poop amaranth and tomato

my first raised bed i call my "OG bed." it was started as a lasagna-style bed with peat moss, vermiculite, mushroom compost and black cow in the spring of 2009.

i have a second raised bed that was started the same way. this one i'm calling new edition because i've recently added a one tier cinderblock addition with a permanent trellis to it.

these raised beds are the first of many, hopefully. i did all the backbreaking work myself. my dad helped me transport the cinderblocks and my tall husband helped me hang the tall trellis, but other than that this is all me. so i'm taking it slow, one day at a time.........



i'm not sure why i only planted three tomato plants this year. i am kicking myself in the butt. but. one cherokee purple one two romas are all i planted. last year i grew all my tomatoes from seed and it was a huge success. this year i got seedlings from the nursery. next year i'll be more on top of the mater growing.

roma

cherokee purple

cilantro going to seed in the OG bed.

right now my tomatoes are on the east end, surrounded by basil and marigolds. there's cilantro growing behind the tomatoes that i'm torturing by pinching off the blooms. i've allowed two stow-away sunflowers to thrive and a Chinese cabbage plant to go to seed. in the north west corner are two baby okra plants (16 inch pod). today i put in some hartman's giant amaranth seed.....and some ten year old horse poop. there's a couple of peppers in there too. i'm hoping that the giant amaranth and okra will provide some shade for my tomatoes in the hot south louisiana months, so they will produce a little longer.