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!