Garden Center Score!

I was able to get away to a local garden center out in the exurbs, and, not surprisingly, this place was better stocked than anything nearer the city.

I was able to acquire three heirloom tomatoes: Pink Brandywine (known for it wine-like flavor and low yields), a Green Zebra (known for its beautiful coloring and zesty flavor), and a Yellow Pear (known for productivity and spicy, sweet flavor).

My heirloom seedlings are coming along better now that I have rigged up a florescent light (more later), but I wanted to stack the deck, so to speak, and ensure a bountiful tomato harvest with a few store-bought ringers.

Also in the haul:

Peppers: Tobasco, Jalapeno, and California.

Herbs: Sweet Basil, Genovese Basil, Cat Nip, Cilantro, Parsley, and Rosemary.

I'll try to plant everything early the week, after I've hardened off the tomatoes for a few days.

Being There, In the Garden

This week from the what the h^ll is this file:

Vegetable Garden

Now that the rain has finally stopped, I took the morning to put the finishing touches on the vegetable garden. I used 3' poultry wire dug about 10" into the ground to keep out any enterprising intruders. The space looks a bit small in these photos, but it's about a 10X10' plot that should offer ample room for tomatoes, peppers, herbs, beets, and a few pie pumpkins.

As I may have mentioned before, this plot was taken up entirely by day lilies, which were absolutely nightmarish to dig out. I suspect that they are the garden equivalent of IKEA furniture. You start with just one piece, thinking that so long as it's only one, the choice is elegant and tasteful. Of course, bat an eye and you have an entire MALM bedroom set or, worse, 100 square feet of day lilies.

As I'm not a mature adult, I will pause to mention the 8" tall varmint (pictured above) that made all this work necessary.

Tomatoes

Well, we are officially beyond the last anticipated, worst-case scenario frost date, so it's time to start thinking about getting some vegetables into the ground. I've nearly completed clearing and fencing the garden space (more to come), and this afternoon I finally got around to transplanting my heirloom tomato seedlings.

Tomatoes are unique as they can develop roots at any point along their stalks. When transplanting initial seedlings after they reach a height of 2 inches, it's best to bury the seedling nearly to the first set of actual leaves to shock the plant into developing a larger root system.

As you can see, my seedlings are a bit behind--they're apparently late bloomers, so to speak, just like Chauncey. In any case, I'm hopeful that after this transplant, the warmer temperatures and increased sunlight will bring them quickly to planting heights (i.e., 9-12 inches)

Not a bad turn out: 5 Hillbilly Potato Leaf, 4 Nyagous, and 1 Wapsipinicon Peach. (I have about 4 Black from Tula's also, but I wanted to give these another day or two before transplanting.)

Iris Cont'd

Giant Iris (Iris Giganticaerulea) have officially arrived on the scene in the bulb gardens. As you can see, there are a number of vibrant examples of this species, adding welcome splashes of color and height.

One of my favorite things about gardening is learning interesting stories about plant origins and hybrid development. It's always exciting, and somewhat humbling, to imagine the sheer expanse of seasons, years, and labor that went into creating our now "garden variety" plants.

The story of the Giant Iris does not disappoint. Unbeknownst even to many avid gardeners, the Giant Iris is actually named for the French-born wrestler, Andre the Giant (Andre Rene Roussimoff). In the later years of his career, Roussimoff would often escape to his beloved country estate, La Quinta Monstruo, on the island of Malta. Apparently, the great wrestler had relished the contemplative solitude of gardening since childhood, and he now focused his life-long passion on a more specific horticultural pursuit: the development of various hybrid bulbs.

The Mediterranean climate was well suited for this work, and Roussimoff produced many lesser-known successes, including Giant Minature Daffodils (Narcissus Asturiensis Giagantium) and Giant Grape Hyacinth (Muscari Comosum Gigantium). These unique varieties were clearly far ahead of their time, and thus never found a spot within the bulb marketplace.

However, fortunately for us all, the Giant Iris in all its colorful variety has become a staple in bulb gardens the world over. For that, we must thank the gentle giant. Here's to you, big fella.