Planting Tomatoes

 

 

 

I just planted tomato plants into my clay soil again this year.  If you want to know the best way to plant your tomatoes click on the tomato above and it will give you step by step instructions.  I have been successful when I transplant the tomato plants in this way unless of course it freezes. 

The first twenty-two tomato plants I planted about a week ago got nipped when it got cold and killed one, then the wind blew for two days.  Thankfully the tomatoes are hanging on and look pretty good for a rough start.   

I planted about fifty tomato plants on Memorial Day (I have such a good time on holidays.) 

Check out the instructions at http://www.stitchthrutime.com/Planting_Tomatoes.html on how to transplant your tomatoes, I do it this way for all the plants I put in the ground and have a great success rate.  It is a trick my Grandmother taught me when she used to give me flowers to bring home and transplant many years ago, I still have plants from her that I have moved several times to different locations and they are thriving. 

I also planted my squash Memorial Day and they are doing well, then I went out and bought more to plant this week.  I have a hard time going to a greenhouse, I always come home with more then I planned on, I am sure many of you have the same problem.

 

 





 

 

 

 



Composting

 

 

A couple of years ago I bought a composter at Costco and enjoyed the benefits of this modern day machine making old decomposed dirt and other waste from my home and gardens.  This year Costco came out with a double composter that I bought for Mothers Day.  I have found that sometimes it is a good thing to get what you really want otherwise you will be disappointed.  This year I was extremely happy with my Mother’s day gift.

My sweet husband started putting it together on Mother’s day and got the two drums assembled and for that I was very grateful as it was a lengthy chore.  It was getting late so he put it in the shed to finish later.  We are both busy with jobs and the ranch so it has set there for a while and I decided to get it out and finish it.   I hauled it down to the greenhouse as the drums are quite heavy and I didn’t want us to have to carry the entire composter down to the greenhouse.  My two grandsons age four and six helped with what they could in the transporting of parts. 

Two hours later I had directions in hand and many left over parts.  I was just hoping they had been generous and just sent extra parts.  About that time my husband arrived home and I asked for more help with this endeavor of assembling my composter.  He studied the directions that to my opinion and his also were not very good and we found a place for all the missing parts.

I love my composter and if I were to buy it assembled I am sure it would have been double in price.  I did notice the composter at the store didn’t have all the parts in it, maybe they had a hard time with the directions also.

My new double composter is a great addition to the large one.  The drums on the double composter don’t hold as much as the single one because they are smaller but are easier to tumble than the larger one.  Later I will make an outside composter pile but now I am very happy with the tumbler composters and look forward to many loads of good dirt.

My grandsons were happy to dig up worms from the garden to put in the composter, worms help with the decomposition of the green waste, which doesn’t remain green very long.  I also had them help me with putting in the screws while assembling the composter so they could feel like they were a part of the building process.  It also taught them how to work a screwdriver, something they will have to perfect over time.  We have much to do in the garden this year and I want my grandchildren to feel like this is there garden also while learning how to garden.





Planting Peas and Potatoes

 

All but a couple of rows of the potatoes are planted.  Yesterday I bought some Yukon gold potatoes and will plant them this week.  I have five varieties of potatoes planted and will plant the tomatoes, peppers and other tender plants after Mothers Day to make sure they don't freeze.  That is not a guaranteed they won't freeze because a few years ago I have had it freeze on the 4th of July.  I had some beautiful tomatoes I had planted from seed that were looking great until the afternoon of the 4th - they died.

The peas went in earlier last month but some of our cute little birds (not too cute when they eat your seeds) ate most of the seeds so I had to replant. The peas are planted above the green house so you can't see them but some of the first planting is coming up.  I had read on the internet that if you clip the peas with a toenail clipper they will come up sooner.  I did a test and found the ones that were clipped did not come up any sooner than the ones that didn’t get clipped so in my opinion save yourself a lot of time and work and just plant the peas - then water. . 

 I would suggest investing in a planter when you have a large area, it will save you time and wear and tear on your body.  It is a little expensive to begin with but in the long run well worth the money.  If you want to know what kind of planter I have just ask as it is a good one and has lasted me for years.  I did buy the extra planter plates so I could plant a large variety of seeds.  Every year when I get it out at planting time I am so thankful to have it.