Twine

There are several items I keep handy in the

garden. Twine is one of them, especially now

that growth is exponential.

The primary function of twine or jute during

spring/summer(in my garden) is to tie tomatoes to posts.

My toms have grown as high as 8 feet, so I just keep

tying the stems to the posts for upward persuasion.

Jute, which is actually a plant, is much heavier. I used

jute to tie the "teepee" posts together...Jute is too

harsh for the delicate tomato branches/stems.

Here(below) is another way I use twine. An upside down tomato

cage with twine working its way up the cage. My first blooming

sweet peas are appreciating the support! Next up will be

Blackeyed Susan vine. Topped off by small garden pot!

Also, the twine comes in handy to provide support for peas

& beans...Here are English peas growing rampant up a trellis

I concocted...

Buy some twine at your local garden store or big box

home store.

Well,I just counted 30 tomato plants in the Home garden! WOW.

I had 9 plants last year. A LOT of twine!

Blessings from the Garden.

ML

Rain!

We had a steady rain shower this afternoon so I am out

to the garden to check on things and fertilize. I'll be using

"llama beans" and some 10.10.10. It's a good time to

fertilize as a good rain leaches nutrients from the soil.

I am going to hoe around the Silver Queen corn as the

weeds are starting to encroach. Same with the 4 o'clocks,

they require shovel pruning frequently!

Prepared a calendar for blogging today while it rained. My goal is to blog about SOMETHING every day through August.

I'll have to remember the laptop while on vacation.

Go out and check the garden, you may find a suprise!

Blessings from the Garden.

ML

ps. the pic is Queen Ann's Lace that looks like a snowflake to me...

click on it to appreciate.

Sunday Morning Report

Sunday Morning Report

I took pictures this morning as proof

that a bit of heat and some water yield

vigorous growth.

This is Spiderwort, white & blue.

Exploring ways to trellis my cucumbers up the wood

fence as they are beginning to send out "climbing"

tendrils. Maybe a piece of lattice or two poles with

jute similar to pea trellis?

Both Pat Lanza, author of Lasagna Gardening,

and Mel Bartholomew,author of Square Foot Gardening,

recommend vertical growth for vining veggies.

Here are Sq. Ft Gardens 1 &2 three weeks ago, and this morning.

Any ideas on a creative vertical apparatus would be appreciated.

The Romaine lettuce, beets, radish, and

arugula are still looking good.

Silver Queen corn is up and needs

fertilizer.

My ginormous mullein!

Mystery plant.

Huge leaves, sharp jagged leaves.

Blessings from the Garden.

ML

April's to Do's

Get Busy This Month!
April To Do's...

The month of April is about to get away
with me. We are escaping
the Master's Golf Tournament for the week. ...

This is a whirlwind time for planting/gardening,
so check posts daily!

Here's what we need to be doing...

#1. Buy Sam Swedish Chocolates (Put on Bed)
sorry my son is accustomed to fancier
hotels...

#2 Veggies...take a peek at this list
decide what you like to eat and get busy!
refer to UGA planting calendar
okra
southern peas(blackeye, pinkeye, cream, crowder, zipper)
bell peppers
hot peppers/hot sweet peppers
sweet potatoes (mid month)
all tomatoes
watermelon
pole, bush and lima beans
butterpeas
canteloupe
corn
cucumber
eggplant
basil, rosemary, parsley, chives, mint
any herbs you use for cooking..

#3. PLANT!

* keep tall and vertical growing
plants toward back of garden spot

* buy some zinnia seeds and plant.

* 2-3 weeks after planting corn and beans,
plant more, keep planting every few weeks
til may.

* BE CREATIVE! My corn will go in front yard
this year!

Fill me in on what you are up to, send pics too!
Blessings from the Garden.
ML

Dream!

Winter is not my favorite. I try to make the

best of cracked skin, dry lips, and just plain

being cold by plowing through seed catalogs

and the Feb/March garden mags from last year

(& possibly from years past!).

Now is the time to dream about your garden and

begin the process of planning for 2010. More and

more people are finding spots in the yard to

plant some veggies with hopes of harvesting

throughout the summer. Start dreaming now

to make juicy ripe tomatoes a reality in the spring.

Here are some online assignments for inspiration:

www.rareseeds.com

request a catalog, the photos are stunning!

www.johnnyseeds.com

www.carletongarden.blogspot.com

go through this website's past years, she

takes super pics, skippy is her waterdog!

www.seedsavers.org

request a catalog, great photos!

Blessings to you from the Winter Garden.

Happy New Year.

ML