Coming along nicely.......

Tomatoes 2013

Bonnie's Best

Golden Jubilee

Costoluto Fiorentino

Old German

Frankenstein Black

San Marzano Redorta

Not Pictured.....Black Krim and Cherokee Purple

This year I am going tomato wild.  I have thirty tomato plants in the garden and hopefully lots of tomatoes on the way. 

12 day difference

 Only a twelve day difference and the grape vines on the pergola  exploded, okra and corn coming up and tomato plants almost doubled in size.

SUCCESS!!!

This is War!!

This is war!!!   Watered garden today only to have a section of a gopher tunnel collapse.  I am not taking prisoners!!  I have instead set a cruel, heartless trap. I shall win this battle!!

Happy First day of spring 2013

The summer garden, a work in progress!! Actually it is always a work in progress.  I try to do as much as I can every day before it gets too hot.  I did have a little help building the raised beds in the last couple years but everything else I do. I dig, I rake, I plant, I weed, I water.  The smartest thing I have ever done is to splurge on a tiller this year. I can do in minutes what it used to take hours to do.

I currently have EIGHTEEN tomato plants in and if my seedlings survive I will have about 15 more.  Crazy you say?   Yep, yep I am. I have always wanted a pressure canner and finally got one for Christmas this year so I can finally can vegetables and such without having to pickle them or make jams and jellies.

Knock on wood and really hoping for some success in garden this year!

The view from the deck into the garden.....
Yes that is a scarey looking dead tree (mesquite) on top left, would love to get that thing out of here.  Any takers?  Instead of BYOB it is BYOchainsaw!

 

 View from the steps looking into the garden. The very front center will be okra, slightly behind that bed and to the left is corn...........

 

On each side of the front steps is normally my flower beds but both beds are currently full of onions....

 

Around the side of the deck are some sugar snap peas....

 

First three raised beds.  Bed #1 tomatoes, bed #2 beans and swiss chard, bed #3 tomatoes.....

 

Side bed, eggplant in front, few leaf lettuce, couple tomatoes, basil and oregano

 

The pergola which is still a work in progress is currently my garden center.  Grapes are on each corner, hopefully we can  lay pretty brick this year.

 

About 15 more tomatoes to plant if I don't kill them first.....

 

 View into the oldest section of garden. Squash, cucumbers, pepper plants, kale, kohlrabi......

 

My redneck trellis....

 

Kohlrabi .....

 

Eight Jalapenos, Eight Habanero, and Two Bells......

 

  My monster swiss chard plant.....

 

And finally, my pretty spot.....  (disregard ugly fence in back please).......

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary How does Your Garden Grow.........

End of June and it is HOT.  Currently 118 degrees today and I expect it to get a couple degrees hotter.
 Garden is starting to struggle a bit.  Really wilts down in the midday heat and it is so hard for me to get out and water midday.

 After taking this pic I looked over at kitchen table and there are twice this many tomatoes in another bowl

 Basil

 Wish  child would have stood in the corn for this picture.

 Eggplant

 I just do lousy at green beans.

 The okra has started off lousy this year.  I have tried seeds and plants. Everything has wilted and dies and this is all that is currently left.

 Finally some okra blossoms.

 Ihave never tried onions before.  I picked up a package of onion sets from the store that looked half dead and I didn't expect to have any results.  Except for the fact that a dog has walked thru them they have done well. 

 Another squash plant. Looks like I will have some small white patty pan squash soon.

 Peppers

 Redneck trellis with cucumbers on both sides and tomatoes on both ends.

 Yello squash peeking out.

 Massive tomato monster.  Yellow pear tomatoes grow massive and they are very heat tolerant.

 Yellow pear tomato, pulling trellis over.

 Yellow squash

Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow......

My motivation to have a great garden this year 

Scrawny little beginning

Looking good!

The first two garden beds, built last year.

Whats that I spy, a brand new third bed this year. Please don't notice the nasty lattice. I can't keep it clean with the water hose splashing it all the time.  

Very hard to tell from this picture but there are nine okra plants popping through the soil.  

First section of corn. We are staggering the plantings so we won't be bombarded all at once.  

Cucumber plants beginning to grow up my redneck trellis. Two more tomato plants here and swiss chard just beginning to pop through the soil. 

Older picture, beginning of some great tomatoes.  

These are the same tomatoes.  Will have to anchor the trellis a bit better soon.

These pictures do not do the garden justice.  I have a section of green beans just popping up and two eggplants as well.