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.

down the rabbit hole

my carrots (first ever) went into the ground Feb 20th. I pulled them up yesterday. I had planted three different heirloom varities: atomic red, lunar white and blanche a collet vert. while lunar white was reliable, atomic red turned out to be my favorite.

now i have space to plant. i've left two peppers in. there's also an atomic red carrot i'm letting to to seed. and i have a sugarcane clump in the corner. i wasn't sure if the sugarcane was going to come back so i left it alone. now after having it for a year, i've decided to dig it up this fall and put it in the ground to make more precious room in my raised beds. i've ordered seeds, last minute from baker creek. i'm awaiting seminole pumpkin, malali watermelon, and spitfire nasturtium.




for the past two mornings i've looked out my window and spotted what i assume is the same bunny rabbit. i've habitually grabbed my camera, shot photos through the window and headed outside in whatever i am (or am not) wearing. i'll end out way out in the garden with no shoes and my pjs on and well after the bunny has hopped back into the woods, i'm shooting pics of morning blossoms. just call me Alice.

squash flower