It was hot and humid today, so any gardening needed to be kept to a minimum.
I chose to mix up another batch of soil laced with some fertilizer, because I could do the job sitting in the shade.
The tomato, pepper, and pole bean plants seemed to benefit from a similar assist they received a few day ago, so this batch would go on the zucchini, peas, cabbage, and brussels sprouts.
I filled up my mixing tub with potting soil and sprinkled on about 4 teaspoons of the fertilizer pellets. I made sure to thoroughly mix them as evenly as I could in the soil. The idea is to keep the pellets from having direct contact with the plants. (It can damage the plant.) The whole batch got distributed among the containers I skipped last time.
Speaking of the tomato plant benefiting from the earlier boost, it now has three new tomatoes competing with the ripening one. So, to give the newcomers a better chance, I finally picked my first one for the year. I even documented it with a short video!
A very satisfying moment for the Ragtag Garden... the first tomato!
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I'm glad you are not in a crowd of hecklers because that tomato could possibly take out a person. Very nice job. Thank you for the video too!
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Lol! That's about right... it was hefty...
Thanks and I'm glad you liked the video. It seemed appropriate since y'all have been peeking over my shoulder from the get go. I just had to share that particular moment. ;~D
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That's a nice size paste tomato! The Romas that I grow usually don't get that big, although I've had a few San Marzano paste tomatoes get big like that, although they're shaped a bit differently.
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I was surprised at the size, too. I expected about half that size, but I take 'em! We'll see if that was an exception or if that's average for this variety when the next few ripen.
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Congrats on that nice looking tomato. I left a comment on YT too :)
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Thanks! It's been a while since I've actually grown one. I'm tickled it turned out so pretty!
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I love fresh tomatoes, unfortunately ours didn't do so well. We did containers as well. Happy you got a nice one. 🐓
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Yay! It's turned red! The heat has been horrible here. My tomatoes have to be watered twice a day or else they droop.
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They do use a LOT of water! We've been fortunate to have a few overnight showers even though the days are hot. That's been the only thing saving me from extra daily waterings.
I wonder, can you set up a self-watering back up system? I'm considering something like the first method they describe here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Drip-Irrigator-from-a-Plastic-Bottle
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I've actually thought of doing that! The ones I planted in the ground get dried out so quickly. I think next year I'll set up an irrigation system like that because the ones in the ground are becoming a battle to keep alive.
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I figure these are simple and cheap, so it's worth a try. At least it would provide a steady supply during the hottest / driest stretches of weather. August is generally our toughest month, so it'll be nice to have a 'plan B'.
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This is an irrigation system that might interest you.
https://permaculturenews.org/2010/09/16/ollas-unglazed-clay-pots-for-garden-irrigation/
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Growing your own tomatoes is the best!
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Oh, yeah! It was warm and had a nice heft to it. So much fun, because it's been years since I've done this!
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That soil looks nice and rich. Thank you for reminding me I have to add some fertilizer and fish emulsion to my trees! Lovely Sunday to you :)
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It's an organic potting soil, so I'm hoping that will be an additional goodie for the plants.
You're welcome and I hope you're having a super day as well!
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Waaao that tomato looking very healthy and beautiful congrats @aunt-deb
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Thank you! Hubby said it was just the right stage of ripe. That's good, because he's gotta eat 'em! I only grow 'em.
;~D
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