Saturday, May 27, 2017

tomato seedlings are in

My tomato seedlings are all transplanted out into my garden now. Yeah!! Finally. It's turning point for me.

For many things, gardens included, preparation is most of the effort. By the time my tomato seedlings go in, my soil has been amended, the seedlings raised and hardened off, and my tomato supports are up.

But more than that, tomatoes are my big summer crop, and once they go in, all my spring beds have been prepared and planted, and my garden design changes have been done. This year I laid down new wood chips on garden paths and reseeded grass on the main path. I emptied and turned compost bins and rebuilt the one at my community plot. I've harvested greens so far, like lettuce, spinach, and arugula, but planting tomatoes makes me hungry for summer vegetables.

I outdid myself by planting 28 tomato seedlings between my home and community garden plots this year. Plus another eight for my mom in her garden. They are about 60% slicers and the rest sauce varieties. Mostly heirlooms, a few hybrids. I over planted and have 32 seedlings left over. My neighbors and fellow community gardeners always seem happy to take the extras.

So it's a time to celebrate. A toast to the coming summer vegetables. A hope for a productive season. And a rest with feet up (briefly) after the spring's work and before that of summer.

4 comments:

Dana K said...

I just planted 30 tomato seedlings. So exciting to see the garden taking shape

funkEpunkEmonkE said...

I'm glad I planted a few extra seedlings this year since a few of them are looking a little sad!

Phuong said...

Planting tomatoes is definitely one of the highlights of spring. And at this point it always feels like zucchini, summer squash, and snap beans are just around the corner. Wonderful.

kathy said...

I have all the summer crops in now. Yeah. Squashes, eggplants, Basil, beans. It's a really late year here. So much rain, clouds and cool temperatures. Lettuce and other greens are doing great. I hope the summer crops will thrive.