pails had to be filled at the kitchen sink. It's been a bit of an ordeal. However, that problem has now been solved, and I'm kind of excited about it!

Last weekend I had a plumber out to take a look at the spigot. Super-nice guy. We thought there was a burst pipe as the previous owners had left the spigot on during the wintertime (long story), but it just turned out to be some stripped fittings - easy fix. With the spigot working, it freed me up to install the awesome Snip n' Drip system I bought from Gardener's Supply Co a while back. It's really nifty! You connect their hose to your garden hose, and then using their connectors and recycled rubber soaking hose, can set up a whole system to run off an outdoor spigot. Plus, I bought a battery-operated timer so I can preset when I want it to run and for how long. Yesterday I received some extra hose, which provided me enough length to run the watering system all the way from the main garden out to the tomato bed. This is going to be great! We will only need to water a few things by hand now: the potted herbs, the asparagus and rhubarb beds, and the flowers outside the tomato bed. This is going to save a significant amount of time and stress on my back. Take a look!

 All the way out to the tomatoes!

Dig a Hole...Fill it Up

Mid-April already and spring is in full swing here in Virginia! Just a few short days ago it was still dipping into the forties at night, but tonight it isn't supposed to get below 60, and we've had highs in the mid-eighties already! The weather is a bit weird, but that's an East Coast spring for you.

Nearly all of my time off lately has been devoted to the vegetable garden, and thus far my efforts seem to be paying off. Have a look-see!

So far, so good! The kale transplants are growing like gangbusters, and I anticipate being able to pick a few leaves soon:

My Kabocha squashes are finally coming up...

And the broccoli plants appear to have recovered from their initial "OMG too hot" sunburn".

Even the bush beans are finally, finally sprouting. I think I planted them when it was still too cold out and they were waiting for the soil to warm up, but I had started to worry.

By far the biggest project has been...the new tomato bed! We love, love, love tomatoes, both fresh and canned. I enjoy canning tomatoes whole and in a variety of pasta sauces. But as you may recall, year after year our tomato crop has been raided by those furry little rats known as squirrels. I. Hate. Squirrels. This year? We're not screwing around.

With the help of my fantastic mother-in-law, my hard-working husband, and a pair of roto-tillers lent to us by our favorite neighbors, we cleared a large section (roughly 10 by 15 feet) of forsythia alongside the fence in our yard. That stuff is obnoxious to dig up, and I will undoubtedly have to keep tackling it. We also dug up approximately a metric ton of rocks from our thick clay soil. Or at least three wheelbarrows worth. We were left with a spacious area into which Nick tilled some quality soil amendments. Then, for my birthday last Monday, I spent the day digging ten holes and transplanting in five San Marzano, three Druzba, and two Matt's Wild Cherry tomato plants.  Given that it was 80+ degrees, it was not the smartest thing I've ever done and I ended up with a mild case of heat exhaustion. However, it was totally worth it. The next day I bought a bale (two bales, actually) of straw to lay out pathways, and bought cilantro and parsley seedlings to keep the tomatoes company. Today I added the beautiful marigolds my sister-in-law bought me for my birthday (thanks, Claire), planted some basil seeds, and voila!

We've got a new tomato bed eight feet wide and twenty feet long! The tomatoes were not super-happy about being transplanted in the heat and bright sun, even though they'd been outside adapting, and the lower leaves bleached a bit. However, they seem to be recovering well and putting out lots of new growth, as you can see from this San Marzano:

But wait a minute, you say, what about the squirrels? There's nothing to stop them from raiding your tomatoes. That is true...for now. Don't worry, though - we have big plans for that. More to come soon. 

Happy Gardening!

I'm So Excited I Wet My Plants!

It's honest-to-goodness springtime around here, and the vegetable garden is showing signs of verdant life. Both seedlings and transplants are growing like tiny little gangbusters!

There are spinach and radish seedlings coming up...

Broccoli and kale transplants (from the farm store - mine were unimpressive) settling in...

Shelling peas shooting up with all their might...

Zucchini and cucumber transplants (homegrown) enjoying their cold weather houses...

Even last year's chives came back!

Not to be outdone, the fig tree my wonderful husband got me for Christmas is so happy about my having repotted in a larger container that it is rewarding me with tiny little leaves.

In the background? Those are the tomatoes. They quickly outgrew the potting bench with grow lights so I moved them to the guest bedroom in the window, and they don't seem to mind.

Aren't they gorgeous! Less than 6 weeks ago they were just tiny little munchkins:

*sniff* - they grow up so fast

More to come on the tomatoes soon...we've got a project planned about which I am very excited.

Cheers!