Ever pondered what to make of that really cool, but kind-of-an-eyesore antique bathtub sitting in your backyard? Well, I had a vision for ours. Last year's efforts were a good start, but there was little follow-through on my part, and HUGE follow-through by the resident bugs. And there was also a late start. As in, I started in late July/August and the second round of baby plants never materialized at the farmers market. So let's sum it up with this: there were setbacks and learning experiences.
This year, I changed my approach. I ordered plants in January from a national company that ships you each plant at the correct time for the plant and your area. Perfect for me, as I am not really up on those types of details. Also perfect because due to our looooooooong cold winter, plants were shipped about every 2 weeks: flowers seedlings first, then potatoes and finally tomatoes and peppers and basil.
I diligently cultivated my dahlia bulbs and poppy seedlings in my large pot for the front porch {thank you in advance to the dear soul who moves that hefty beauty upstairs when we move!}.
I carefully tilled the soil in the bathtub from last year and perked it up with some new soil and some humus; I delicately dug a furrow and planted my potatoes under their little mounds of soil, each marked with a specific stick so I could find them.
Then came the neighbors rager, which caused me much concern for my dear little potatoes! I found a beer can in the bathtub, and frankly gave up my potatoes for lost.
Yesterday, my final shipment arrived: cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, red peppers, eggplants, basil and lettuce seeds. Probably unnecessary to note, but in case you missed it, we like tomatoes in our family. In fact, I can't recall ever growing anything except tomatoes in our gardens. So this is a leap of faith to cultivate so many varieties.
In my excitement over the final plant arrival, I decided to plant all of the goodies. I feared my potatoes were lost and went to dig them up. Lo and behold-my potato babies were growing! So they stayed...but if they have a funny tinge/taste to them come harvest, we'll know who to blame {I'm looking at you, neighbors that have ragers}.
So I plotted, sowed, and fertilized. I planted the seedlings and seeds. I staked in the tomato cages and tied them together to fend off any errant winds. Then I watered a bit more and swatted a big black snout that have come into the scene to investigate. I fear Miss Tulip might be a bigger danger to my garden than any bugs/diseases!
