These are marigolds and basil. These will be used to protect the tomatoes from the pests--as well as to improve the flavor. The basil looks a little pitiful, but I got them for half price and feel that I am more than capable to loving them back to health.
THRIFTY TIP: Less than perfect, wilted plants need love too...and even more so. To save some money, look for these type of plants. They would be in the, otherwise, clearance section. Also, see if you can negotiate the price with the garden center. Originally, the basil plants were $3.49. I asked an employee/manager at the garden center if I could get a discount considering the condition of the plants. With that, the manager said she would sell them to me for half the price. Once I got them to the garden, I gave them a little plant food and some water. With the proper care and attention, they will definitely flourish.
Check these out! These are the Black Krim tomatoes. Look at the size of them! Now, if they would ONLY ripen, then I will be a very happy gal!
Check out these babies! These are grape tomatoes...the ones you would see in the grocery store. These are definitely going in salads and snack bags in my lunch pail.
These are San Marzano tomatoes. Mario Batali swears by these tomatoes--as I've heard him mention and seen him use them very often. I have three of these plants, and I am looking SOOOO forward to canning these.
These are yellow pear tomatoes. I saw one that was semi-ripe. I say this because it was yellow, but it was still a little hard. While I was checking it, it came off of the plant. It wasn't sweet, so I'm going to wait for the others.
The basil between Paul Robeson tomato plants. On the right is a close up.
Marigolds between the tomato plants.
Marigolds and basil near the tomatoes. On the left is a marigold next to the Mortgage Lifter plant and a basil near the Cherokee Purple plant. On the right is a close up of the basil near the Cherokee Purple. I'm getting SOME tomatoes, but they're not as prolific as the Black Krim. I am seeing many blossoms, but am waiting for some more 'maters!
On the left is a Paul Robeson tomato. As you can see, the leaves are a bit curled. That's a bit of a concern--as the health of my plant is in question. In my research, I've learned that a probable cause for leaf curling on tomato plants is magnesium deficiency--hence the Epsom salt. Epsom salt helps in terms of boosting and maintaining the health of plants. In addition, Epsom salt helps the tomatoes become sweeter and tastier--hence the pic on the right.
As you can see, the bag says "Great for gardening". I've also learned that Epsom salt (or magnesium sulfate--which contains approximately 10% magnesium and 13% sulfur) can be used throughout the garden. Magnesium is critical in seed germination and the production of chlorophyll. It also helps strengthen cell walls and improves plants' uptakes of nitrogen (for luscious greenery), phosphorus (for fruit production), and sulfur. Sulfur (the other component in Epsom salt) is key element to plant growth--as it is critical in the production of vitamins, amino acids (i.e. protein), and enzymes(1).
I've sprinkled some Epsom salt around the base of all my tomato and pepper plants, and then watered the plants. On the back of the bag, it says to use in this manner every two weeks. I'm excited to see the outcome of the Epsom salt feeding. I will provide an update in the next entry.
On the left is my biggest Rutgers tomato plant. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, the Rutgers plants were not just plants I bought at the garden center. This is the result of putting the seed in the ground. It looks really good, and I'm now starting to see some tomatoes on them. As with the San Marzano's, these will be used for canning as well.
On the right is a piece of one on the left. It broke off the plant. Initially, I didn't know what I was going to do with it, and was prepared to put it on the side for weed cover. However, it cam to mind that this can be seen as a cutting, and hence, a new plant. So I planted it. After digging the hole, I added some Epsom salt into the hole, and put the plant in the hole (NOTE: Before planting this piece, I trimmed the bottom. It was hardened, so by cutting it, it is fresh and is able to better soak up water and nutrients). It looks a little sad, but is has succumbed temporarily to transplant shock. It will eventually get established, and thus, get back to health. I had only two branches fall off, and fortunately, my two tomato cages have been put to good use.
These are the black beans. LOOK AT HOW THEY'VE GROWN!!! On the left are the plants. On the right is a blossom--for which a bean pod should come after it. I am thoroughly impressed on how these are from a bag of grocery store beans. I will be completely satisfied once I receive beans. Should I get them, I will definitely save some for seed. If this experiment finishes out as I hoped, I will NEVER buy black bean seeds from a catalog again!
Green beans. AREN'T THEY IMPRESSIVE???! The pic on the left are the beans on the plant. They were SO ready to be harvested. The pic on the right is my actual harvest. That bag was FILLED. In addition, I plucked off a few sage in as well.
