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Wednesday 27 June 2012

Update on Tomato Planter

I am proud of myself; I haven't killed my upside down tomato yet. I did forget to water it one of those very warm days, but with the inch of rain we got last night and this morning, it has made a full recovery.



The planter is still looking a little lopsided, but hopefully that will all be remedied early next week.

It does appear to have grown a bit over the last couple of weeks, which is more than I can say for the few that are still in the pots from my friend's greenhouse. I did get a few planted in other pots and one of the garden beds, so I will soon see which is the best method of growing them. The pictures below show the others.




The patio tomato in the urn is doing well; it did have a better start than the others as it was in a bigger pot when I got it. The one below is a Beefsteak if I remember correctly, and is in a pot with alpaca beans, hay/straw mix and some soil. It seems to have doubled in size as well from when it was planted approximately a week ago.

What have you put your tomatoes in this year? Anyone else trying to grow them upside down, or even right side up? 

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Telephoto Lens Required

I just did a walk around my yard, and came to a conclusion: I need a camera with a powerful telephoto lens. The lilacs are in full bloom and buzzing with activity. The bees I'm not too keen on, but the butterflies are beautiful. I tried to get a picture several times, but couldn't get close enough. I figure if I had a zoom lens I could stand on my deck and zoom in close enough to get a good picture. This is what I got; not sure if you can see the butterfly in the middle or not. I do have to say, the lilacs are pretty though.


Even with the bigger image I still don't see it. If you do, please point it out to me.

The lilacs are blooming and the majority of the dandelions have gone to seed. Every now and again a little gust of wind comes up and sends the seeds into untouched areas of my lawn. I know they are good to eat, and the alpacas love them - but do they have to grow EVERYWHERE? I spent some time pulling them out of the garden beds (persistent little things) and the lawn, but the sun is too hot for me when it comes out. The alpacas did enjoy their treat though.

I am cooking steak and potatoes on the barbecue tonight, as it is my daughter's birthday...Happy Sweet 16 Robyn! She also requested escargot - I'll try that on the barbecue as well. Instead of the traditional birthday cake, she requested a drumstick cake. It has been made and is now in the freezer chilling. I'm not sure how it's going to work with the candles; she'll have to be fast.

I did a check around my garden last night and found my potatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers and a few other things poking through. I think the radishes will soon be ready, which will go nicely with the lettuce and green onions. I still have a few things to plant; namely my tomatoes. The only one I planted so far is the one in the ice-cream bucket. It is a little lopsided, but I think it will be okay. I have received some advice on how to reinforce the buckets so they don't bend the way the one in the photo has.


It was my first attempt at an upside down tomato planter, so we will see what happens. As long as the twine doesn't break, I'm happy!

Happy gardening!

Monday 4 June 2012

Upside Down Tomato Planters

Wow! I write every day and yet it has been over two weeks since I posted anything on here. How am I ever going to get to the first page of Google at this rate?

I got most of my planting done before we had a nice shower with an inch and a half of rain. I do still have some potatoes to put in and a few other things, but for the most part I am finished. I went to visit my friend on the weekend and came home with about a dozen tomato plants; at least four varieties. I am anxious to try the "upside down planter" theory for my tomatoes, but instead of buying the planters advertised on TV I will be making my own out of recycled ice-cream buckets. I am almost out of garden beds, so having some tomatoes hanging around will be a good thing.

I wasn't sure where I was going to put them, but I have decided a good spot would be the trellis frame. I have my Virginia Creeper on one side, and the other side is empty. It will be the perfect spot for some hanging tomato pots. These planters would be ideal for the apartment dweller who has limited balcony space. :)

Along with the rain came the exploding growth of dandelions and grass that needs to be mowed again very soon. The alpacas have been getting daily treats of bucketfuls of dandelions as I pull them out of my lawn. I think for every one I pull out another 10 grow. It's like they wait until my back is turned and then spring upward and open.

I will take some photos of the tomato planters when I am making them, which will be tomorrow if all goes according to plan. I will also let you know how I did it, so stay tuned. A friend of a friend said they work well; has anyone else tried them?

Happy gardening!