You say tomato….. (225/365)

5

August 13, 2015 – A little pile of tomatoes off a couple of our plants. Just enough for a nice little salad. 🙂

Last year I threw tomatoes in for a lark, never expecting them to grow. They did, and I discovered that tomato plants can aspire to ten feet tall! Great plants, not much fruit. This year I did a bit more research, Kirk built me a planter, and I tried them out front, but also in several pots up on the upper deck, which gets scorching hot. Those ones upstairs are the winners for plant health, flowers, and fruit.

I’m still working out the best places to grow things in our mostly shady yard. There are a few places that get a significant amount of sun and I’ve been working on improving the soil in those spots. I’m probably the only person in the world who has failed at zucchini…two years in a row! Last year I just outright killed the plant (poor soil and not enough moisture). This year I have an absolutely gorgeous plant, and not a fruit to be seen. My guess is not enough hours of sunlight, yet the kuri squash just a couple of feet from it is threatening to grow straight across the front yard and has flowered and is showing signs of at least one fruit. Next year I’ll try a zucchini in another spot.

It’s only the second summer here….I am still learning the sun, the soil, and what will do well where. Next year all the tomatoes will be upstairs on the deck, and if anyone has any favourite varieties, I’m open to seed suggestions.