The first time I grew green beans, it was in my first garden in 2013. My plan was, more or less, chopped up into to small spaces for the vegetables. As a result, I only got a handful. My mother reiterated that she wanted enough green beans to fill a pot. When I brought THESE home, she was ECSTATIC! She said that this was more than enough. I harvested these beans this past Saturday (7/11). The next day, she cooked most of them for Sunday dinner, and froze the rest.
In another two weeks, I will be ready for another picking. One thing I learned about green beans is in order to keep a continuous supply of beans throughout the season, they have to be picked on an occasional basis. Two weeks should be sufficient time. I will DEFINITELY provide an update on the second picking.
These are the navy beans. They are looking really good!
On the left is zucchini. On the right is corn and sunflowers. The reason I put these two pics together is because all of the aforementioned are growing in the same bed. as you can see from the pic on the right, this bed is halfway weeded. This is actually where I ended.
Collard greens...collard greens...and MORE collard greens. YAY! This is the first time i've had collard greens grow this well. At first I was concerned about the holes (resulting from bugs), but some of my fellow (and more experienced gardeners) said that, despite the bug bites, they're still "good eatin'". When I showed the pics to my mom, she got excited. That being said, I will harvest the biggest plant (top left) this weekend--for which will be a part of Sunday dinner.
When I said that I was determined to get collard greens, I wasn't kidding. I plants some additional seeds are throughout the bed--so that I could get some more plants. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, there's NOTHING like homegrown collard greens. They taste SOOOOO much better!
Red and White Russian Kale. Still looking good. I have to check my onions--as this will make a wonderful kale salad. I like my kale salad with onions and Gazebo room Greek salad dressing.
For those of you not familiar with Gazebo Room Greek salad dressing, it is a bit of an institution in my area. The Gazebo Room used to be a popular restaurant in my hometown. It opened in 1973 and closed in 1998, but the house Greek dressing was (and still is) legendary. Although the restaurant is closed, the salad dressing is still being manufactured, locally, and by the same family that owned the restaurant (2,3). If you've NEVER tried Gazebo Room Greek salad dressing, then I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you do so! It is THAT good! To my understanding, it's being sold in other states, so you can probably find it in your grocery store. If not, then you can order it at gazeboroom.com. Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed. And top your kale salad with it...lol.
Sweet potato bed--in need of another weeding. It is crucial to keep this bed weeded--as they do not compete with weeds well, and until the foliage grows to the point where they become their own weed barrier. The foliage will eventually cover the ground, shading it--which deprives weeds of a much need light source.
Sweet potato plants--up close and personal.
On the left...one, HUGE, weedy mess. This was this past Saturday (7/11). Seeing this, I knew I had my work cut out.
On the right...weedy mess, six hours later. What an improvement! At first, I was just goimg to lay the weeds on the perimenter of the garden, but I decided to lay the weeds down in a manner to form new beds. I don't know what I'll plant (or if I'll plant something), but you never know. I may be up for another experiment...lol!
These two pics are the weedy mess on the next day (Sunday, 7/12). More ground has been covered (or, shall I say...uncovered), and aesthetically, it looks a lot better.
This is my fennel bed. As you can see from the left, it is halfway weeded. There is more fennel in the midst of the weeds on the far left of this picture, and I will work that on my next trip to the garden.
As you can see, the fennel bed spans in a 2 x 28 foot bed in the center of this plot (similar to the other plot with the kohlrabi, Swiss chard, oregano, parsley, and sage). I planted enough for about 60 fennel bulbs. That being said, it's pretty obvious that I LOVE fennel. I like to eat it raw in salads, or roasted with fish. It has a sweet anise, licorice type flavor. For those who really know me know that I am NOT a fan of licorice candy (mainly the black candies), but fennel has a licorice flavor, but I absolutely love it! This will taste a lot better, and costs me FAR LESS than at the grocery store. If my memory serves me right, fennel is between $2-$4/lb. Sorry Charlie, but that will NOT be me--if I can help it! I also have a friend that loves fennel, so I'm excited to be able to share it with her.
With all of that hard work, I got kind of thirsty. So much so, that I took this 1-liter bottle of water "to the head" (i.e. drank continuosly, without stopping or gasping for air. drank it straight down). That revived me for more weeding.
As you can see, a girl has been really busy. I wouldn't have it any other way. Gardening and eating these vegetables have helped me lose weight, so definitely a win-win. In the next entry, I will provide an update on the other vegetables that I didn't cover in this entry (i.e. carrots, lettuce, onions, kohlrabi, Swiss chard). So until then, Think Thrifty! Dawn
(2)http://gazeboroom.com/history/
(3)http://www.pennlive.com/food/index.ssf/2014/07/throwback_thursday_gazebo_room.html
That is the SPIRIT ! STRENGTH love...light.! Jeannette Brokke .
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