new plants!

We started our spring planting today! Our garden is tiny – about a 6’x6′ area of ground reclaimed from the crabgrass in front of our apartment. About 2 years ago we dug up the corner, which gets a good bit of sun, and built a low stone wall to shore up the sloping ground. It’s little, but somehow we’ve managed to get an amazing number of plants to grow in there. Last year our tomatoes were over 6′ tall! Apparently, that’s not that unusual in California, but for a Minnesota gardener it was a little shocking. I had to check with my landscaper friend, who assured me that we didn’t have savage mutant tomatoes on our hands.
So far we put in some ranunculus (my favorites), two basil plants, some herbs, a little sun rose, A June Pink tomato and a Mr. Stripey tomato. I think we still have room for a Purple Cherokee and two peppers, but our nursery doesn’t have those yet.

First we had to harvest the lettuce that we planted this winter.

Dave planting basil…

Tomato tip: when you plant tomatoes, mix 1/2 cup wood ash and 1/2 cup bone meal in with the soil. This provides the plants with the phosphorus and potassium they need to grow well, without adding too much nitrogen, which can lead to leafy plants with little fruit. Also, plant as deep as possible up to the first set of leaves to increase the size of the root ball.